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Result: Western Kentucky beat App State 59-38. Bailey Zappe completed 33 of 47 passes for 422 yards and six touchdowns in the win. Noah Whittington rushed for 150 yards and a score and Kye Robichaux added 67 yards and a score. Jerreth Sterns led Hilltoppers receivers with 13 receptions for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
ESPN will host the broadcast for the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl matchup between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The game is set for Saturday, December 18th at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Appalachian State (10-3, 7-2, SBC) is fresh off a Sun Belt Conference Championship game loss to Louisiana. Still, this is a very good mountaineers team that has gotten better as the season has gone on. The offense is solid, ranking 24h in the nation, but the defense is stellar. That group is allowing just 19 points per game, which ranks them 16th in the nation.
They’ll be tested early and often against the Hilltoppers (8-5, 7-2 C-USA) high-flying offense. WKU is scoring an average of 43 points per game, which ranks second-best in the entire FBS. Quarterback Bailey Zappe has had an absurd season, throwing for 5,545 yards, 56 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. Those are career numbers for some quarterbacks, but for Zappe, that’s just 2021.
If you aren’t around a TV to watch the Boca Raton Bowl, you can stream the game via WatchESPN or the ESPN app if you have a cable-login subscription. If you don’t have a cable log-in, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the primetime game.
Boca Raton Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State
Date: Saturday, December 18th
Kick off time: 11:00 a.m. ET
Stadium: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
Live stream link: WatchESPN, ESPN app
Moneyline odds: App State -135, WKU +115