BOONE, N.C. (AP) — DeAndre Presley rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another score as Appalachian State held off Elon 34-31 on Saturday to remain undefeated.
Presley was 14-for-19 for 204 yards for the Mountaineers (5-0, 3-0 Southern Conference), who won their 23rd straight league game and 15th in a row over the Phoenix (2-4, 1-2) before a record crowd of 31,531.
Presley’s career-long 53-yard scoring run put Appalachian State ahead 20-10 with 2:37 to go in the second quarter. Scott Riddle threw the first of his three TD passes, a 6-yarder to Aaron Mellette, to make it 20-17.
Presley scored in the third on a 44-yard run, which Riddle answered with a 43-yard TD pass to Mellette for 27-24.
Presley widened the lead early in the fourth with a 13-yard pass to CoCo Hillary. After Riddle’s 17-yard TD to Sean Jeffcoat with 3:50 left, Appalachian State ran out the clock.
