Mission accomplished.
Western Kentucky capped off their 2021 season on Saturday by thumping Appalachian State 59-38 in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.
In the process, Hilltoppers' quarterback Bailey Zappe became the NCAA single-season leader in both passing yards (5,967) and touchdowns (62).
Zappe finished the day 33-of-47 passing for 422 yards and six touchdowns.
Jerreth Sterns, hauled in 13 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Mitchell Tinsley was also stellar, recording seven catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
A 43-yard pass to Sterns late in the second quarter put Zappe in the single-season passing yardage record books, surpassing former Texas Tech quarterback B.J. Symons who had 5,833 yards back in 2003.
Zappe's two-yard touchdown toss to Tinsley with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter gave WKU a 45-24 lead and gave Zappe the single-season touchdown record at 61, surpassing Joe Burrow's mark set in 2019.
Noah Whittington also had a big day on the ground for the Hilltoppers, rushing for 150 yards and one touchdown on just seven carries. That included an 86-yard touchdown run up the middle to extend WKU's lead to 38-24 with 12:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Western Kentucky tallied 637 yards of total offense while Appalachian State tallied 609.
Defensively, WKU was led by Antwon Kincade with 10 tackles. Maurice Edwards had six tackles and one interception.
Western Kentucky finished the 2021 season with a 9-5 record, winning eight of their last nine games.
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