By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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With the Mountaineers now entering the heart of Sun Belt play, expect to see head coach Scott Satterfield lean upon Marcus Cox for production.

As Appalachian State head coach noted towards the end of the 2014 campaign, it took Mountaineers running back Marcus Cox to get into the groove last fall.

In the programs first five games as an FBS member, Cox rushed for less than 50 yards in a contest on three separate occasions.

Much like the program as a whole, it was a tough transition to college footballs highest level of competition for Cox, who had set numerous school records as a freshman playing in the Southern Conference in 2013. Halfway through the 2014 season, Cox had rushed for a mere 446 yards as Appalachian State got off to a 1-5 record.

It was at that point, however, that the Mountaineers, thanks in large part to a heavy emphasis on giving the football to Cox, were able to click and start playing their best football.

Over the final six games of the regular season, Appalachian State did not lose a single game, a run which included consecutive victories over perennial Sun Belt contenders Arkansas State and Louisiana on the road.

It was during that stretch run that Cox absolutely started to tear up the box scores. Over the last half of the season, Cox rushed for a remarkable 969 yards and 13 touchdowns in six contests, averaging 161.5 yards per outing.

Springing into 2015 riding a massive wave of momentum generated from the end of last fall, Cox has picked right back up where he left off coming down the stretch of 2014. In his first four contests of the new season, he has rushed for over 100 yards in every contest, registering a total of 489 yards on 74 carries (6.61 yards per carry).

Cox had his best performance of the season this past weekend, as he rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries in a 31-13 victory over Wyoming.

As Appalachian States passing game has gotten off to somewhat of a slow start this season, Coxs consistency has been crucial in allowing the Mountaineers to go 3-1 in the early part of the schedule, with their lone loss coming to No. 6 Clemson. Partially due to the tough competition and inclement weather conditions on a couple of contests, quarterback Taylor Lamb is currently completing just 51.3 percent of his passing attempts and is averaging less than 160 yards per contest.

In the meantime, Cox has solidified his status as the rock of the offense. He is the undoubtedly the reliable piece upon which the unit can rely for productivity regardless of the circumstance or opponent.

And if last season in any indication, we should expect to see Cox become an even bigger part of the offensive attack as the season progresses.

In all of 2014, Cox registered 25 or more carries in just four contests, with all four of those games coming during the final month of the regular season.

Cox has proven that he can thrive when given the opportunity to, quite literally, carry the load for the Appalachian State offense.

With the Mountaineers now entering the heart of Sun Belt play, expect to see head coach Scott Satterfield lean upon his talented workhorse for production.

After all, it is a formula which worked exceedingly well down the stretch of last season.