2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game

Appalachian State University vs. University of Michigan
Appalachian State Mountaineers Michigan Wolverines (0–0) (0–0) 34 32 Head coach:  Jerry Moore Head coach:  Lloyd Carr AP Coaches 5 5 1 2 3 4 Total Appalachian State 7 21 3 3 34 Michigan 14 3 9 6 32
Date	September 1, 2007
Stadium	Michigan Stadium
Location	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Favorite	Michigan −27
Referee	J. O'Neill
Attendance	109,218
United States TV coverage
Network	Big Ten Network
Announcers	Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Charissa Thompson

Appalachian State's victory over the Michigan Wolverines is the first time a team ranked in the AP poll has ever been defeated by a Division I-FCS (formerly I-AA) team.

The 2007 Appalachian State-Michigan game was a college football game held on September 1 at Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It pitted the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines against the two-time defending champions of the Division I FCS, the Appalachian State Mountaineers. In what was hailed as one of the biggest upsets in the history of American sports,^[1][2] the Mountaineers shocked the fifth-ranked Wolverines 34–32. It was the first win ever by a team in Division I FCS (I-AA) over a "ranked" team in Division I FBS (I-A) since the NCAA split its Division I into two football subdivisions in 1978.^[3] The game has been referred to by one sports writer as the Miracle in Michigan.^[4] This was also one of the very first football games broadcast by the Big Ten Network, two days after its launch, but most of the country could not see it because most major providers did not yet carry the channel.^[5]

Before the game

After offensive tackle Jake Long, quarterback Chad Henne, and running back Mike Hart decided to return for their senior season,^[6] and coach Lloyd Carr chose not to retire,^[3] the Wolverines were tapped as favorites to win the Big Ten title.^[2][7] Although the Mountaineers were favorites for a third straight FCS title and entered the game with a 14-game winning streak—the longest in either the FCS or FBS^[3]—the game was expected to be such a mismatch that some Las Vegas sportsbooks refused to offer a betting line.^[1] Michigan was a 27-point favorite in the contest.

First quarter

Appalachian State (white jerseys) and Michigan (blue jerseys) meet in their team huddles.

Michigan took the opening kickoff and drove 66 yards in six plays for the opening score, a 4-yard run by Hart. The Mountaineers immediately struck back on the next possession, with Armanti Edwards hitting Dexter Jackson for a 68-yard touchdown pass on their third play from scrimmage. Michigan returned the ensuing kickoff to their 43 but were unable to move the ball, going three-and-out. Their punt left the Mountaineers on their own 16, and the Wolverines defense forced a three-and-out. The ensuing punt left the Wolverines in good field position on their own 48, and they took advantage, with Henne capping off a 10-play drive with a touchdown pass to Greg Mathews. The quarter ended 14–7 in favor of the Wolverines, but the Mountaineers were driving with the ball on the Michigan 32.^[8]

Second quarter

Scoreboard at the Big House near the end of the second quarter.

The Mountaineers went on to tie the game again, completing their drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Hans Batichon. The Wolverines went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Mountaineers got the ball back on the Michigan 37-yard line after a 16-yard punt return by Jackson and a Michigan personal foul. Five plays later, the Mountaineers took their first lead of the game, with Jackson catching a 20-yard pass from Edwards.

Michigan took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Appalachian State 35, but the drive stalled there. Carr gambled on fourth-and-5, choosing not to attempt a long field goal or punt. A Henne incompletion gave the Mountaineers the ball again. Nine plays and 65 yards later, the Mountaineers were ahead 28-14, with Edwards finishing the drive on a 6-yard run. The Wolverines got the ball back with less than 2 minutes left and drove the ball to the Appalachian State 5; when the drive stalled there, the Wolverines cut the lead to 28–17 on a 22-yard field goal by Jason Gingell with 16 seconds left.^[3][8]

Third quarter

Appalachian State and Michigan at the line of scrimmage.

Michigan scored a field goal on its first possession of the second half, and Appalachian State responded in kind, making the score 31–20. Michigan's next possession ended in a potential disaster, with Brandon Minor fumbling and the Mountaineers recovering on the Michigan 28. However, Appalachian State could not take advantage; after three downs, they remained on the 28, and Julian Rauch's 46-yard field goal attempt failed, hitting the upright.

The Wolverines then went three-and-out. Appalachian State's next possession ended in a lost fumble on their own 31. Michigan was able to take full advantage, as six plays later Hart scored his second touchdown of the day on a 4-yard run. Carr chose to attempt a two-point conversion, but the Wolverines were unsuccessful. The quarter ended with the Mountaineers up 31–26 and with the ball.^[8]

Fourth quarter

Mountaineers' next possession was unsuccessful, ending in a three-and-out. A 15-yard face mask penalty against the Mountaineers on the ensuing punt return gave Michigan the ball on the Mountaineers 34. Two plays later, the Wolverines were in the "red zone" on the Appalachian State 20-yard line. However, Michigan's next play was a false start penalty, followed by a Henne interception.

Michigan's defense forced another three-and-out, and they got the ball back on their own 24 after the ensuing punt. Five plays later, they were on the Appalachian State 44. False start and illegal motion penalties stalled the drive. Then, on fourth-and-five on the Mountaineers 33, Carr again chose to go for the first down, and for the second time a Henne incompletion caused a turnover on downs.

The Wolverines forced another three-and-out. They fumbled the ensuing punt but recovered on their own 46. On the next play, Hart scored his third touchdown of the afternoon on a 54-yard run, giving the Wolverines back the lead at 32–31. However, for the second time, a two-point conversion attempt failed, this time when Brandon Minor fell down.^[2][8]

On the Mountaineers' next play, Edwards threw an interception in their own territory. The Wolverines failed to take advantage, as Appalachian State blocked a Gingell field goal attempt.^[2][8]

The finish

The Mountaineers offense, which had not been able to move the ball for most of the second half, got the ball back with 1:37 left. Edwards led them on a 69-yard drive, without a timeout, that ended in a 24-yard Rauch field goal that gave the Mountaineers a 34–32 lead with 27 seconds left.

In the next drive for Michigan, Henne passed to Mario Manningham for 46 yards, giving the Wolverines the ball on the Appalachian State 20 with 6 seconds left. They put their field goal unit on the field for the potential game-winner. However, Gingell's attempt was blocked by Corey Lynch, who ran the kick back to the Michigan 5 as time ran out.^[3] Moore was carried off the field on the shoulders of several triumphant Mountaineer players.

Reaction and analysis

A subdued Michigan team praised the Mountaineers' effort. Long said, "They played better than us today," while Carr told the Michigan radio network, "I think it begins with being a prepared team. And that's my responsibility. I did not have the team prepared." The victorious Moore said about his players, "Just God bless them. It's a crowning achievement. They're a great bunch of kids and they have worked so hard." He refused to rank this win above the Mountaineers' successive FCS titles but did say, "It will rank in there."^[1]

After the game, Yahoo! columnist Dan Wetzel called the game "a stunner for the ages," adding:

“

In a testament to forever dreams and fearless players, Appalachian State used a final blocked kick to give every underdog everywhere proof of what is possible if you look past the perception and believe in yourself. . . . This game was supposed to be the prime example of what had gone wrong in money hungry college football. The powers that be had expanded the season a couple years back, adding an extra game so big schools could bring in cream-puff opponents while collecting millions in revenue. Michigan had never played a I-AA opponent in its history. Now we know why, the Wolverines were ducking them. Instead of an easy tune-up for Michigan, Appalachian State leaves with its most profound victory ever and a check for $400,000 that was supposed to be their pay for getting punished. If they name a mountain after Jerry Moore in Western North Carolina, it might not be enough.[1]

”

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated added,

“

My job is to help put major college football developments into perspective for you, the reader ... but in the case of Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32 ... sorry Appalachian State 34, No. 5 Michigan 32, I feel utterly unqualified. . . . For everything that Boise State’s historic Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma said about the new era of college football, Appalachian State just trumped it ten-fold. What every coach tries to tell his players and the media every week only to be met by perennial skepticism has now been confirmed as true. No one is unbeatable in college football anymore. Anything can happen.[2]

”

ESPN's Pat Forde put it into context:

“

We'll still be talking about it a few decades from now. Especially in the locker rooms of every huge underdog, where they'll say, "If Appalachian State can beat Michigan, why can't we shock the world, too?"[9]

”

The game made the front page of The New York Times, which called the game "one of the biggest upsets in college football history" and drew a comparison to David and Goliath.^[10]

The loss ended Michigan's hopes of winning the national championship for the season.^[11] In addition, Michigan dropped out of the Top 25, the first time in the history of the AP Poll that a team ranked in the Top 5 had fallen out of the poll as a result of a single game.^[12]

The upset was the cover story for the September 10 issue of Sports Illustrated, which hit retail outlets on September 5. The cover features a shot of Jackson's first touchdown catch.^[13]

On the Thursday after the game (September 6), the Associated Press, which had previously restricted eligibility for AP Poll ranking to Division I FBS schools, announced that lower-division schools would be eligible to receive votes, and possibly be ranked, in the main AP Poll. At least two voters in the AP Poll had expressed a desire to place the Mountaineers on their Top 25 ballot. Division I FCS has its own poll, in which the Mountaineers were the unanimous choice for Number 1 after defeating Michigan.^[14]

However, soon afterwards, many were beginning to believe that the upset was not just a fluke and would set the tone for the whole season after Michigan's stunning 39-7 loss to Oregon the following week.^[15] But Michigan managed to rebound to finish 9-4 and upset the heavily favored Florida Gators in the Capital One Bowl.

The win over Michigan gave Appalachian State a leg up on the RPI index at the end of the FCS season; and the Mountaineers, who tied with Wofford for the Southern Conference crown, earned a home first round playoff game, while Wofford had a road game. Both teams earned a quarterfinal home playoff game, but Wofford lost to Richmond, ending hopes of a rematch with the Mountaineers. Appalachian State defeated Richmond in the NCAA Semifinals to set up a shot at a third consecutive NCAA Championship against Delaware, which it won, 49-21.

In a season that featured numerous upsets in the FBS, the Appalachian State upset of Michigan was chosen as college football's "Biggest Upset of 2007" by Sports Illustrated at the end of the regular season.^[16]

Reaction in Boone

Minutes after the end of the game and nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) away on the Appalachian State campus in Boone, North Carolina, a large group of students climbed a fence at the Mountaineers' home field, Kidd Brewer Stadium, and tore down and carried away one of the goalposts. When Appalachian State chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, who was in Ann Arbor for the game, returned to his home that night, he found the goalpost had been deposited in his front yard, which is about half a mile (800 m) from the stadium.^[17][18]

Peacock took the vandalism in stride, saying that night during a celebration outside Kidd Brewer Stadium, "It's all right. As good as today was for Appalachian State, they can take it up there and put it down. I can't wait to get there and see it." Another tradition at Appalachian State is for students to jump into a duck pond behind Trivette dining hall after big football wins. Many students did just that, with more than a few jumping in naked.^[17] The Mountaineers players received unusual amounts of attention; many found their cell phone voice mail boxes full; one player received over 100 text messages shortly after the game, and Rauch found more than 20 friend requests from fans of Michigan's archrival Ohio State on his MySpace page.^[18]

The team came home immediately after the game, arriving at Tri-Cities Regional Airport in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee and boarding four buses for the 55 mile (90 km) trip back to Boone. About 10 miles (16 km) out of Boone, they were met by a caravan of fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances leading them back to campus. Moore later said that when he met the emergency vehicles, "I thought there was a bad wreck." At 11 pm, they returned to their stadium and were met by hundreds of ecstatic fans; it took more than 20 minutes for the team to make it through the mass of fans to their locker room. Many of the fans were wearing quickly printed T-shirts reading "Michigan who? 34-32."^[17]

The celebrations in Boone were not limited to campus. The parking lot of the city's main shopping center, Boone Mall, was packed with cars, and many of the drivers and passengers were in long lines in front of Sports Fanatic, a sporting goods store in the mall. Store owner Jody Preuss reported that his store, which had T-shirts celebrating the win on sale two hours after the end of the game, saw seven times its normal business that day. Also, the web site of ASU's student newspaper, The Appalachian, doubled its usual number of hits on Saturday after the game and received emails from throughout the country asking for information on purchasing "Michigan who?" T-shirts.^[19]

Junior linebacker Pierre Banks put the game in perspective during the NCAA Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in a press interview when he said, "The Michigan game doesn't mean anything to us. We play every year to win the Southern Conference championship, then the national championship." The Mountaineers tied for the Southern Conference championship at the end of the 2007 season with the Wofford Terriers. Both teams advanced to the NCAA tournament, and the Mountaineers won their third consecutive title.^[20]

Listed in Sports Illustrated's "Greatest Of 2007" issue as one of the greatest quotes, App. St. Coach Jerry Moore stated that they could not celebrate too long because "We've got Lenoir-Rhyne coming to our place."^[21]

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive		Team	Scoring Information[8][22]	Score
		Length	Time			Appalachian State	Michigan
1	12:31	6 plays, 66 yards	2:29	Michigan	Mike Hart 4–yard rush, Jason Gingell kick good	0	7
	10:55	3 plays, 74 yards	1:30	Appalachian State	Dexter Jackson 68–yard reception from Armanti Edwards, Julian Rauch kick good	7	7
	3:16	10 plays, 52 yards	3:38	Michigan	Greg Mathews 10–yard reception from Chad Henne, Jason Gingell kick good	7	14
2	13:35	11 plays, 65 yards	4:34	Appalachian State	Hans Batichon 9–yard reception from Armanti Edwards, Julian Rauch kick good	14	14
	9:47	5 plays, 37 yards	2:15	Appalachian State	Dexter Jackson 20–yard reception from Armanti Edwards, Julian Rauch kick good	21	14
	2:15	9 plays, 65 yards	4:38	Appalachian State	Armanti Edwards 6–yard rush, Julian Rauch kick good	28	14
	0:16	10 plays, 63 yards	1:52	Michigan	Jason Gingell 22–yard field goal	28	17
3	12:57	5 plays, 14 yards	1:07	Michigan	Jason Gingell 42–yard field goal	28	20
	8:17	11 plays, 64 yards	4:35	Appalachian State	Julian Rauch 31–yard field goal	31	20
	0:24	6 plays, 31 yards	2:04	Michigan	Mike Hart 4–yard rush, two-point conversion failed	31	26
4	4:36	1 play, 54 yards	0:15	Michigan	Mike Hart 54–yard rush, two-point conversion failed	31	32
	0:26	7 plays, 69 yards	1:11	Appalachian State	Julian Rauch 24–yard field goal	34	32
Final Score						34	32

See also

College football portal

• 2007 Stanford vs. Southern California football game
• List of historically significant college football games

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Wetzel, Dan (2007-09-01). "Hail to the victors". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=dw-appstate090107&prov=yhoo&type=lgns. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Mandel, Stewart (2007-09-01). "College Football Blog by Stewart Mandel: The Mother of All Upsets". SportsIllustrated.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/football/ncaa/2007/09/mother-of-all-upsets.html. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Blocked field goal secures Appalachian State's upset of Michigan". Associated Press. 2007-09-01. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272440130. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
4. ^ Kitchell, Dave. Kitchell tips his hat to Appalachian State. Kokomo Tribune. http://www.kokomotribune.com/sports/local_story_245232413.html. Retrieved 2007-09-14 
5. ^ "Forcier, Robinson delight in Michigan win - Big Ten Network". Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. http://www.bigtennetwork.com/sports/football/story.asp?list_id=5&story_id=3348472. Retrieved 2009-09-21. 
6. ^ Schlabach, Mark (2007-08-21). "Michigan seniors ready to erase some dubious zeros". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview07/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2983191. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
7. ^ Schlabach, Mark (2007-08-21). "Wolverines will hold off Badgers, Nittany Lions for Big Ten title". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview07/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2984246. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Play-by-Play: Appalachian State Mountaineers at Michigan Wolverines". ESPN.com. 2007-09-01. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=272440130&quarter=0. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
9. ^ Pat Forde, Appalachian State earns role as conquering hero, ESPN.com, September 1, 2007.
10. ^ Viv Bernstein, A Football Goliath Faced a Proud, Talented David, The New York Times, September 3, 2007.
11. ^ Robinson, Alan (September 9, 2007). "Rockne's gaffe remembered". The Daily Texan (Texas Student Media). http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/09/06/Sports/Rocknes.Gaffe.Remembered-2953261.shtml. Retrieved 2007-09-06. 
12. ^ "Wolverines fall from No. 5 to unranked in Week 2 poll". ESPN.com. 2007-09-05. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3004279. Retrieved 2010-10-16. 
13. ^ Appalachian (State) Sports Information (2005-09-05). "Mountaineer Football Notebook: ASU Graces Cover of Sports Illustrated". GoASU.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20070910043011/http://www.goasu.com/article/10993/. Retrieved 2007-09-05. 
14. ^ Associated Press (2007-09-06). "AP: Lower-division schools eligible thanks to Mountaineers". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3008022. Retrieved 2007-09-06. 
15. ^ ESPN - Ducks roll as Wolverines suffer worst loss since '68 - NCAA College Football Recap
16. ^ Biggest Upsets of 2007: #1 Appalachian State 34, No. 5 Michigan 32, SI.com, December 13, 2007.
17. ^ ^{a b c} Schlabach, Mark (2007-09-01). "Hundreds of Mountaineers fans celebrate upset win". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3001520. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 
18. ^ ^{a b} Associated Press (2007-09-03). "Appalachian State Chancellor Cherishes Attention From Michigan Upset". CSTV.com. http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/090307abd.html. Retrieved 2010-10-16. 
19. ^ Wixted, Ryan (2007-09-04). "Boone-Town: Appalachian State in a frenzy after upset over Michigan". SportsIllustrated.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/sioncampus/09/04/appst.reaction/index.html. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 
20. ^ "Appalachian State QB: If we don't beat Delaware, Michigan win means nothing". Detroit Free Press. 2007-12-13. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/SPORTS06/71213006/1054. 
21. ^ "Realest/Unrealest of the Week". 2007-12-27. http://therealests.blogspot.com/2007/12/realestunrealest-of-week.html. 
22. ^ "Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. Michigan Wolverines Box Score". ESPN. 2007-09-01. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=272440130. Retrieved 2008-11-08. 

External links

• ESPN recap