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Taking Names and Keeping Score
In essence seeing the Mountaineers emerge from 'The Big House' with a two point win over the Wolverines, who were not only highly favored in the game but were favored to win the Big Ten Conference championship and contend for the national championship, must have been somewhat like seeing the young shepherd boy David emerge from the valley of Elah after he had subdued and killed the Philistine giant Goliath. In both cases a feat that the average person would find hard to believe. Of course, also somewhat like David who was more prepared for his epic battle with the giant than most folks could have imagined, Appalachian State certainly wasn't the proverbial 'sisters of the poor' when they entered the game with the Wolverines but were two-time defending national champions from the former Division I-AA and this year's favorite to win the Football Championship Division. As a matter of fact, with the win over Michigan the Mountaineers now have a 15 game win streak which is currently the longest in the nation. I guess what makes it such an unlikely thing to have happened is the fact that no Division I-AA team had ever beaten a team ranked in The Associated Press college poll from 1989 - 2006. For the Michigan Wolverines who are one of the winningest college football programs in the nation and one that finished the 2006 season with 11 wins and a Rose Bowl appearance, the loss is a hard pill to swallow and something that as a team and a fan base will be hard to get past any time soon. For Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr, unfortunately the loss may be the one game that is used to define his career regardless of how well he may have done in the past or how well he may do in the future. On the other hand for the Appalachian State Mountaineers and everyone associated with their program, the win over Michigan is something none of them will ever forget and an event that will forever be recorded in the legend and folklore that surrounds their football program. For Coach Jerry Moore being carried off the field by his players following the victory is a memory that will be indelibly etched into his mind and a moment he will treasure for the rest of his life. The win itself may also be considered the signature win of his career if there really is such a thing. As for the rest of the college football world, the game and its results should serve as a reminder that games are played on the field and not in preseason publications, arbitrary ranking systems, or on stat sheets. It should be an encouragement to all who are considered to be underdogs and a red flag to all those who are considered to be prohibitive favorites. In the years to come as the history of college football continues to be written, the game played Saturday between Appalachian State and Michigan will always have a special place. Although it is entirely possible that there might be an upset in college football of similar proportions in the future, it is highly unlikely that there will ever be one that will be any greater. That is why those of us who were witness to this event or at least informed about it through media accounts after the fact can honestly say we were around when one of the most significant college football games of the ages was played.
Until next time……be safe!
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