THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2007
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4,2007
SPORTS
》 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
3B
Big 12 has strong first weekend
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson celebrates the Mountaineers' 34-32 victory against fifth-ranked Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Duane Burleson/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The story of the college football weekend was Appalachian State, of the Championship Division (formerly known as Division IAA), shocking No. 5 Michigan, 34-32. The upset overshadowed the rest of the nation's games, including a strong weekend by the Big 12 Conference. None of the Big 12's top programs endured an embarrassing defeat like the Wolverines.
No.4 Texas 21 Arkansas State 13
The Indians were only 6-6 in the Sun Belt Conference last season, but they had a chance to beat the Longhorns until just less than a minute remained in the game, when Texas recovered an onside kick attempt. The Indians out-gained the Longhorns by more than 50 yards. Texas sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy threw two touchdowns in the first quarter but none in the rest of the game.
The Mean Green was overmatched from the start, and new Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford was 21-for-23 with 363 yards and three touchdowns. Highly touted redshirt freshman running back DeMarco Murray added 87 yards and five touchdowns.
No.8 Oklahoma 79
North Texas 10
No.13 Georgia 35 Oklahoma State 14
Georgia sophomore quarterback Matthew Stafford was 18-for-24 with 234 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia redshirt freshman running back Knowson Moreno had more than 120 all-purpose yards, which exposed holes in Oklahoma State's defense.
No.18 Auburn 23, Kansas State 13
Kansas State held a narrow lead for most of the game by running precise receiving routes, penetrating the Auburn offensive line and making remarkable goal-line stands. But in the end, Auburn All-American defensive end Quentin Groves sealed the Tigers' win with a vicious hit on Wildcat quarterback Josh Freeman with just more than a minute remaining, causing him to fumble. Auburn sophomore defensive end Antonio Coleman recovered the ball and returned it for a touchdown.
No.20 Nebraska 52. Nevada 10
The Wolf Pack was down only 21-10 at halftime, but Nebraska finished the game with 31 unanswered points. Cornhusker junior running back Marlon Lucky rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns. The bad news for Nebraska was that new quarterback Sam Keller threw only one touchdown with one interception.
No. 22 TCU 27, Baylor 0
Baylor's sophomore quarterback
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Blake Szymanski threw for 216 yards, but three ill-timed interceptions kept his team from putting any points on the scoreboard. The Bears running game only averaged two yards per carry.
Montana State had an early 7-0 lead, but the Bobcats had little answer for dual-threat A&M quarterback Stephen McGee, who gobbled up 233 all-purpose yards. Montana State actually finished the game ahead in total offense, first downs and time of possession, which is a concern for Texas A&M's defense.
Missouri 40, Illinois 34
Colorado 31, Colorado State 28
No.25 Texas A&M 38 Montana State 7
The Buffaloes' new quarterback Cody Hawkins was 18-for-31 with 201 yards and two touchdowns. He looked calm from the pocket, even when it was collapsing, and proved he could make throws on the run. Colorado's star offensive player, Hugh Charles, left with a hamstring injury during one of the first plays of the game.
The Tigers and Illini combined for 864 yards of offense. Illinois overcame a 23-6 halftime deficit to make the game interesting in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to offset Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel's 359 yards and three touchdowns. The game's touchdowns included a blocked punt return, a 102-yard fumble recovery and a 66-yard punt return.
Kent State 23, Iowa State 14
Kent State 23, Iowa State 14 The Golden Flashes passed for 161 yards and rushed for 202 yards. The only positive for Iowa State was that junior-college transfer Jamicah Bass lived up to expectations by rushing for 133 yards.
OTHER GAMES:
No.1 USC 38, Idaho 10
No.1 USC 38, Idaho 10
The Trojans' offense didn't show
the potency everyone expected.
No.2 LSU 45, Mississippi State 0
Bulldogs quarterback Michael Henig threw six interceptions, which put coach Sylvester Croom's job in even more jeopardy.
No.3 West Virginia 62 Western Michigan 24
The Broncos were able to play with the Mountaineers for most of the first quarter before Pat White
and Steve Slaton combined for a total of seven touchdowns.
Appalachian State 34, No.5 Michigan 32
The game was supposed to be a proud moment in Big 10 football history because it was the first football game televised on the new Big 10 Network. It turned out to be one of the saddest moments in Big 10 football history.
The Gators' revamped defense held the Hilltoppers to fewer than 50 rushing yards.
No. 6 Florida 49,
Western Kentucky 3
Badgers junior quarterback Tyler Donovan passed for 284 yards and three touchdowns and ran in another touchdown.
No.7 Wisconsin 42, Washington State 21
No. 9 Virginia Tech 17, East Carolina 7
The Pirates defense caused two turnovers, but the Hokies eventually outlasted them.
No.10 Louisville 73,
Murray State 10
Cardinals quarterback and Heisman candidate Brian Brohm completed only 16 passes, but they were for 375 yards and four touchdowns.
The Buckeyes didn't demolish their Division I-AA opponent but certainly fared much better than arch-rival Michigan.
No. 11 Ohio State 38,
Youngstown State 6
No.12 California 45,
No.15 Tennessee 31
The Golden Bears attacked a young Volunteer defense to avenge last year's blowout in Knoxville, Tenn.
No.14 UCLA 45, Stanford 17
Bruin quarterback Ben Olson threw for five touchdowns and handed new Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh his first loss.
No.17 Penn State 59 Florida International 0
No.17 Penn State 59,
The Golden Panthers had just more than 100 yards of total offense and lost their 13th straight game.
No.21 Arkansas 46, Troy 26
No.21 Arkansas 46, Troy 26 Darren Mcfadden faded for 150 of the Razorbacks' 350 yards and completed a 42-yard touchdown pass.
No.23 Hawaii 63,
Northern Colorado 6
Northern Colorado punter Rafael Mendoza had recovered from the well-publicized stabbing he was the victim of last season, but even his seven punts for an average of 45 yards couldn't help the Bears.
No. 24 Boise State 56, Weber State 7
Georgia Tech 33, Notre Dame 3
The Broncos extended their winning streak to 14 behind newlywed running back Ian Johnson.
The Fighting Irish quarterback saga continued. None of the three candidates could find success against the Yellow Jackets.
Edited by Tara Smith
Appalachian upset not a big surprise
COMMENTARY
I'm not trying to take anything away from the Mountaineers. On the contrary, this team has had so much success in recent years (back-to-back FCS National Championships) that another breakthrough performance was inevitable.
The Wolverines returned only four defensive starters from last season and were riding a two-game losing streak with coach Lloyd Carr on the hot seat heading into this year. Those are a lot of distractions, and combined with home games against Oregon, Notre Dame and Penn State in the following weeks, it's easy to see that Michigan under-estimated this talented Appalachian State team.
Never before has a Division FCS team (formerly Division I-AA) defeated a ranked Division FBS squad (formerly I-A). Not to mention, Appalachian State's historic 34-32 victory wasn't against a team like TCU or Boise State, but rather Michigan, the winningest program in the history of college football.
First of all, No. 5 Michigan was incredibly overrated.
It's already being called the greatest upset of all time, and on paper there is little reason to dispute that.
But anyone familiar with FCS football knows about the Mountaineers, and although some still didn't expect this, I wasn't that surprised by Saturday's outcome.
BY TAYLOR BERN
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
TBERN@KANSAN.COM
This team could join a non-BCS conference right now and win eight to 10 games. In the Big 10 or ACC they could finish above .500, and that's why this victory just proves they're ready to make the jump up to the FBS.
This is the biggest upset of the past 25 years, but fans in Boone, N.C., and FCS fans across the country knew it could happen.
This team is much like the University of Marshall in 1996, the last year they played football in I-AA. That team, led by wide receiver Randy Moss, was head and shoulders above everyone else in the division, much like the Mountaineers. Anything less than a third straight national title would be a disappointment for Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore, but that shouldn't be a problem.
— Edited by Elizabeth Cattell
I was in the stands two years ago when Appalachian State defeated Northern Iowa for the first of its two consecutive titles and have kept an eye on the Mountaineers' rising stars ever since.
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