| 10 September 2007
-Chaminade upsets Ralph Sampson’s Virginia squad. 
-15 seeded Hampton ousts second seeded Iowa State from the 2001 NCAA tournament.
-The USA creates a “Miracle on Ice” by dethroning the Soviet Union.
And now, we have one more great surprise to add to this historic list. One week ago, the Mountaineers (no, not those Mountaineers), marched into Ann Arbor, Michigan, withstood the shouts and ridicule from over 110,000 fans, and defeated then fifth-ranked Michigan 34-32.
I was sitting down with my family to watch an emotional and long anticipated game between my Hokies and ECU. While enduring the announcers’ repeated reference of us as “VA” Tech, Sean Glennon’s repeated mistakes and mishaps, and my mom’s snoring, ESPN periodically showed updated highlights of the Michigan-Appalachian State game at the Big House. The highlights showed ASU take an early lead, but I thought, No big deal. The Wolverines have early season jitters, but will soon tighten up and rock the Mounties’ worlds. I, along with the rest of America, was dead wrong.
Appy State QB Armanti Edwards was 17-23 for 227 yards and threw for three TDs. Oh yeah, he also ran for over 60 yards and another one as well. He showed the utmost poise for any underdog in a hostile environment I have ever seen. He took a Bowl Subdivision team (I credit Lou Holtz for the absurd name for Division 1-AA), marched them threw the tunnels, and defeated a team that has been to repeated Bowl games and won a share of the National Championship only ten years earlier.
After the Hokies put away the Pirates, ESPN showed UM running back Mike Hart scamper for a 54 yard TD run, which put the Wolverines up by two points. I had lost all hope at that point, until fifteen minutes later when I saw ASU bury a 24 yard field goal and block another by Michigan to end the game. My jaw hit the floor and I was shocked—more than I was when Doug Funnie beat Chalky Studebaker by one sit-up in the Bluffington fitness competition.
If anyone would like an example of how huge this upset meant to the college football world, the Question of the Night during the Cal-Tennessee game was, where is Appalachian State located? (If you guessed Boone, NC, you’re right on the money as Brent Musberger would say.)
Earlier that morning on College Gameday, Kirk Herbstreit, former Ohio State QB and co-host of the show, ridiculed the Big Ten for scheduling cupcake games so early in the season to strengthen its team’s records and give its teams’ players a warm-up for conference play. Later that night, Herbstreit appropriately apologized for the earlier remark. As annoying as Chris Berman can be, he does raise a valid point: “That’s why they play the game.”
If this college football season is anything like last weekend, we are all in for a wonderful treat. Let’s not forget that Texas was pushed to the limit against Arkansas State as well. But let’s all remember that the next time we see a D-1AA team play the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, or everyone’s beloved Wolverines, that we at least keep an eye on ESPN’s bottom line.
But, you know, if the Wolverines are as big a football powerhouse as they say they are, why not schedule a 2008 season opener—at home, of course—against Mount Union?
-15 seeded Hampton ousts second seeded Iowa State from the 2001 NCAA tournament.
-The USA creates a “Miracle on Ice” by dethroning the Soviet Union.
And now, we have one more great surprise to add to this historic list. One week ago, the Mountaineers (no, not those Mountaineers), marched into Ann Arbor, Michigan, withstood the shouts and ridicule from over 110,000 fans, and defeated then fifth-ranked Michigan 34-32.
I was sitting down with my family to watch an emotional and long anticipated game between my Hokies and ECU. While enduring the announcers’ repeated reference of us as “VA” Tech, Sean Glennon’s repeated mistakes and mishaps, and my mom’s snoring, ESPN periodically showed updated highlights of the Michigan-Appalachian State game at the Big House. The highlights showed ASU take an early lead, but I thought, No big deal. The Wolverines have early season jitters, but will soon tighten up and rock the Mounties’ worlds. I, along with the rest of America, was dead wrong.
Appy State QB Armanti Edwards was 17-23 for 227 yards and threw for three TDs. Oh yeah, he also ran for over 60 yards and another one as well. He showed the utmost poise for any underdog in a hostile environment I have ever seen. He took a Bowl Subdivision team (I credit Lou Holtz for the absurd name for Division 1-AA), marched them threw the tunnels, and defeated a team that has been to repeated Bowl games and won a share of the National Championship only ten years earlier.
After the Hokies put away the Pirates, ESPN showed UM running back Mike Hart scamper for a 54 yard TD run, which put the Wolverines up by two points. I had lost all hope at that point, until fifteen minutes later when I saw ASU bury a 24 yard field goal and block another by Michigan to end the game. My jaw hit the floor and I was shocked—more than I was when Doug Funnie beat Chalky Studebaker by one sit-up in the Bluffington fitness competition.
If anyone would like an example of how huge this upset meant to the college football world, the Question of the Night during the Cal-Tennessee game was, where is Appalachian State located? (If you guessed Boone, NC, you’re right on the money as Brent Musberger would say.)
Earlier that morning on College Gameday, Kirk Herbstreit, former Ohio State QB and co-host of the show, ridiculed the Big Ten for scheduling cupcake games so early in the season to strengthen its team’s records and give its teams’ players a warm-up for conference play. Later that night, Herbstreit appropriately apologized for the earlier remark. As annoying as Chris Berman can be, he does raise a valid point: “That’s why they play the game.”
If this college football season is anything like last weekend, we are all in for a wonderful treat. Let’s not forget that Texas was pushed to the limit against Arkansas State as well. But let’s all remember that the next time we see a D-1AA team play the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, or everyone’s beloved Wolverines, that we at least keep an eye on ESPN’s bottom line.
But, you know, if the Wolverines are as big a football powerhouse as they say they are, why not schedule a 2008 season opener—at home, of course—against Mount Union?
-Steven
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
