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."
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. | ” |
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. | ” |
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?" | ” |
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.
The loss ended Michigan's hopes of winning the national championship for the season. 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
Read more about this topic: 2007 Appalachian State Vs. Michigan Football Game
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