『The Upset: Appalachian State Stuns Michigan in 2007』のカバーアート

The Upset: Appalachian State Stuns Michigan in 2007

The Upset: Appalachian State Stuns Michigan in 2007

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On September 1st in sports history, one of the most jaw-dropping upsets in the history of American college football unfolded inside the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The year was 2007, and the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines were opening their season at home against a team most casual fans had never even heard of, Appalachian State, a program from the Football Championship Subdivision, back then still commonly called Division I-AA. Appalachian State came into the game as the two-time reigning national champion at their level, but stepping onto the field against a blue-blood program like Michigan, in front of more than one hundred nine thousand roaring fans, they were treated as little more than a tune-up opponent, a paycheck game designed to pad Michigan's record before the real competition began. Nobody told the Mountaineers that. Led by quarterback Armanti Edwards, who would go on to have a fantastic career, Appalachian State came out and played with a swagger that stunned the crowd. They raced out to a lead, traded punches with Michigan through the second and third quarters, and refused to fold even as Michigan clawed back behind quarterback Chad Henne and running back Mike Hart. The game became a genuine back and forth battle, the kind of shootout nobody expected from a supposed mismatch. Appalachian State actually built a lead deep into the fourth quarter, only to watch Michigan storm back and take a one point advantage in the closing moments, seemingly setting up the storybook ending everyone assumed was coming for the home team. But Appalachian State was not finished writing their own storybook. With time winding down, the Mountaineers drove into position and kicker Julian Rauch nailed a field goal to retake the lead, putting Appalachian State back on top by two points with mere seconds remaining. Michigan got the ball back with just enough time to attempt a game winning field goal of their own, a very makeable kick that would have completed a dramatic comeback and sent the record crowd home relieved. Everything was set up for the favorite to escape with a nail biting win. Then the moment happened that would be replayed for years, the moment that turned this game into legend. As Michigan's kicker sent the ball toward the uprights, Appalachian State defensive back Corey Lynch came flying off the edge, got a hand on the football, and blocked the kick as the clock expired. The stadium fell into stunned silence. Appalachian State had done the impossible, defeating a top five ranked Football Bowl Subdivision team by a final score of thirty four to thirty two, becoming the first FCS team ever to beat a ranked FBS opponent. The reaction was seismic. Sports Illustrated ran it as one of the biggest upsets in college football history, and ESPN commentators struggled to find words for what they had just witnessed. Fans at home flooded message boards and sports radio lines, many refusing to believe the final score was real. Michigan's head coach Lloyd Carr faced immediate and intense scrutiny, and the loss became a cloud that hung over the Wolverines all season, a reminder that on any given Saturday, size and reputation mean nothing once the ball is kicked off. For Appalachian State, the win was transformative. A small program from Boone, North Carolina, suddenly found itself the subject of national conversation, its players becoming trivia answers and folk heroes almost overnight. The game is still simply referred to by college football fans as The Upset, and highlight reels of Corey Lynch's block are wheeled out every single season when talk turns to the greatest shocks in the sport's history. It remains a shining example of why fans tune in every single week, because sometimes, against every expectation and every point spread, the team that isn't supposed to have a chance finds a way to make history on a random first day of September.
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