Appalachian State upset Michigan 18 years ago today

There have been many great upsets in college football before and since, but few resonate through the history of the sport like Appalachian State's 34-32 victory over Michigan at the Big House. That historic upset took place Sept. 1, 2007 - 18 years ago today.

At the time I was the recruiting editor for The Wolverine Magazine, so I was on the sidelines when Appalachian State came to Ann Arbor that day. I was on the sidelines of every home Michigan game for eight straight seasons, but never did I experience an atmosphere like that. The complete shock and awe at what Appalachian State accomplished that day left college football’s largest crowd in stunned silence.

Appalachian State was still a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) at that time. Michigan, meanwhile, came in as the No. 5 ranked team in the country pre-season. They had a three-year starter at quarterback in Chad Henne and a three-year starter at running back in Mike Hart.

This was not supposed to be a game. No FCS team had beaten a ranked FBS program before. This was supposed to be a glorified scrimmage; a prelude to a potential National Championship run for the Wolverines.

Armanti Edwards and the Mountaineers were not reading from that script.

APPALACHIAN STATE LEGEND ARMANTI EDWARDS

Edwards was Appalachian State’s 5-foot-11, 180-pound left-handed quarterback. He had led the Mountaineers to the FCS title the season before, one they would repeat in 2007, before being selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft as a wide receiver prospect

Of course, very few of the 109,000 fans in attendance at Michigan Stadium that day even knew Edwards’ name. Many likely double-checked their tickets as they walked into the Big House to remind themselves who the Wolverines were playing.

The game even started out according to script. The Wolverines took the opening kickoff, marched down the field in short order and gave the ball to Hart to score the 20th touchdown of his illustrious Michigan career.

Then Armanti Edwards made his first appearance on the scene. On the Mountaineer’s third offensive play ,Edwards threw a 68-yard touchdown pass that tied the game and silenced the Big House crowd.

Michigan would strike right back and regain the lead with a Chad Henne touchdown pass on the Wolverines’ next possession, but the sigh of relief from Michigan’s side was short-lived, because Edwards would strike back with two more touchdown passes and a touchdown run of his own in the second quarter to give the Mountaineers a 28-17 lead going into halftime.

Despite Appalachian State’s two-score lead, what I remember is there was still a general optimism in the stadium as the teams came out for the second half. This was Michigan, after all. And, who was Appalachian State? Eleven points was not much of a difference to make up, and I expect some fans were even starting to feel sorry for Appalachian State because they had awoken the big, blue beast.

Although Michigan did not punish the Mountaineers in the second half, they did slowly cut into the lead, scoring two touchdowns and two field goals to eventually go up 32-31 late in the fourth quarter.

But then, Michigan had a field goal blocked that would have extended their lead and it was at that point when the realization that Michigan could actually lose this game settled over the home crowd.

Edwards would proceed to hit receiver after receiver on the subsequent drive, eventually setting up Julian Rauch to kick the go-ahead 24-yard field goal.

Michigan gave themselves one more shot, setting up a 37-yard field goal with just a few seconds left on the clock, and it looked like they were going to avoid catastrophe. But Appalachian State blocked that attempt as well, and an upset for the history books had been written.

A PROGRAM-CHANGING WIN

Coaches loved to bring recruits in for games like Michigan scheduled for its season-opener in 2007. Your team was going to pick on an overmatched opponent, the outcome would be all but certain early and you could spend more time after a quick postgame pep talk gladhanding top prospects and their parents. You use these games to build the future of your program.

But, it was Appalachian State that used this game 18 years ago to propel their program forward. After winning their second-straight FCS title in 2007, the program would go on to join the FBS in 2014, where it is now a member of the Sun Belt Conference. This past weekend the Mountaineers kicked off the tenure of first-year head coach Dowell Loggains with a 34-11 win over Charlotte.

Michigan recovered to post a 9-4 record and Citrus Bowl victory in their 2007 season. The program went through some lean years in the aftermath of the Appalachian State loss, especially during the tenures of Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, but they eventually bounced back to win their 15th National Championship in the 2023 season.

Appalachian State and Michigan will be forever linked, however, by that sunny September day in Ann Arbor 18 years ago when college football’s David slayed Goliath.

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