13 years ago today, the world saw THE greatest and most memorable football games in history. However, there’s SO much more to this game than meets the eye. I’m of course talking about when the App State Mountaineers beat the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House.
Most remember the final highlight of the game; the blocked game-winning field goal attempt, but let’s rewind before the coin flip and travel back in time. That’s right, let’s take a trip back to 2004 where the Mountaineers of Appalachian State, located in Boone, North Carolina, sit fresh off of a disappointing 6-5 season. There have been only a few of those disappointing seasons in App State’s illustrious, but widely unknown football program history.
2004/2005
It had been since 1993 that head coach Jerry Moore has seen more than 4 losses in a season for his App State ball club.
The 2005 season was lead by quarterback Richie Williams who would be the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year. However, in 2005 the Mountaineers started 3-2 with loses to Kansas and a highly touted Furman team that was a top 10 FCS team. 34-31.
After that, the Mountaineers would rattle off 3 straight wins against bitter rival Georgia Southern, Wofford, and UT-Chattanooga before running into one of the FBS’ best teams that year in LSU who sported players such as Jamarcus Russell, Joesph Addai, and Dwayne Bowe and had a historic coaching staff with Head Coach LeS Miles’, OC Jimbo Fisher and DC Bo Pelini.
App State would hold out for a 24-0 loss that would loose them for the remainder of the season. They won their last 2 regular season games in convincing fashion by a combined score of 87-21. After 2 wins in the FCS’ bracket style playoff, they would face the same Furman team they had lost to earlier in the season. This time they prevailed in their semifinal playoff game and ride that wave into a National Championship win over Northern Iowa.
Armanti Edwards
It was the 2004 championship and the promise to play quarterback that would help cement the Mountaineers impending dominance.
Injuries thrust freshman Armanti Edwards from Greenwood, South Carolina into the starting role. He’d never let go.
The true freshman quarterback would post 3,404 yards between the air and ground and score an even 15 touchdowns a piece in both aspects for 30 total scores. It would be a season’s performance that would link his name to one alien Vince Young as 1 of 5 to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for another 1,000 in a single season. 
Not only was App State’s new QB rolling, the entire team was. They’d outscore their opponents 528-223 on the entire season. The only loss they’d suffer was in the opening week game against NC State where they lost 23-10. Winning back to back National Championships without having too much to worry about along the way.
Summer 2007
That brings us to the summer of 2007. Jerry Moore, winner of 26 of 30 games in his last 2 seasons, continues dominance with an incredibly talented roster.
Luckily, I was able to speak with Armanti Edwards, who became one of my all-time favorite players after this famous upset, on January 8th as a birthday present. During that conversation, I had asked about the preparation leading up to the game. In which Edwards has told me about how he had been nursing a shoulder injury for much of camp and hadn’t really thrown the ball much.
Later, when asked about confidence levels in partaking in the greatest upset of all time, Armanti pointed out, “at this point when we’re playing Michigan we don’t know how to lose.”
September 1st, 2007
So let’s set the stage. Michigan Stadium AKA The Big House cane seat 107,000 any given, non COVID-19 Saturday in the fall. As of the 2010 census, there were 17,000 people living in Boone, North Carolina. Lets do some quick math and you could fit 6 Boone’s into The Big House.
5th ranked Michigan would use that to their advantage, along with their roster of talent that would include stud Running Back, Mike Hart who had just over 5,000 career yards at Michigan, Chad Henne, who had a 10 year NFL career, and future Super Bowl champion Mario Manningham at receiver to score quickly and go up 7-0 on their first possession.
Edwards would help answer for App State with a slant to Dexter Jackson who broke a tackle and raced 68 yards on the Mountaineers 3rd play from scrimmage to knot the game at 7. 
Both teams would punt their next possessions. After getting the ball back from App State, Chad Henne would cap off a 10 play drive with a touchdown pass, 14-7 Michigan.
BUT NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND. Edwards would lead a 12 play drive and throw his 2nd touchdown of the game, 14 all.
A Michigan punt and good return would give Edwards and that potent Mountaineers offense the ball on the Michigan side of the field. It took the offense 2 minutes for Edwards to find Dexter Jackson again, 21-14.
Michigan would get into App State territory, but fail to convert a 4th and 5 on the App State 35, giving the Mountain errs the ball with just under 7 minutes until half.
Edwards would use his legs this time and lead the 4th touchdown drive of the game. 28-14. 
Michigan rattled off 10 plays in a 2 minute drill and get a field goal making it 28-17 and that’s where we were at half time.
3rd Quarter Momentum Shifting
App State, with momentum and the ball, would turn the ball over on the 2nd play out of the break and breathe life into Michigan. However, all that the Wolverines could muster is another 3 points. 28-20 App State.
App State’s next drive would stall after 11 plays and they converted a cho shot field goal into a 31-20 lead.
On the ensuing Michigan possession, Mike Minor would fumble in his own territory giving App State the ball at Michigan’s 32. However, the top tier FBS defense would bend and not break when App State missed a 46 yard field goal keeping the game 31-20.
Michigan’s offense would do nothing their possession. While their defense would once again create a turnover by recovering a fumble on the App State 32.
From there, it wouldn’t take much after a couple Mike Hart carries for Michigan to score and make it a one possession game again. BUT, a failed 2 point conversion made the score a 5 point game rather than tying field goal away.
Madness at the Mad House
With their 31-26 lead, App State would get the ball and ring in the 4th quarter on their possession and eventually punt.
They’d proceed to intercept a Henne pass! And then punt. Michigan would get down to the Mountaineer 33 where for the SECOND time they’d turn the ball over on downs. App State’s response? Punt.
Then all it took was 1 carry. 54 yards, house call, Mike Hart. For the first time since 14:00 left in the 2nd quarter, Michigan had the lead 32-31.
As if the long play didn’t hurt enough, first play in response, Edwards throws an interception. Game right? You already know the answer.
However, the infamous block was not alone. There was another! After the Edwards pick, Michigan would attempt a field goal with 1:37 left in the game… BLOCKED!
This gave Armanti Edwards, a before his time, dual-threat QB to use his skill set. The lefty would run for 18 yards on their first play. Then a catch and run on 2nd and 14 for 20 yards and a first down.
Later in the drive, 2nd and 4. Edwards scrambles, floats the ball over the middle with a receiver, CoCo Hillary waiting. He makes a move or 2 and fumbles down to the Michigan 5 yard line.
With no timeouts, App State kicks a field goal to take the lead 34-32.
All Michigan has is 21 seconds. A 46 yard completion then sets up, one of the if not the most memorable play of recent history… ITS BLOCKED! AGAIN!
The kick; blocked and returned as time expires as the top FCS school knocks off 5th ranked Michigan IN THE BIG HOUSE.
The Aftermath
Unlike most of our favorite movies, the Mountaineers didn’t win the big game as the under dog and then go home. This was only Week 1.
The Mountaineers would lose 2 regular season games, but not let that stop them from the coveted 3-peat, last achieved by the 1944-1946 Army teams.
Armanti Edwards would win back to back Walter Payton Awards AKA the Heisman for the FCS in 2008 and 2009.
Those years have formed the success that continued throughout Jerry Moore’s coaching career and the current state of the football program. Moore spent 24 years at App State winning those 3 championships and 242 total games.
When Moore gave way to Scott Satterfield in 2013, to program continued to rise. Satterfield helped their transition from the FCS to the FBS where they are 5-0 in the 5 bowl games they’ve played since officially becoming an FBS team in 2014. They’ve even seen rankings in the top 25 at times since joining the FBS, reaching as high as 19th. They also have won 10+ games in 4 of their 6 seasons in the FBS
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are here to stay, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
