Look who's back: Michigan football team to host Appalachian State in 2014 opener
The Michigan football team better hope this horror show doesn't have a sequel.
The school announced Thursday the Wolverines will open their 2014 season with the school that beat them in one of college football's biggest all-time upsets: Appalachian State.
Michigan football fans were stunned on Sept. 1, 2007, when Appalachian State upset Michigan, 34-32.
File photo
Michigan opened former coach Lloyd Carr's final season in 2007 with national championship aspirations and returned senior starters such as quarterback Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart and offensive tackle Jake Long.
The Division I-AA Mountaineers vanquished those hopes, though, beating the No. 5 Wolverines 34-32 at Michigan Stadium. They were led by quarterback Armanti Edwards, who passed for 227 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 62 yards and another score.
They sealed their victory with a blocked field goal at the end of the fourth quarter.
"The Horror," as some fans have taken to calling it, is the only meeting all-time between the two schools — until 2014.
“To have the University of Michigan invite us back is the ultimate compliment for us as a program and a University,” Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore said in a release. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to have a new generation of players experience a gameday at the Big House and to test themselves against college football’s all-time winningest program.”
"We look forward to facing Appalachian State again," Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said in the only quote of the news release from Michigan.
It certainly helps that Edwards will be out of eligibility.
Michigan 2014 schedule:
Aug. 30 : Appalachian State
Sept. 6: at Notre Dame
Sept. 13: TBA
Sept. 20: TBA
Sept. 27: at Indiana
Oct. 4: Open
Oct. 11: Michigan State
Oct. 18: at Minnesota
Oct. 25: Penn State
Nov. 1: Iowa
Nov. 8: at Nebraska
Nov. 15: Open
Nov. 22: Northwestern
Nov. 29: at Ohio State
Dec. 6: Big Ten Championship Game
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
Lorain Steelmen
Mon, Aug 29, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.
C/mon Davie, let it go! If you really want to make a stateemnt schedule West Virginia. Plenty there to get people coked up, and it's a 'spread team'. You can accomplish alot more by doing that, instead of Appy State!
superbuck
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 9:50 p.m.
Just a WHAT IF App State beats UM again. Will that coach whoever it may be be hung from the goal posts and tarred and feathered? will the fans be burning all their UM garb? Just askin.
Bogie
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 9:06 p.m.
Haven't had enough, have you?.........Please, this time, do not embarass the Big Ten.
MRunner73
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 8:25 p.m.
This game will change the outcome of the 2007 game. If we blow out App State in 2014, will it make Lloyd Carr feel better? Likewise, noybody who was on the 2007 M Football team roster will not sleep any better if the 2014 M team has a blow out win. Yes, the 2014 team will be very focused for the game. Hoke should have an outstanding defense, Shane Morris a likely QB star and many, many more surprises on Hoke's 4th year. A 70 to 0 blow out simply won't change the past. It will be a revenge game. It doesn't make sense to schedule Alabama in 2012 as the opener in Dallas then a few years later revert back to App State, Dave Brandon should work to have Utah come back to the Big House, maybe a win over them in the same season would offer resolution for some.
Terry Star21
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 5:48 p.m.
Wow, that's a great schedule for 2014...no one on that schedule can beat Michigan - they better schedule two tough teams for those two TBA's or we're easily 13-0, moving to 14-0 - and again increasing the lead on College Footballs winningest program. AND - from a great source, take it to the house Matt Wile will be opening day kicker ! ALSO - NCAA delivers death penalty to the osu in mid-November, Michigan delivers death punch to the osu in late November - Happy Thanksgiving Michigan. MgoBlueForTim..........running the table in 2014, crystal on the wall @ Schembechler.
Jack
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 4:30 p.m.
I don't have a problem with it. Ohio State, Texas, LSU etc have creampuffs on their schedules Brandon is a marketing genius - think of all the attention this game will be getting Nationally, even if it is dubious. This game will certainly be more 'marquee' than a game agst Northwest Arkansas, etc etc For those of haters that think Michigan has easy schedules, look at other powerhouse teams and them compare them to Michigan's, especially 2012 This is also a great recruiting tool for App State Next, we need a rematch agst Toledo!
Gary Rizzo
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 4:14 p.m.
This is mind boggling. It makes no real sense excpet to avange the 2007 loss. Dave Brandon could have done better than that. You cannot rewrite 2007. We lost 34-32 and it will always remain that way. A 70 -0 win in 2014 will state the obvious, don't play lower division teams like App State or Deleware State.
Ike
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.
I think we have to remember that college football is a business as much as anything else, and a rematch between David and Goliath is going to create quite a stir in the media, and give Michigan a significant amount of publicity. So while it may be a no gain situation tradition wise, it will be quite a positive on the business side.
aawolve
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 2:36 p.m.
M could win by 100, they still lose no matter what. Moronic piece of scheduling by Dave Brandon, that will devalue "his" brand, as the program is mocked by the nation and media for the weeks surrounding the game. Deservedly mocked.
Chad Williams
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 12:40 p.m.
Why is michigan so timid to schedule any opponents? ND doesnt count they are a rival and those should be played yearly. Bama doesnt count as for michigan wants to avoid losing at home and the road. I always suspected after they went to the west coast to play wash, ucla, and oregon and loss they will never play a road game out of conference against anyone outside of ND. Why not EARN the respect instead of buying it. This a school who is trying convince Uconn to not play at home but to schedule a neutral site game to be more in favor for the away team. Uconn played you at home and lost fair and square so go to their 40,000 seat staduim and win with the conditions as be. It seems like this school wants to avoid a black eye. I will tell you this, there is no shame in losing to a team who is just better than you or evenly matched at that. It's only a black eye when u pay a team a half mil to come here and beat you. Man up and if you lose to say a Georgia or Texas than there is no shame to it. It makes you a stonger team and makes you realize your not as good as you thought.
Macabre Sunset
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 5:31 a.m.
Trivia Time: Out of the 44 schools in major conferences that play less than nine conference games, only Michigan and Ohio State are *not* playing a 1-AA opponent this season. Why change?
tim
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 1:27 a.m.
Too bad Michigan lost the last time, but that game provided a great learning opportunity for my kids----- No team is invincible you always have a chance to win.
redceder1
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 12:44 a.m.
The new coach that year might not be too happy.
GoBlueGoWing
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 11:28 p.m.
0-1 to start 2014. I was at that game and I said to the fans we will never see you again. I was wrong. That bigger issue is that DB can't find one D-1 school for the opener. When can Michigan HOPE to be 1-1 vs. Toledo? The App State AD saw the AA area code and instead of saying "Hello" he said "Yes, when"
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 11:28 p.m.
Only bad things can happen when you schedule I-AA schools. All this would be long forgotten if Shawn Crable hadn't plain forgotten his blocking assignment on field goal attempts. I'd rather Brandon stuck to I-A schools.
GoblueinNE_PA
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 1:12 a.m.
I completely agree Macabre. Personally, I think this is an absolutely horrible thing to do. NOTHING good can come from this. If we blow them out, we'll get accused of running up the score for payback. If we beat them by less than a touch down, we'll hear how we still aren't any better than they are. Heaven forbid we actually lose them. Nope, we shouldn't be doing this.
momRN
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 11:27 p.m.
Q: how many batteries does it take to shock a wolverine??? A: 1-AA classic!!!
B1
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 10:56 p.m.
Apparently Dave Brandon wants to remove the App State tarnish off The Brand.
Keith
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 10:44 p.m.
Redemption, This time they will go home with there tails between there legs.
The OSU
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 10:07 p.m.
I remember watching the end to this game at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeye game ended first and many fans stood around the monitors at the refreshment stands watching the upset. I seriously doubt App State can pull out another upset. Although none of the players will remain, Hoke and Blue will be highly motivated to avoid embarassment. The amusing part of the story is at the bottom: Michigan's 2014 schedule. The article implies that Michigan is automatically going to the Big 10 championship game. Now that's optomism! Well, if it works out that way, I guess Michigan will have 2 losses to tOSU that year!
David Vande Bunte
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.
UGH. You can bet the haters are gonna have a field day for weeks leading up to this game. Michigan better blow them out by like 50 points just to shut them up.
Smart Logic
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 : 11:40 a.m.
Haters are there for a reason, David. Years of UM arrogance do not help.
Dude
Thu, Aug 25, 2011 : 10:24 p.m.
That won't shut them up. And it shouldn't.