Probably no other subject in the rich history of Appala- OTHER BOOKS OF NOTE ON APP STATE-MICHIGAN chian State has garnered as much attention as the Sept. 1, McFarland also published an update of its popular book 2007 football upset of Michigan. In the 10 years since this College Football’s Most Memorable Games (Fred Eisenhamstunner, writers are still trying to make sense of what many mer and Eric B. Sondheimer) in 2010 that included a chapbelieve to be the greatest upset in college football history. ter, titled Bringing Down the House, on the ASU-Michigan The latest book to explore the topic is Appalachian upset. This book includes a cover photo of offensive lineState Silences the Big House, published by McFarland & man John Holt celebrating on the field, afterwards. Company, Inc. from nearby Jefferson, N.C. and written Austin Murphy, a well-respected senior writer at by David J. Marmins and Steven K. Feit. The authors con- Sports Illustrated, wrote the SI cover story on the Mouncentrate on telling the stories of many of the ASU players, taineer-Wolverine contest in 2007. He was so captivated coaches and team personnel. Among the book’s strengths by this upset that he included a section on it in his college are individual chapters on Jerry Moore, Pierre Banks, Hans football book Saturday Rules (Harper and Collins) when it Batichon, John Holt, Corey Lynch, Armanti Edwards, Je- was republished as a paperback in 2008. rome Touchstone, Nic Cardwell and Julian Rauch. Sports Illustrated published the impressive College Foot“It was a good story that looked like it could be turned ball Book in 2008, just in time to include some nice Appalainto something,” Marmins said of his attraction to the proj- chian tidbits. Like most of the coffee table classics from SI, ect. “The best part for me was getting to know these guys.” this book is choked full of great photos and is supplemented The biographies, interspersed between the description by great writing. ASU’s Jackson is among the players wearof the game, give an in-depth look into what brought these ing football helmets on the slickly designed cover and the nine individuals to this special moment. There are also Mountaineers (with the famous cover photo of Jackson) are shorter glimpses into some of the other cast of characters. mentioned as one of the decade dynasties the 2000s and Even though this writer had a particularly strong bond the App-Michigan showdown as one of its epic games. You with many of the members of the 2007 Mountaineers, I might even find a picture of Moore from his Baylor playwas impressed with the reporting that brought out as- ing days, if you look hard enough. For the true fan, this is pects of these players that I hadn’t known before, particu- a masterpiece. larly about their lives before arriving at App State. Lynch had already established himself as an AllFeit said the project took more than two years. American safety before the App-Michigan contest, but “What a wonderful story that was,” Felt said. “It really his game-saving block of a Wolverine field goal propelled took a whole team. They all had something to prove.” him to national attention and on to a seven-year NFL caStrengths of the book are the pictures of the players reer. Mike Yorkey told more of Lynch’s story in a chapter of from their younger days. A baby photo of Touchstone, the 2013 book Playing with Purpose (Barbour Publishing). being held by his dad, and a football card of a young Ed- This piece not only tells Lynch’s s side of his most famous wards stand out. There are diagrams of significant plays moment, but also delves into his childhood, his life as an that were designed by Feit’s wife, Tammie, that add an- NFL player, with an emphasis on his personal faith. other strong element to the book. The research notes and In 2008, Dick Brown wrote a biography of Moore called the epilogue that about where the subjects of the book King of the Mountain that was self-published by db ink and are now is also compelling. distributed by John F. Blair. While there are some interestAbout the only criticism is that this tome could have ing moments and good background, there are also some benefitted from better editing. I put the blame for this curious choices made by the author. One head-scratcher is more on the publisher than the writers, who are outsiders a fictional press conference that Brown depicted from the looking to bring a fresh touch to the story. 1995 season before the playoff loss to Stephen F. Austin. There are a number of factual errors in the backstories Another uneven publication is The Road to Ann Arbor that McFarland could have avoided by getting an insider’s (published in 2007 by Canada Hockey LLC). Edited by Mike eye to look things over before the book was published. Bynum, this is a book that was hurried to the market to But, all-in-all, this is a work that adds to the lexicon. take advantage of the interest in the sudden interest of It is probably the most comprehensive work yet on the App State. The pictures are nice and there is a anthology game and is one that Mountaineers fans and most college of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, along with some stories football enthusiasts would love to add to their libraries on the App-Michigan game, but this reads more like a … unless you are a Michigan diehard. Reader’s Digest 54 High Country Magazine August / September 2017 condensed book than a labor of love.
The Mountaineers scored touchdowns on four of their six first-half possessions, including all three trips to the red zone. Edwards found Batichon and Jackson for nine and 20-yard TD connections to give App State a 21-14 lead with less than 10 minutes left in the first half. “Our goal was to get into space,” said Jackson. “We knew we couldn’t ground it and pound it against Michigan. We weren’t going to take a knife to a gun fight.” On ASU’s next drive, Jackson appeared to score again on a nifty reverse, but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds at the five. But Edwards eventually scored from six yards out on a well-designed quarterback draw. Stunningly, ASU outscored Michigan 28-7 during a 24-minute stretch of the first half to take total control of the game.
THE REVERSED FUMBLE RECOVERY
A biggest obstacle that underdog teams encounter when they travel to college football’s iconic venues is sometimes-questionable officiating. Let’s be honest, even if it is just a subconscious reaction, referees do not want to get on the wrong side of coaches they work with on a regular basis and Big Ten officials were used for this matchup. After Appalachian took a 21-14 lead on Edwards’ second TD connection to Jackson, the Wolverines suffered another setback when Richard Sears fumbled on Julian Rauch’s ensuing kickoff. From the press box it looked like a clear fumble and, on the field, the officials quickly ruled that ASU’s Chase Laws had recovered at the Michigan 18. With the Wolverine defense visibly gassed from trying to battle the fast-paced Appalachian spread and struggling to stop the Mountaineers in the red zone, it seemed only inevitable that App State was ready to strike for additional points. As Edwards quickly moved his offense into formation and Appalachian awaited the snap, play was whistled dead for a video review of the call. Football rules specify that there has to be totally conclusive evidence to overrule a decision on the field, but the Big Ten replay official negated the fumble, saying that Sears’ knee had touched the ground before he lost the ball — despite no evidence to back up that change. App State stopped Michigan later on a fourth-down gamble in Mountaineer territory as Lynch pounded Henne on a perfectly-timed, safety blitz to force an incompletion. ASU quickly scored on Edwards’ Superman-like touchdown leap, but the poor officiating decision on the fumble gave the Mountaineers just a 28-14 lead when it could have easily been 35-14.