Mountaineers top it all

Appalachian State's national title puts team in special class

The best ever?

Most definitely, according to the man who should know.

In the wake of Appalachian State's 21-16 victory over Northern Iowa on Friday night for the school's first national Division I-AA football championship, Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said the team is the greatest squad in ASU history.

Moore, who assumed command of the program in 1989, said that while ASU has fielded outstanding teams in the past, the current group, which finished its dream season at 12-3, tops the list.

"None of them have ever gotten this far," Moore said after the postgame celebration Friday night. "We've had three or four chances to get this far. We've had good teams in the past. If you win a national championship, you're going to be the best, and that's the bottom line."

Moore's 1995 squad didn't lose a regular-season game, but couldn't keep it going in the playoffs. That team fell 27-17 to Stephen F. Austin to finish 12-1.

This year's edition of the Mountaineers were able to win the championship because of outstanding players such as quarterback Richie Williams, running back Kevin Richardson, and defensive ends Jason Hunter and Marques Murrell.

Richardson, a sophomore who ran for 1,447 yards this season, said he's flattered just to be part of a roster that features so many talented players.

"For me to be here and be part of this great team in ASU history is real big," Richardson said. "I'm just happy to be able to play with guys like Richie and [reserve quarterback Trey Elder] and Marques and have a coach like Coach Moore."

All of those players played crucial roles in the championship victory, especially Murrell and Williams.

Williams, the Southern Conference's offensive player of the year, was questionable for the game because of a strained tendon in his left ankle. But after the ASU offense struggled to move the ball in the first half, the senior from Camden, S.C., started the second half.

On the Mountaineers' second possession of the third quarter, Williams directed a nine-play, 79-yard scoring drive that ended when Richardson ran the ball into the end zone from 1-yard out for his 21st touchdown of the season, tying a school record.

Julian Rauch's extra point made the score 16-14 in favor of Northern Iowa.

Appalachian State's defense did the rest.

Murrell sacked Northern Iowa quarterback Eric Sander, causing a fumble that was scooped up by Hunter. The senior from E.E. Smith High School in Fayetteville ran 15 yards to the end zone with 9:14 to play in the game.

Rauch added the extra point and the Mountaineers snuffed out any hopes of a Northern Iowa comeback the rest of the way.

Appalachian State has produced some excellent players through the years, including quarterback Bake Baker, and NFL veterans Dino Hackett, Matt Stevens and Dexter Coakley.

Moore said many of those former greats would agree that this year's team is special.

"We probably had 1,000 ex-players here tonight," Moore said. "Those guys helped set the foundation for everything that was done here tonight."

Williams wasn't sure about this team's place in Mountaineers history, he was just happy to savor the moment.

"There were a lot of great teams before us, we just happened to fall right into it," he said. "This is something that you'll never forget -- 10, 20, 30 years down the road. We'll always remember this moment for the rest of our lives."