App State ascends to legendary status

"Do you even believe App?"

"No. It's so incredible."

That's what people were saying Saturday afternoon, about two hours before the kickoff between N.C. State and Central Florida at the Wolfpack's Carter-Finley Stadium.

Those conversations weren't taking place just in Raleigh. They were taking place everywhere.

ESPN's commentators couldn't get off the word "unbelievable." Ditto for those from ABC, CBS and NBC. All with good reason.

Appalachian State's 34-32 win at Michigan earlier in the afternoon is a score anyone remotely interested in college football will recall decades from now. Stunning outcomes have that sort of impact, and the Mountaineers' win was simply the most stunning in the history of the sport at the collegiate level.

Count Wolfpack athletics director Lee Fowler among those indelibly impressed.

"Someone said it was like [the movie about high school basketball] 'Hoosiers,' " Fowler said. "But really, it may be more of an upset. It's a score no one can ever forget."

"Hoosiers" was based on a high school basketball state championship run by tiny Indiana school Milan in 1954. Then, on Dec. 24, 1982, NAIA school Chaminade (located in Hawaii) pulled off a 77-72 basketball miracle over No. 1 ranked Virginia and its resident superstar Ralph Sampson.

But 1954 was in what might as well have been a media Ice Age. And Chaminade's win over Virginia occurred so late in the Eastern time zone that its immediate impact was diluted.

What Appalachian State did Saturday in Ann Arbor happened right there in broad daylight for the whole sports world to see. The Mountaineers -- of the NCAA's former Division I-AA level -- not only won, they won in one of the most storied stadiums in the sport and against a Wolverines team that was ranked No. 5 and seen as a strong contender to take the Bowl Championship Series title.

"It is just a wonderful accomplishment for everyone associated with the school," North Carolina AD Dick Baddour said.

The irony is that just a few months ago, Baddour and Fowler were in the process of trying to hire new football coaches.

Carolina was looking for a successor to John Bunting, and State needed someone to take Chuck Amato's job. The Tar Heels settled on former Miami coach Butch Davis and State brought in Tom O'Brien from Boston College. If Appalachian State's Jerry Moore, coming off two straight national championship seasons in Division I-AA, was considered, neither AD would say Saturday.

"I said then, as now, that a wide range of candidates were under consideration, but it wouldn't be fair to talk about the others," Baddour said. "But this is a fantastic win for Coach Moore and Appalachian State fans everywhere."

Fowler said much the same thing.

Be that is it may, Moore and his program on Saturday moved to the head of the class among North Carolina football programs. As the character named "Shooter" said in the movie "Hoosiers," nothing like this has ever happened before. That's a fact that won't go away.

The implications are far ranging, of course.

For starters, Appalachian State's win at Michigan means that the line between what was I-A and I-AA has to be redefined. It shows why coaching makes a lot more difference than program reputation and scholarship limits, but it also says a good deal about financial investment in those coaches. Schools don't have to pay a fortune to find the right fit.

It also says the football pecking order within the state is completely out of whack. Could ECU or an ACC team have gone to Michigan and won this game? Not a chance. Appalachian State rules, and everyone has little choice except to admit as much.

That has to put Duke on the clock. While Appalachian State was rocking the world Saturday, the Blue Devils were running their loss string to 21. For my money, it's not a complicated call -- Ted Roof or Jerry Moore.