2007 Appalachian State vs . Michigan football game The 2007 Appalachian State vs . Michigan football game was a regular - season college football game between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and Michigan Wolverines , held at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor , Michigan on September 1 , 2007 . The Wolverines entered the game ranked No . 5 in both major Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) polls , and were considered the preseason favorites to win the Big Ten conference championship as well as possible contenders for the national championship . The Mountaineers entered the game ranked No . 1 in The Sports Network ' s Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) poll , and were preseason favorites to win their third consecutive FCS national championship . Games between FBS and FCS teams typically result in lopsided victories for the FBS team , due to the status of the FBS as the upper - tier of Division I football . The Appalachian State - Michigan game was not expected to be an exception , with the predicted outcome being a lopsided victory for Michigan ; Las Vegas sportsbooks refused to present a betting line for the game . The game , broadcast on the Big Ten Network , began with a strong first half for Appalachian State , who held a 28 - 17 lead at the end of the half . Michigan managed to regain the lead at 32 - 31 in the fourth quarter , but Appalachian State regained the lead on a short field goal with 26 seconds left in the game . The Mountaineers blocked a game - winning field goal attempt from Michigan at the end of regulation to secure a 34 - 32 win . The game was immediately hailed as one of the greatest upsets in college football history . Appalachian State became the first FCS team to defeat a ranked FBS team , and as a result of the game Michigan dropped out of the top 25 of the AP Poll entirely , the first time a team had dropped out of the top five of the poll as the result of a single game . In the aftermath of the game , the Associated Press decided to amend their polling policy to make FCS teams eligible for the AP Poll , which had previously been limited to FBS teams . The Appalachian State Mountaineers would finish the 2007 season with a 13 - 2 record , winning a third consecutive FCS title . They also became the first FCS team to receive votes in the final AP Poll , tying South Florida for the 34th overall ranking . Michigan finished their season 9 - 4 , winning the Capital One Bowl and ranking at No . 18 in the AP Poll . A rematch of the game is scheduled for the 2014 seasons of both teams , to be played at Michigan Stadium . Background . Divisions and subdivisions . The NCAA is split into three Divisions : Division I , Division II , and Division III . The universities and colleges in each Division are determined by criteria such as the number of sports each school offers . Members of Division I and Division II can offer scholarships , while Division III schools can not offer scholarships . Division I is considered the top flight of NCAA athletics . Division I football is itself split into two subdivisions : the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , whose members vie for positions in bowl games , and the Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) , whose championship is determined by a playoff system . These two subdivisions were formerly known as Division I - A and Division I - AA , respectively . The FBS is considered the tier at which major Division I universities play , while the FCS is a tier in which " more modest " programs compete . FBS members are allowed to have up to 85 scholarship players , while the FCS is only allowed to have up to 63 scholarship players . One of the major differences between the two subdivisions is that the FBS teams vie to play in bowl games , while FCS teams aim to qualify for a postseason tournament . The two subdivisions were created in 1978 , and no other Division I sports are split in such a manner . The difference between the two subdivisions is great enough that John V . Lombardi , a former chancellor at FCS - level UMass and a former president at FBS - level Florida and Louisiana State , said that " even a crummy team in I - A football has higher visibility than a great team in I - AA " . FBS teams are allowed to schedule FCS teams , and one win against an FCS team can be counted towards their bowl - eligible status provided the FCS team meets certain scholarship requirements . FCS teams are often paid upwards of 500 , 000 USD for participating in games against FBS teams . This arrangement generally results in lopsided losses for FCS teams ; as of 2012 , FBS schools hold a . 820 winning percentage against FCS teams , with an overall record of 1 , 838 wins , 396 losses , and 18 ties . The average margin of victory in these games is 18 . 5 points , in favor of the FBS team . However , the money FCS schools earn from games against FBS is important towards funding their athletic departments , and the games offer a broader exposure for their athletic programs . Scheduling . Appalachian State has routinely scheduled FBS teams , having played games against schools such as LSU , Auburn , Kansas , and NC State . Appalachian State had won six of these games , all of them against Wake Forest . Michigan , a historic college football power with a large fan base , had never played an FCS team . While attempting to determine the amount of money Appalachian State would be paid for playing Michigan , negotiations between the two schools reached a halt . Appalachian State ' s head coach , Jerry Moore , went to school officials and urged them to accept any offer Michigan gave them ; he recalled telling them that " It ' s an opportunity game . It ' ll be a one - shot , once - in - a - lifetime deal to go up there and play . It ' s an unbelievable environment " . Appalachian State ultimately settled on a 400 , 000 USD payment in return for playing against Michigan to open the 2007 season . Pre - game . Michigan was expected to handily defeat Appalachian State , who entered the game as underdogs by at least three touchdowns . The game was expected to be such a mismatch that Las Vegas sports books refused to offer a betting line . The day before the game , an Associated Press article said that the Mountaineers were " almost certain to lose badly " and " aren ' t expected to be anything more than sacrificial lambs " . Another article predicted that Michigan would easily win , but that Michigan ' s inexperienced secondary could possibly be tested by quarterback Armanti Edwards . This weakness is what the Mountaineers hoped to capitalize on - they spent most of the week leading up to the game studying game film , and felt the Michigan defense had a tendency to leave the middle of the field defenseless . On the other hand , the Mountaineers lacked the depth of the Wolverines , having 22 fewer scholarship players . Appalachian State . Appalachian State entered the game as the No . 1 team in the preseason FCS poll from The Sports Network , receiving 67 out of 70 first - place votes . The team had won the last two FCS National Championships and were favorites to win a third consecutive one . They entered the game on a 14 - game winning streak , the longest in Division I at the time , and had an overall record of 6 - 34 - 1 against major FBS teams , with each of their six wins having come against Wake Forest . The Mountaineers ' ran a no - huddle , spread option system , which they implemented in 2005 , their first championship season . Two of the major weapons for the team were Edwards , who had scored 15 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2006 , and running back Kevin Richardson , who had scored an FCS - record 30 rushing touchdowns in 2006 . Michigan . Michigan entered the game as the No . 5 - ranked team in the country and favorites to win the Big Ten conference . They were expected to contend for a national championship . Michigan featured a strong senior class of offensive tackle Jake Long , tailback Mike Hart , and quarterback Chad Henne , each of whom had decided to stay for their senior year . Their decision was attributed to Michigan having lost their last three games to rival Ohio State and their streak of three consecutive bowl losses , and they all wanted to finish their college careers on a high note . The Wolverine offense was expected to be among the best in college football . Michigan aimed to open the game in a three - receiver set , which has the potential to spread the defense out ; Michigan coach Lloyd Carr noted that " When you have some of the skill that we have at the wide receiver positions and can spread a defense out , that ' s [ a ] positive " . At the same time , Michigan was anticipated to hold back on many of their plays when in this set , to limit the ability of their upcoming opponents to develop an effective game plan against them . Game summary . Broadcast . The game was broadcast on the Big Ten Network , and was the first game to be broadcast on that channel . The Big Ten Network had approximately 17 million subscribers at the time , most of which came from a deal with DirecTV . Only a small number of Wolverine fans were able to watch the game , as Comcast and Charter , two of the major cable television providers in the state of Michigan , did not carry the Big Ten Network . Thom Brennaman provided play - by - play commentary , Charles Davis performed as the color analyst , and Charissa Thompson reported from the sidelines ; the game was Thompson ' s first as a sideline analyst on any network , while Brennaman and Davis were more experienced commentators , having covered high - profile games such as the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and the 2007 BCS National Championship Game . First quarter . Michigan received the ball first , with Mike Massey returning the Julian Rauch kick to the Michigan 33 - yard line . Michigan gained a first down after converting a 3rd and 1 with a three - yard run by Mike Hart . Chad Henne then completed an eighteen - yard pass to Massey , followed by a 33 - yard rush from Hart , pushing Michigan to the four - yard line of Appalachian State . Hart then ran the ball in for a touchdown , and the ensuing extra point attempt made the score 7 to 0 . Appalachian State ' s CoCo Hillary took the kickoff to the 26 - yard line of the Mountaineers . After the Mountaineers opened with a run for no gain and a six - yard completion , Armanti Edwards completed a 68 - yard touchdown pass to Dexter Jackson . The extra point was converted , tying the game at 7 all . The following two drives resulted in three - and - outs for both teams but after a Mountaineer punt went out of bounds at the Michigan 48 - yard line , the Wolverines mounted a ten - play , 52 - yard drive culminating in a 10 - yard touchdown pass from Henne to Greg Matthews . The extra point gave Michigan a 14 to 7 lead . Appalachian State started their drive with three minutes and nine seconds left in the half at their own 35 - yard line , completing nine plays and driving to the Michigan 36 yard - line before the end of the quarter . Second quarter . Following the start of the second quarter , Appalachian State ran another six plays , ending the drive with a 9 - yard touchdown pass by Edwards to Hans Batichon . The extra point again evened the score , this time at 14 all . Michigan was forced to a three - and - out and had to punt the ball , with Appalachian State starting their next drive at the Michigan 37 . The Mountaineers , on the fifth play of the drive , scored a touchdown on a 20 - yard pass from Edwards to Jackson , giving them the lead at 21 to 14 . Michigan began their drive at their 20 - yard line , and drove down to the Appalachian State 40 - yard line in four plays . Their next play , a Brandon Minor run for five yards , was followed by a Minor run for no yards and an incomplete pass . The Wolverines opted to go for it on fourth down but failed to convert , turning the ball over to Appalachian State . The following Mountaineer drive featured nine plays , all of them runs , culminating in a six - yard run by Edwards for a touchdown . The extra point was successful , increasing the Mountaineer lead and making the score 28 to 14 . Michigan returned the next kickoff to their 32 - yard line , with two minutes and fifteen seconds left on the clock . The Wolverines drove to the Appalachian five - yard line , ultimately settling for a field goal with 23 seconds left , cutting Appalachian State ' s lead to eleven points . Third quarter . Appalachian State returned the opening kickoff to their own 36 - yard line , but Edwards threw an interception on the second play of the drive . Michigan began their series at the Appalachian State 40 - yard line , driving to the 25 - yard line before kicking a field goal to decrease the Mountaineer lead to eight points . Appalachian State began play after the kickoff at their own 24 - yard line , driving 64 yards in 11 plays and scoring a 31 - yard field goal to make the score 31 to 20 in favor of the Mountaineers . After the ensuing kickoff , Michigan ran four plays before Minor fumbled the ball on the fifth . The fumble was recovered by Appalachian State at the Michigan 28 - yard line . However , Appalachian State failed to get a first down on the ensuing drive and a 46 - yard field goal attempt by Rauch was missed . Michigan went three - and - out on their next drive and had to punt , but a fumble by Edwards on the following Appalachian State drive gave them control of the ball at the Appalachian State 31 - yard line . Michigan drove 31 yards over six plays , scoring a touchdown on a 4 - yard run by Hart . The Wolverines went for a two - point conversion but failed to convert , making the score 31 to 26 in favor of Appalachian State . Appalachian State received the kickoff at their own 26 - yard line with 19 seconds left in the third quarter , and the quarter ended following a six - yard completion by Edwards to Batichon . Fourth quarter . Appalachian State continued their drive but were forced to punt after a three - and - out . Michigan began their drive at the Appalachian State 34 - yard line , but a Henne pass was intercepted on the fourth play of the drive . Appalachian State began the drive at their own 41 - yard line , but were forced to punt after going three - and - out . Michigan got the ball at their own 24 - yard line and mounted a nine - play , 43 - yard drive to the Appalachian State 33 - yard line . On the final play , a fourth and five , Henne ' s pass fell incomplete , turning the ball over to Appalachian State , who were again forced to punt after a three - and - out . After returning the punt to their own 46 - yard line , Hart ran the ball 55 yards for a touchdown , giving Michigan the lead 32 to 31 . Michigan chose to go for two , but the conversion attempt failed . Edwards was picked off on the first play of the ensuing drive , giving Michigan control of the ball at the Appalachian State 43 - yard line . Michigan ran five plays before attempting a 43 - yard field goal . The attempt was blocked , however , giving Appalachian State control of the ball with one minute and thirty - seven seconds left . With no timeouts left , the Mountaineers drove 69 yards down the field in one minute and eleven seconds , setting up a Rouch field goal from 24 yards out with 26 seconds left . The attempt was good , giving Appalachian State a 34 - 32 lead . Michigan regained control of the ball on the ensuing kickoff , and a 46 - yard pass from Henne to Mario Manningham gave the Wolverines a 37 - yard field goal attempt with six seconds left on the clock . The attempt was blocked by Corey Lynch , securing a 34 - 32 win by the Mountaineers . Notes . The weather during the game was clear and sunny . Temperatures were in the mid 70s , with wind heading north at 10 – 15 miles per hour . The game was officiated by J . O ' Neill . Overall attendance was 109 , 218 . The game kicked off at 12 : 07 p . m . and ended at 3 : 40 p . m . , having lasted a total of three hours and thirty - seven minutes . Statistical summary . Overall , Michigan and Appalachian State finished with a similar number of passing yards , but Michigan finished with significantly more rushing yards . The Wolverines also had more first downs and fewer turnovers than the Mountaineers , but held the ball for a shorter period of time than the Mountaineers . Appalachian State was slightly more efficient on third down than Michigan , and recorded slightly less penalty yards than Michigan . Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards completed 17 of 23 passes for 227 yards , three touchdowns , and two interceptions , with an average of 9 . 9 yards per throw . Kevin Richardson led the team in rushing yards , running the ball 24 times for 88 yards , and Edwards was second on the team with 17 rushes for 62 yards and one touchdown . Edwards accounted for all four Mountaineer touchdowns . Dexter Jackson led the team in receiving , catching three passes for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns . Michigan quarterback Chad Henne completed 19 of 37 passes for 233 yards , with an average of 6 . 3 yards per throw ; he threw one touchdown and one interception . Mike Hart , who missed almost two quarters due to a thigh injury , led Michigan in rushing , recording 188 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries . Greg Matthews led the Wolverines in receiving , accounting for 68 yards and one touchdown on seven catches . Pierre Banks led the Mountaineers in tackles , recording 12 tackles overall . Banks also recorded the only sack of the game for the Mountaineers and recovered a fumble . Corey Lynch finished second with 11 tackles , in addition to blocking a kick . Leonard Love recorded the only interception of the game for the Mountaineers . For Michigan , Shawn Crable led the team with 10 tackles . Crable also forced a fumble and recorded 1 . 5 sacks . Chris Graham finished with 9 tackles , the second - most on the Wolverines . Brandent Englemon and Morgan Trent each intercepted a pass , while Tim Jamison , Terrance Taylor , and Will Johnson received full or partial credit for sacks . Aftermath . Appalachian State . Appalachian State was unanimously selected the as the No . 1 team in the FCS football poll in the week after their victory against Michigan . After several voters in the AP Poll expressed interest in voting for Appalachian State , the AP amended their policy to allow FCS teams to receive votes . Appalachian State received 19 votes in the week 3 edition of the AP Poll , and 5 votes in the week 4 edition of the AP Poll . Appalachian State extended their winning streak to 17 games before losing to Wofford in week 5 . Appalachian State lost to rival Georgia Southern in week 7 , dropping them to 5 - 2 and 2 - 2 in the Southern Conference , which placed them in a poor position to repeat for a third time as Southern Conference champions . However , the Mountaineers won out the rest of their regular - season schedule to finish 9 - 2 , and their 5 - 2 Southern Conference record was good enough to earn a share of the SoCon conference title with Wofford , who finished with an identical 5 - 2 SoCon record . After close victories over James Madison and Eastern Washington in the first two rounds of the FCS playoffs , Appalachian State easily defeated Richmond in the semifinals and Delaware in the championship game , securing their third consecutive FCS National Championship . At the end of the season , the Mountaineers became the first FCS team to receive votes in the final AP Poll . They received five votes , which placed Appalachian State at a tie for 34th overall with South Florida . Michigan . Michigan ' s loss to Appalachian State effectively ended their chances of winning a national championship . The Wolverines dropped out of the top 25 entirely on the AP Poll the following week , the first time a team had missed the top 25 in the AP Poll the week after they were in the top 10 . The Wolverines would lose to Oregon 39 - 7 the following week , the largest margin of defeat for Michigan at Michigan Stadium since 1968 . Michigan would go on to win their next eight games , leading the team to rank as high as No . 13 in the AP Poll . After losing their last two games and finishing their regular season at 8 - 4 , Michigan dropped off the poll entirely . Michigan received an invite to the Capital One Bowl , where they defeated Florida 41 - 35 to finish their season 9 - 4 . Following their win in the Capital One Bowl , Michigan finished at No . 18 in the final AP Poll . Media reaction . Thom Brennaman , the game ' s play - by - play commentator , immediately hailed the game as one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports ; sideline reporter Charissa Thompson told coach Jerry Moore that the game was " one of the greatest upsets in college football history " . Many media outlets described the game as one of , if not the greatest , upsets in the history of college football , Dan Wetzel of Yahoo ! Sports wrote that " This game was supposed to be the prime example of what had gone wrong in money hungry college football . The powers that be had expanded the season a couple years back , adding an extra game so big schools could bring in cream - puff opponents while collecting millions in revenue . Michigan had never played a I - AA opponent in its history . Now we know why , the Wolverines were ducking them . Instead of an easy tune - up for Michigan , Appalachian State leaves with its most profound victory ever " and " a check for $ 400 , 000 that was supposed to be their pay for getting punished " . " Sports Illustrated " writer Stewart Mandel wrote that he felt " utterly unqualified " to put the game into perspective , and said " There ’ s no logical reason whatsoever this should have happened . But it did . And it wasn ’ t the slightest bit fluky " . He also expressed disappointment that he would not be able to vote for them in his AP Poll ballot , and wrote " It may well turn out that Michigan was grossly overrated , but all I know is this : There will not be 25 other teams that accomplish more this opening weekend than Appalachian State did Saturday . There won ’ t even be five " . Pat Forde of ESPN . com called the game " the most astonishing college football result I can remember " , saying " Remember the score : App . State 34 , Michigan 32 . We ' ll still be talking about it a few decades from now . Especially in the locker rooms of every huge underdog , where they ' ll say , " If Appalachian State can beat Michigan , why can ' t we shock the world , too ? " . He felt the upset was particularly impressive because " These are the kinds of things that don ' t normally happen in college football , where the chasm between have and have - not is wider than in any other sport " . " New York Times " writer Viv Bernstein called the game " one of the biggest upsets in college football history " and called it " a stunning upset by any measure " . The game was the cover story for the following week ' s edition of " Sports Illustrated " ; Appalachian State wide receiver Dexter Jackson was featured on the cover , which has the headline " Alltime Upset : Appalachian State Stuns No . 5 Michigan " . In 2012 , Jerry Hinnen of CBS Sports described the game as " the biggest upset of the past five years of college football " , and described it as having " set the table for what proved to be an epically chaotic season in 2007 , and four years ' worth of headline - making upsets to follow - - including what would prove to be the biggest upset in the history of Vegas point - spreads , the first - ever FCS upset of a future BCS conference champion , and arguably the sport ' s greatest program of all - time falling to a school that ' s never made a bowl appearance . Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports said in 2012 that " We may never see its likes again " . He felt that " The result reminded us why the college game is the best . It reminded us that when the planets and goalposts align , anything is possible . Just not that often " . He felt that such a result would become more unlikely in the future , as many conferences are moving to decrease to nine conference games , reducing the need to play FCS teams or powers . Reaction in Boone and on other campuses . Just minutes after the game , students began celebrating across Boone , North Carolina ' s two main streets , King Street and River Street . The group eventually advanced to Kidd Brewer Stadium , Appalachian State ' s home field , and tore down one of the goalposts . The students proceeded to carry the goalpost over a mile before depositing it in the front yard of ASU Chancellor Kenneth E . Peacock . Peacock was fine with this , saying " As good as today was for Appalachian State , they can take it up there and put it down . I can ' t wait to get there and see it " . Several students jumped nude into the duck pond behind ASU ' s dining hall , a campus tradition for celebrating big football victories . When the team returned to their stadium in buses at 11 : 00 p . m . , they were met with a crowd of thousands of students and fans . It took the team 20 minutes to get from their buses to the locker room due to the crowd . The celebration was not limited to Appalachian State ' s campus ; the Boone Mall was " flooded " with cars after the game , and a sports apparel shop carrying ASU gear , Sports Fanatic , reported seven times the amount of sales as usual . Appalachian State ' s win was very popular among fans of Michigan ' s rivals . Following the end of their games , fans of Ohio State and Penn State crowded inside their stadiums to watch the conclusion of the game , where they erupted into cheers upon seeing the outcome of the game . Stores near the Ohio State campus in Columbus , Ohio , reported being " swamped " with request for gear with the ASU logo and colors , and a street vendor set up near the campus of Ohio State received " brisk business " by selling Mountaineers T - shirts . ASU ' s campus bookstore received a large number of phone calls from people wanting to buy gear , many of them from Ohio , but were unable to sell them in large quantities due to a state law prohibiting university bookstores from selling items to people who are not students , faculty , or alumni . Rematch . In 2011 , Appalachian State and Michigan agreed to play a rematch of the game to open the 2014 season . Appalachian State will be paid 850 , 000 USD to play this game . Michigan ' s athletic director , Dave Brandon , felt the game would be an excellent way to gain attention for Michigan football and said " The networks were fighting over who gets to televise that game " . Jerry Morre said that " To have the University of Michigan invite us back is the ultimate compliment for us as a program and a University . 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 " . Appalachian State will be playing their first year of football in the FBS in 2014 .