6B - September 2, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
68 - September 2, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
App State: The good, bad, ugly
Finally, 'M'can
begin to heal
By MAX COHEN and ALEXA
DETTELBACH
Daily Sports Editors
Each week, the Michigan
Daily football beat will pick out
the good, the bad and the ugly
from Saturday's game.
The Good: After an offseason
full of questions about Michigan's
offensive line, the unit responded
in the season opener, creating
holes that allowed Wolverines'
rushers to gain 350 yards on the
ground. The much-maligned unit
allowed just one sack of fifth-
year senior quarterback Devin
Gardner, who completed 13-of-14
pass attempts for 173 yards and
three touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver Devin
Funchess was unstoppable in
the first half, catching seven
passes for 95 yards and three
touchdowns. Appalachian State
had little answer for Funchess'
size and it showed. Wherever
Gardner threw the ball, Funchess
caught it, defenders be damned.
Defensively, Michigan
shut down the Mountaineers,
allowing just 127 passing yards.
Even the Wolverine special
teams got involved in the
scoring when redshirt freshman
linebacker Mike McCray
blocked a punt which sophomore
linebacker Ben Gedeon returned
for a touchdown.
The Bad: Michigan coach
Brady Hoke was disappointed
by the lack of playmaking by his
defense. The Wolverines record-
ed only one sack and forced zero
turnovers. Though the lack of big
plays on defense was inconse-
quential because of the margin of
Michigan's victory, the Wolver-
ines will need more out of their
defense in future games.
Another cause for concern
was the ankle injury freshman
cornerback Jabrill Peppers
suffered in the first half.
Peppers made two tackles in his
Michigan debut and returned
one punt for six yards, but didn't
come out of the locker room for
the second half.
. 4k
Peppers showed a hint of his
elusiveness on the punt return,
but Wolverine fans wouldn't get
to see any more of the prized
prospect. Hoke said the removal
from the game was strictly
precautionary and he fully
expects Peppers to play against
Notre Dame.
The Ugly: After a strong
afternoon behind center for
Gardner, Shane Morris took the
reigns for the last series in the
third quarter. But it was ugly for
the sophomore.
On his second pass of the 2014
season Morris dropped back in
a play-action pass and threw it
down the rihe etsline for sonh-
omore wide receiver Amara Dar-
boh. Morris, locked down on the
receiver and the Mountaineers'
Dante Blackmon keyed in and
grabbed the interception on the
three-yard line.
Morris took the field for
just one more series, a seven-
minute drive that stalled on
the one-yard line and resulted
in an 18-yard field goal. The
second-string quarterback has
garnered offseason praise from
his coaches, but looked less than
promising against Appalachian
State's back ups.
Morris finished the game
3-for-5 with 37 yards and one
intercention
PAUL SHt
The Michigan football team dominated Appalachian State from start to finish, but there were some negatives.
Breaking down the football schedule
Ffinally.
At 9:41 a.m. Saturday
morning ESPN's College
GameDay did a feature on the
2007 Michigan-Appalachian
State game, a
34-32 Moun-
taineers win.
But by 12:30
that same
afternoon,
the city of
Ann Arbor
was finally
ready to ALEXA
move on. DETTELBACH
For the
last seven
years the name "Appalachian
State" has left Michigan fans
with their heads buried in their
hands. Now they can begin to
peek up. While no one will soon
forget 2007, it's finallytime to
move on. And it took less than
a quarter into the 2014 season
to begin the healing process of
quite possibly the biggest college
upset of all time.
Two precision passes from
quarterback
Devin Gardner
to Devin Funch-
ess, erased W hil(
memories will for
blocked kicks
from seven it' fin
years ago. And S
that was only to m
the first quarter.
The Devin-
to-Devin show
had fans on
their feet and creating new
memories of playingthis small
team from Boone, N.C.
Up to hours before kickoff
people criticized this matchup.
And nothing spoke volumes of
disinterest more than the crowd
34 minutes before the game. It
was full come kickoff, but it was
clear that fans were begrudg-
ingly coming to this one.
What do the Wolverines
have to gain by playing the
Mountaineers again? You'd
think the Athletic Department
would want to eradicate all
memory of 2007. And if they
win, it's because they were
supposed to, and if they don't?
Well, that's not important
anymore.
But everyone can agree that
by the time Funchess caught his
third touchdown, a ridiculous
over-the-helmet, back-of-the-
end-zone catch, there was
little to criticize and alot to
commend.
From start to finish things
were different from 2007. Last
time, Appalachian State blew
open the game with a 21-point
second quarter - this time it
was Michigan's turn at three
touchdowns before the half.
Last time, the Mountaineers
made stops on defense and the
momentum carried over. This
time, the Wolverines punted
once all game.
While it was nowhere near
the level of beingthe fifth-
ranked team in the nation,
Michigan still shined. The
first quarter and a half was the
Funchess show, but the rest
belonged to sophomore run-
ning back's Derrick Green and
De'Veon Smith who both topped
100-yards rushing.
"All offseason everybody's
been talking about how App
State came in here and beat you
all in 2007," said Appalachian
State coach Scott Satterfield.
"You dadgum right they were
determined. We knew that from
the minute our AD said we were
playing Michigan, so they've
been eager for this one - the
fans and the players - and they
played like it."
The new-look offense was
dynamic, racking up over 500-
yards and seven touchdowns,
and the revamped offensive
line looked
competent.
Michigan's
no one starting
. 2 defense held
'get 200, the Moun-
taineers to 19
lly tile yards pass-
ing in the
ove on. first half. But
those who
remember
2007 know
it was special teams that made
history.
So, going into the opener, it
was special teams that Michigan
coach Brady Hoke emphasized
and he resorted to showing his
team the infamous blocked kick
throughout camp as motivation.
"It definitely inspired us
on special teams," said senior
defensive end Frank Clark.
"When you show that all of
camp and you show it lead-
ing into the week, you have no
choice, but to go in there and do
what you've gotto do."
So, one missed 48-yard field
goal aside, the special teams
did their job and Michigan
helped put a Band-Aid on a long-
standing wound. 34-32 can now
say what it should've seven years
ago: 52-14.
No one will forget 2007; but
a dominant victory Saturday
begins a healing process seven
years in the making. And even
those fans that entered the sta-
dium skeptical in the morning
smiled because this elusive vic-
tory was finally had.
Finally.
Dettelbach can be reached
at adettel@umich.edu and
on Twitter: @asdettet.
4
4
4
By DAILY FOOTBALL BEAT
Notre Dame: Once again,
Michigan is facing the Fighting
Irish under the lights, and this
season the rivals will match up in
South Bend. In the last scheduled
meeting between the two teams,
Notre Dame will be missing
key players due to academic
dishonesty.
Miami (Ohio): Michigan has
defeated the RedHawks in all five
of their meetings. The teams most
recently matched up in 2008 in
what was Rich Rodriguez's first
win as the Wolverines' coach.
Michigan struggled to put Miami
away until Brandon Minor ran
for the Wolverines' final score in
Michigan's 16-6 victory.
Utah: The Rich Rodriguez era
began against the Utes on Aug.
30, 2008. Utah took a 15-point
lead midway through the third
quarter and hung on, 25-23. The
close loss earned respect later
in the season as the Utes beat
Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and
finished as the country's only
undefeated team.
Minnesota: It's the oldest
trophy game. in FBS college
football, even if it's not very
competitive. The Wolverines
and Golden Gophers have
fought for the Little Brown Jug
since 1909, and Michigan holds
a commanding 73-24-3 series
lead. The jug was left behind
in Minnesota in 1903 after the
Gophers rallied for a late 6-6
tie. (Those were the only points
allowed by the Wolverines all
year.) The jug isn't little (it's
a five-gallon container) and
originally was white, not brown.
Rutgers: Despite boasting 280
years of college football between
them, the Scarlet Knights and
Wolverines have never met.
Rutgers hosted the first-ever
intercollegiate football game on
Nov. 6, 1869, against Princeton in
New Brunswick, New Jersey. The
Scarlet Knights won, 6-4, but lost
the rematch the following week.
Meanwhile, Michigan played its
first game 10 years later against
Racine in Chicago.
Penn State: Last season's
version of the matchup was
a four-overtime affair that
tested the health of everyone's
heart. Now, both teams return
for another matchup at night.
This time, the Wolverines take
on a squad with just 11 seniors
and new coach James Franklin
replacing Bill O'Brien. In the
third year of their sanctions, the
Nittany Lions are playing with
fewer scholarship players where
the offensive line has taken one
of the biggest hits. Penn State has
time to adjust, though, and the
team that shows up midseason
could be different than the one
starting the year.
Michigan State: The rivalry
for the Paul Bunyan Trophy has
tilted in the Spartans' favor in
recent years. Michigan State
has won five out of the last six
matchups between the teams. It
could be difficult for Michigan
to reverse the trend this year
playing at Spartan Stadium for
the second consecutive season.
Indiana: Little defense was
played in last year's meeting
between the teams when
Michigan beat the Hoosiers,
63-47 at the Big House on Oct. 19.
The Wolverines will be coming
off of two difficult divisional
games against Penn State and
Michigan State, so avoiding a
letdown could be key.
Northwestern: The Wildcats
seem to have had Michigan's
number the past few years.
Threes years ago, the Wildcats'
held a lead in Evanston before
falling apart in the fourth
quarter. Two years ago, the
Wolverines needed a late effort
in the waning minutes to force
overtime and pull out the win.
Last year, they needed a last-
second field goal to hang on
for the win. All that said, the
Wildcats will be without several
key pieces, including running
back Venric Mark.
Maryland: Welcome to the Big
Ten, Maryland. Like Michigan,
the Terrapins are looking to
rebound from a 7-6 season and
have a long road to do it. The
two teams will face off on the
tail end of Maryland's brutal six-
game stretch that includes Ohio
State, Wisconsin, Penn State and
Michigan State.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes
will be without star quarterback
Braxton Miller, but given that
his replacement will have a full
season to grow, Michigan should
still see the dominant team it
saw last season. Ohio State lacks
Carlos Hyde and its powerful
run game and also lacks skill at
cornerback. But Urban Meyer is
24-2 in his two seasons.
Last year's thriller, middle
fingers and broken foot behind
them, this year's game could
have more meaning if the
Wolverines can handle a
manageable schedule.
I
I
THE MICHIGAN DAILY TOP-10 POLL
I
Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out ballots, with first place votes
receiving 10 points, second-place votes receiving nine, and so on.
1. FLORIDA STATE: Dan
Snyder didn't go to FSU,
but he still stopped by
for the photo op with
Chief Osceola, who is
not a caricature at all.
4
2. ALABAMA: Nick
Saban wants you to be
nicer to Lane Kiffin. He's
a good coach and there is
absolutely no evidence to
the contrary.
5. OKLAHOMA: OU is
the winningest program
in college football this
side of WWII, but
its 32-point win over
Louisiana Tech might
be the biggest feather in
their cap yet.
8. MICHIGAN STATE:
The Spartans played a
team called the Cocks,
but we would never
joke about that.
3. OREGON: The Ducks 4. GEORGIA: Justin
could have smoked Verlander didn't go to
Quack pre-game and still Georgia. Neither did
beaten South Dakota. Kate Upton. Still...wow.
6. AUBURN: Shon
Coleman beat acute
aclymphoblastic
leukemia in 2010 and
started at left tackle for
Auburn on Saturday.
That's awesome.
ATM
7. TEXAS A&M: Minus
Johnny Football, the
Aggies buried the Cocks
down south and slipped
into our Top 10.
10. STANFORD:
Andrew Luck went
way too early in the
Daily's fantasy league,
much like Stanford was
ranked too early.
4
S
9. OHIO STATE: The
Buckeyes beat Navy, 34-17,
but Navy SEALs shot
Osama bin Laden. Who's
the real winner?
4