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App State

Discussion in 'College Football Forum' started by HighPoint49er, Dec 17, 2005.

  1. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    Congratulations to all you Mountaineers alumni this morning! It was a great game to watch.

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    AUDIO: The Final Call

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    University of Northern Iowa quarterback Eric Sanders (12) is pulled down by Appalachian State defensive tackle Joe Suiter after a 2 yard gain in the first quarter of the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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    Northern Iowa linebacker Brett Koebcke (46) dives to tackle Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson (28) as Northern Iowa's Mark Huygens (96) chases the play in the first quarter of the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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    University of Northern Iowa running back David Horne (5) gets past Appalachian State defensive end Marques Murrell to pick up a first down in the first quarter of the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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    Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson (28) scores a touchdown as Northern Iowa's John Hermann (54) and Alphonso Key (21) defend on the play in the second quarter of the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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    University of Northern Iowa Tanner Verner, left, blocks a pass by Appalachian State quarterback Richie Williams (7) in the fourth quarter of the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005. Appalachian State won, 21-16.(AP Photo/John Russell)

    THE FUMBLE...
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    Appalachian State nose tackle Jason Hunter (97) picks up a fumble and returns it for a game-winning touchdown as Northern Iowa's Chad Rhinehart (77) and Barrett Anderson (69) give chase along with Appalachian State's Marques Murrell (44) and Cam Speer (27) in the fourth quarter of the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005. Appalachian State won, 21-16.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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    Josh Stevens, foreground, grabs a photo with Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson as fans rush the field after the 21-16 win over Northern Iowa in the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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    Appalachian State quarterback Chase Laws clutches a newspaper proclaiming the Mountaineers champs as he hugs a fan following their 21-16 win over Northern Iowa in the division I-AA NCAA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 16, 2005.(AP Photo/John Russell)

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  2. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    APPS WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
    by Appalachian Sports Information
    December 15, 2005

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Marques Murrell forced a fumble and Jason Hunter returned it for a touchdown with 9:14 remaining in the game to give Appalachian State University the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship with a 21-16 victory over Northern Iowa on Friday night at Finley Stadium.

    The Mountaineers trailed for all but 4:58 of the contest until Hunter's third touchdown of the season in the final period. All-Americans Hunter and Murrell led the Appalachian comeback from their defensive end positions as Hunter compiled 10 total tackles, three for loss, a fumble recovery and two sacks and Murrell added nine total tackles, five-and-a-half for loss, two forced fumbles and two quarterback sacks.

    Quarterback Richie Williams also helped engineer the Mountaineers' comeback by courageously battling through an ankle injury to come off the bench and throw for 129 yards in the second half of the win.

    Sophomore Trey Elder started the contest and registered 123 yards through the air in the first half, but the ASU offense was hindered by three turnovers and trailed 16-7 at the half.
    Kevin Richardson scored both of Appalachian’s offensive touchdowns with a five-yard scamper in the second quarter and a one-yard jaunt that brought ASU within two points at 16-14 with 6:05 to go in the third period. In the process, the sophomore tied Hall of Famer John Settle's Appalachian single-season record of 21 touchdowns in a season.

    Things didn't start out nearly as well as they finished for the Mountaineers, as Northern Iowa scored on its opening possession with a 50-yard field goal by Brian Wingert. The longest kick in I-AA Championship Game history capped off a nine-play, 41-yard drive.

    On the ensuing kickoff, UNI recovered an Appalachian fumble and doubled its advantage to 6-0 just 5:15 into the game on a 26-yard field goal by Wingert.

    UNI would keep the six-point lead until Richardson carried the ball in from five yards out to put ASU up 7-6 after the extra point by Julian Rauch.

    However, the Panthers capitalized on another Mountaineer turnover, scoring from two yards out on a run by David Horne after picking off an Elder pass on ASU’s 41 yard line. The Panthers added another tally before halftime on Wingert’s third field goal of the half, this one from 31 yards out with 1:09 left on the clock to give the Panthers a 16-7 advantage.

    Despite Richardson's second touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter, ASU continued to trail until less 10 minutes remained in the ballgame, when Murrell and Hunter elevated their play to another level.

    Wreaking havoc in the backfield like they did for much of the evening, Murrell sacked Panther quarterback Eric Sanders on the UNI 15 to force a fumble that Hunter scooped up and carried to paydirt for his third touchdown of the season.

    Hunter and Murrell made sure the 21-16 advantage stood up as Murrell forced a fumble and Hunter sacked Sanders to force a punt on UNI’s next possession.

    The Appalachian defense came up big once again on the Panthers last possession of the game by holding the Panthers inside their own 30 yard line and forcing a punt with three minutes left.

    The Williams-led ASU offense rattled off a pair of first downs on its final possession to ensure that UNI didn't have another chance to score. Thousands of the very pro-ASU crowd of 20,236 stormed the field as Williams took a knee on the final play to celebrate the school’s first-ever national championship.

    In his final game in the Black and Gold, wide receiver Zach Johnson enjoyed a career day with six catches for 101 yards. Fellow senior Brandon Turner chipped in with four receptions for 78 yards, while Richardson led the Apps on the ground with 51 yards and the two scores.

    Appalachian ends its historic season with a 12-3 overall record, tying the school record for wins in a season set by the 1995 squad that went 12-1. Northern Iowa finishes its season at 11-4 overall after capturing a share of the Gateway Football Conference title.
     
  3. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    On the Mountaintop, Appalachian State overcomes early turnovers to defeat Northern Iowa 21-16
    By Tommy Bowman, Winston-Salem Journal Reporter

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Rallying behind its No. 1 quarterback, Appalachian State became the No. 1 team in I-AA football last night.

    Richie Williams, with aid from Jason Hunter and the Mountaineers' defense, led his team to a 21-16 victory over Northern Iowa in the championship game of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

    The national title is the first in school history for an ASU team. It was also the first for Jerry Moore, who has taken the Mountaineers to the playoffs 13 times in his 17 years as coach.

    Asked to make a brief opening statement in a postgame press conference, Moore smiled and said: "It isn't going to be brief. It's been 17 years worth of waiting."

    The Mountaineers (12-3) had to overcome a gritty effort by UNI (11-4), an undaunted underdog against the No. 2 seed.

    The Panthers, aided by three first-half turnovers by ASU, had momentum much of the way and led 16-7 at halftime in front of a crowd of 20,236 - the largest in the nine years that the I-AA title game has been held at Finley Stadium.

    ASU fans swarmed the field afterward, and Williams got his share of hugs.
    "What more can you ask for," Williams said. "Last year we were 6-5 but along with the bad comes the good. This year we finished it up right. To go out as a senior with a national championship, it's a fairy-tale ending."

    Trey Elder got the starting nod at quarterback for the Mountaineers, ending suspense of whether Elder, a sophomore backup with one previous start, would go in place of injured senior Williams.

    Williams, who holds most of ASU's season and career records for quarterbacks, was considered day-to-day after straining a tendon in a semifinal game against Furman.

    Williams, however, replaced Elder on the final play of the first half and played the rest of the way despite a limp. He led the Mountaineers to two second-half touchdowns.

    "To me, he was 100 percent," said Moore, in response to why he stuck with Williams.

    Trailing 16-14 and in need of a big play from their defense, the Mountaineers got one when Marques Murrell stripped the ball from quarterback Eric Sanders on a second-and-nine play from the UNI 25-yard line. Hunter scooped the ball at the 15 and returned it for a touchdown that gave the Mountaineers their first lead - 21-16 with 9:14 left.

    "I knew I was going to be able to strip the ball, because he put it down in a low position," said Murrell, who totaled nine tackles and two sacks. "I was just hoping somebody from our team would recover it and Jason just came out of nowhere and scooped it."

    Hunter, who led the Mountaineers with 10 tackles and also had two sacks in his team's second-half shutout, said: "I saw the ball on the ground and I just tried to pick it up as fast as I could and headed for the corner."

    The Mountaineers' defense held twice, and ASU took over for the final time, at its 18-yard line, with 3:01 left, and ran out the remaining time with aid of two third-down runs for first downs by Kevin Richardson.

    Williams wound up 10 of 26 passing for 129 yards, countering David Horne's 102-yard rushing performance for the Panthers, who were also in the national title game for the first time.

    Coach Mark Farley of UNI said he was surprised that the game turned into such a defensive struggle, and said it became a chess match. The difference?
    "Their defense did a good job of stopping us, and they've got a great quarterback in Richie Williams," Farley said. "He is definitely the guy they look to."

    Williams said that Moore told him to go pass and not worry about running.
    "Coach said go out in the second half and wing it," Williams said.

    Williams led the Mountaineers on a 79-yard touchdown drive that closed the gap to 16-14 with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

    A key play on the drive was a 31-yard pass from Williams to Zach Johnson that was wrested away from defender Dre Dokes at the Panthers' 15-yard line. Williams appeared to have re-injured his left ankle on the play, after being landed on by 324-pound nose tackle Charles Johnson.

    Williams remained in the game, however, and the Mountaineers scored five plays later from the 1-yard line on Kevin Richardson's second touchdown run.

    The Mountaineers, seemingly abandoning the run and passing nearly every down with Williams and his offensive line managing to endure increasing pressure by the Panthers, struggled a bit before Hunter's fumble return.

    The Panthers, getting 13 points off three turnovers by the Mountaineers in the first half, built a 16-7 lead by halftime.

    And the turnovers led to a 20-10 advantage in possession time for the Panthers in the first half.

    The Mountaineers seized some short-lived momentum midway through the first half after a key stop on third-and-one by Hunter. Elder led the Mountaineers on a 64-yard drive which included an on-the-mark, third-down completion of 29 yards to well-covered Brandon Turner. Richardson capped the march with a 5-yard touchdown run, which put the Mountaineers up 7-6 with 13:18 left in the first half.
     
  4. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    Support: Family backs ASU's Moore
    By John Dell, Winston-Salem Journal Reporter

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - It's not every year that Appalachian State plays for a national championship, so just about everybody in Coach Jerry Moore's family was here for last night's NCAA Division I-AA title game.

    Leading the cheers from her third-row seat on the visitors side of Finley Stadium was Moore's wife, Margaret, who has lived through all of the ups and downs of being a coach's wife. They have been married 45 years, so last night's game was something that the Moores have been waiting for for a long time.

    "I'll tell you, I'm so excited about all of this," she said before the game. "But I will tell you, Jerry has been so even-keel about everything, and I find that amazing because he really wants this."

    "I guess it helps that he's been so busy, but he has been the same as he has been since I've known him. He hasn't treated this week any differently, even though I've been a nervous wreck waiting for this game to be played. He has slept great all week, but I've been the one up pacing and thinking about different things."

    All three of the Moores' children were on hand, including their oldest son, Chris, who is the running-backs coach for the Mountaineers. Scott, who lives in Wisconsin, arrived yesterday in time for the game. Their daughter, Elizabeth, who lives in Boone, was in the stands last night, as were several of the Moores' grandchildren.

    "None of them were going to miss something like this," Margaret said of her husband's coaching in his first national championship game.

    Margaret has been there through all of Jerry's stops on the coaching ladder, from the four years he was an assistant coach at Corsicana High School in Texas in the early 1960s,to the time he was fired at Texas Tech in the mid-1980, to this.

    Moore, 66, spent two years out of coaching in 1986 and '87 after he was fired at Texas Tech after the 1985 season. She said that time was the hardest for both of them.

    "He never wanted to do anything else but coach football," she said. "I know I wasn't very happy when he wasn't coaching because I knew he wasn't happy."

    He landed another assistant's job at Arkansas in 1988 and '89, and then took the Appalachian State job in 1989. Since then, he has become the winningest coach in Southern Conference history with a 139-67 record in Boone.

    Margaret doesn't like to sit in the skyboxes when she attends games, but rather sits in the stands. She was offered tickets to one of the skyboxes for last night's game, but she wasn't about to break tradition.

    "I want to be close to the field to feel the excitement - I've always been that way," she said.

    The only games she has missed since she and Jerry arrived in Boone was when their six grandchildren were born.

    Moore played for Baylor in the late 1950s, and he met Margaret there. They were married shortly after graduation in May of 1960. Two of his Baylor teammates, Richard Gowan and Robert Starr, showed up at Moore's hotel room yesterday afternoon.

    "He got to see Richard and Robert for a little while. It was great that they came to the game," Margaret said.

    Margaret said that she noticed Jerry first when they were students at Baylor.
    "I heard from Robert that because I looked a little like Jerry's old girlfriend from high school that he wanted to meet me," she said. "And then we went out, and I knew right away it was love at first sight."

    Being a coach's wife isn't easy, mainly because of the long hours that the coaches have to put in with recruiting, practice and preparation.

    Margaret made a small change in the "seating arrangement" for ASU games this season. In past years, she and the wives of the assistant coaches had seats that were spread out all over Kidd Brewer Stadium.

    "I just thought it would be a good idea to have all of us sit together - I think it's been great," she said. "I just wish I had thought of it sooner."

    The wives and families of the assistants were also sitting together last night.

    "I could write a book about how many things have brought this team even closer together," she said. "It's just been a wonderful year, and I especially feel good for the players and their families."
     
  5. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    Hold That Line: Appalachian defense rises to occasion
    By John Dell, Winston-Salem Journal Reporter

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Defensive back Justin Woazeah of Appalachian State said that it would be great if his hometown of Winston-Salem threw a parade on his return after last night's 21-16 win over Northern Iowa.

    The win clinched the Mountaineers' first national title, and again it was the defense that made the big plays in the second half.

    "Do you think we could get a parade going?" he joked. "I know that we might have to talk to some people to get that done."

    The entire defense of the Mountaineers certainly deserves a parade.

    All-America Jason Hunter turned in the biggest play of the game from his end position when he scooped up a fumble and ran 15 yards for the deciding touchdown. The defense allowed just 115 yards in the second half and after hardly touching quarterback Eric Sanders in the first half, got plenty of hands on him in the second half.

    They finished with five sacks, with Hunter and Marques Murrell getting two each. For the season the Mountaineers had 40 sacks.

    Woazeah had six tackles and had two key breakups and said that the Mountaineers were able to tighten their coverage in the second half.

    "We came out on top on defense and once our offense started working we knew we would play better," Woazeah said. "We kept on containing on the ends and our coverage got tighter. When the game started out you have to read the receivers a little, and in the second half we just started covering better."

    Defensive back Corey Lynch said that it was just a matter of time before the defense made big plays. And it all started with the pressure from Murrell, Hunter and the rest of the line.

    "We finally got some good pressure from our defensive line," Lynch said. "Our D-line is so much faster and they just finally wore out their offensive line."

    Tackle Omarr Byrom, who was in on a half a sack and also had three other tackles, was among the delirious students who swarmed the field afterward.

    "This is just such a great feeling to know that you just worked so hard and were able to accomplish a goal like this," Byrom said as students pounded him on the shoulder pads. "All this finally pays off. You can't even explain what a thrill this is."

    As for scoring the deciding touchdown with a defensive play, Byrom said he wasn't surprised. Hunter's touchdown was his third of the season and sixth for the defense.

    "I love those boys and the plays they made tonight isn't something new," Byrom said. "It's what we needed and they came up so big. The whole defense came up big. We didn't get down on ourselves and we just came back and played ball."

    In the second half the defense allowed the Panthers just five first downs and no points. The Panthers led 16-7 at halftime but never got close to the end zone in the second half.

    "That's what makes us the team that we are, making big plays on defense," Woazeah said. "And that's how we started out in our first conference game against The Citadel. Jason scored on a touchdown and he ended it in the national-championship game scoring another one.

    "And this one was even better."

    Now that the season is finally over, Woazeah, who played at Reynolds High School, won't be a part of a parade back home but he is looking forward to spending time with his family.

    "I haven't seen them since my birthday on Sept. 28 and all of them couldn't come to the game," he said, "so I'm going to see them and maybe I'll watch the tape and watch this all over again."
     
  6. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    Magic Time: Hunter lifts ASU to championship with critical play
    By Lenox Rawlings, Winston-Salem Journal Columnist

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - In the wacky world of the I-AA football playoffs, anything can happen. Last night, it did. An Appalachian State team running on one bad ankle and hobbled by three bad turnovers won the national championship, rallying past Northern Iowa 21-16.

    The magical victory, which delivered the school's first team title in any sport, turned on one magical play. Trailing 16-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers' furious defense pressured Northern Iowa's quarterback. Just as Eric Sanders cocked to throw, defensive end Marques Murrell raked his arm from behind, prying the ball loose.

    "One moment I had it," Sanders said, "and the next moment I didn't have it."
    Defensive end Jason Hunter did. He swooped in, scooped up the ball, ignored the Panthers nibbling at his ankles and sped 15 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

    Coach Jerry Moore, the 66-year-old veteran, still needed nine minutes of solid defense and modestly effective offense against an opponent that had come from behind three straight weeks.

    "I know in the last four minutes, I didn't do much coaching," he said. "I ran up and down that sideline telling them how important the last four minutes in the ball game were."

    The Mountaineers listened, and at 11:37 p.m. they danced at the center of a wild celebration, surrounded by thousands of fans on the Finley Stadium turf.

    "We probably had a thousand ex-players here," Moore said. "I told those guys they helped set the foundation of everything that was done here tonight. They just didn't get to play on a championship team."

    Richie Williams did. The senior quarterback ran the ASU offense in the second half despite an injured left ankle that prevented him from running and limited the ASU offense. He still took the Mountaineers down the field for their second touchdown and later directed the clock-devouring final series.

    Center J.T. Holleman appreciated the contribution. "Richie is a senior, and he is like the soul of the team," Holleman said.

    Moore tapped Williams and benched his understudy, Trey Elder, because Northern Iowa chose to defend the option play with a zone defense that neutralized the healthy quarterback's running edge. Moore also preferred a senior's experience in the team's first championship game.

    Williams kept plugging away despite the limp. "I want to say we've got a courageous quarterback, but we've really got two courageous quarterbacks," Moore said.

    Before the drama came the melodrama. Williams, the Southern Conference's best offensive player, strained his left ankle early during the semifinals. Williams recovered a bit more each day, his spirits healing faster than his tendons.

    "I haven't seen him down at all," Elder said on the eve of the title bout. "He's been doing all his treatment and trying to get ready for the game. I'm sure it hurt him inside after he led us this far, not to be able to start, but I think he's doing a great job of doing what's best for the team. If his ankle's ready - I told him and I told the coaches - if he's ready to play and he can go, let him go because he's led us this far and he's a leader of this team. But I haven't really seen any disappointment or anything like that."

    Elder made the lineup but had trouble getting onto the field. Northern Iowa drove for a 50-yard field goal, and then ASU's Dexter Jackson fumbled away the kickoff, carrying the ball like a loaf of bread. The Panthers recovered and kicked another field goal.

    Elder finally took a snap with 9:45 left in the first quarter. Nothing happened. Less than 2 minutes into the second quarter, ASU snatched a 7-6 lead on Kevin Richardson's 5-yard run.

    The heavily gold-and-black crowd cheered madly, momentum behind the yelps. But the foibles continued. On Elder's next pass, he suffered the team's first playoff interception. The streak's end triggered the Panthers' touchdown drive, a five-play burst built around a disjointed 32-yard pass play that turned ASU cornerback Jerome Touchstone around in circles.

    The 13-7 deficit seemed relatively modest, until freshman Trey Hennessee plowed into the line at ASU's 20. Despite minimal resistance, Hennessee fumbled. The Panthers recovered, and Brian Wingert promptly kicked a 31-yard field goal for the eventual 16-7 halftime score.

    The half didn't end without a twist in the plot. Northern Iowa sacked Elder, slamming him into the turf. ASU called a timeout with 2 seconds left, inserted Williams into the lineup and attempted a midfield Hail Mary, which the Panthers batted down.

    Williams kept the job after halftime, and he kept it after he couldn't even run.

    Early in the third quarter, Williams completed a 19-yard pass to Brandon Turner. On the next play, under severe pressure, Williams heaved a deep floater as one defender tackled him and another landed on his fragile ankle. He couldn't see the ball bound for Northern Iowa arms, and he couldn't see ASU's Zach Johnson steal the ball from the defensive back for a 31-yard gain.

    Williams stood and limped to the huddle at the 15. He limped after taking the second-down snap. The teetering drive regained life with an interference penalty on third down, and Richardson covered the last 2 yards, pulling ASU to 16-14.

    Although gimpy and reduced to flinging passes, often with a gunslinger's sidearm style, Williams hung around. He finished with 10 completions in 26 throws for 129 yards. Elder hit 9 of 16. Richardson rushed for only 51 yards, but he made two crucial first downs on the final possession, exhausting Northern Iowa's hopes for a fourth comeback victory.

    The Murrell strip and Hunter touchdown turned everything around - the momentum, the score, the flow of I-AA history.

    For the first time, Appalachian State rules both sides of the mountain and the highest peak in its football world.
     
  7. HighPoint49er

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    Appalachian State wins I-AA title
    By David Coulson, Special to the Greensboro News & Record

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- With an ailing offense and its championship hopes on the ropes, Appalachian State put out an SOS to Jason Hunter and Marques Murrell on Friday night and the All-American defensive ends delivered a Division I-AA football title.

    In front of a record-setting crowd, Murrell swiped the ball away from Northern Iowa quarterback Eric Sanders and Hunter scooped it up and ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 9:14 remaining to lift the Mountaineers (12-3) to a 21-16 victory.

    Hunter and Murrell hassled Sanders all night -- the sophomore who joined the team as a walk-on finished 17-for-31 passing for 181 yards and was sacked five times -- and Appalachian's defensive bookends combined together to turn the tide of the game.

    On a second-and-9 play from the Panthers 25, Sanders dropped back from shotgun formation with the ball in his right hand. Murrell knocked it away and Hunter grabbed it on one bounce with nothing but open field in front of him.

    "I saw the ball on the ground. I tried to pick it up as fast as I could," said Hunter, who led the team with 10 tackles and had two sacks.

    Murrell also finished with two sacks.

    Northern Iowa's defense managed to throttle the Mountaineers' no-huddle spread offense for most of the night, but the Panthers' own offense couldn't make enough plays to win.

    "It was a great night. It speaks wonders for our program, our school," Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said. "I can't say enough about our defense. They were tenacious."

    Running back David Horne led the Panthers with 22 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown, but Northern Iowa didn't throw the ball well enough to score.

    Both teams were in the title game for the first time, and Northern Iowa (11-4) appeared to be en route to the trophy until the fourth quarter.

    For the second week in a row, the Mountaineers held an opponent scoreless in the second half.

    The Appalachian State coaching staff gambled with Trey Elder at quarterback in the first half, unsure about how effective All-American Richie Williams would be with a badly sprained tendon in his left ankle.

    But after Elder struggled at quarterback, going 9-for-16 for 123 yards and one interception in the first half, Williams provided an emotional lift to the Mountaineers in the second half.

    "It was frustrating. Coach told me though that we were going to wing it," Williams said. "Coach called option one time and I called timeout because I knew I could not run the play."

    Williams finished just 10-for-26 passing for 129 yards, but he led the Mountaineers on a nine-play, 79-yard drive to pull Appalachian with two points with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

    During the driver, the cagey senior completed passes of 13 yards to Dexter Jackson, 19 yards to Brandon Turner and 31 yards to Zach Johnson (six catches for a career-high 101 yards) on a play where Johnson outwrestled Dre Dokes for the ball.

    After a pass interference call on Dokes moved the ball to the 2, Richardson smashed over the goal line to make it 16-14. That score held until Murrell and Hunter made their big plays.

    Elder managed only one sustained drive in the first half, leading the Mountaineers on a nine-play, 64-yard drive. Kevin Richardson got bottled up on a counter, but bounced to the opposite side to squirt into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown as Appalachian took a 7-6 lead with 13:18 left in the second quarter.

    Only the play of Appalachian's defense kept the Mountaineers close in the first half. The Mountaineers committed three turnovers, two on fumbles by Dexter Jackson and Trey Hennessee and one on a Trey Elder interception.

    Northern Iowa converted those miscues into 13 points and a 16-7 halftime lead.

    The Panthers struggled in the red zone, scoring only one touchdown when David Horne powered over from the 2 to finish a four-play, 41-yard drive following strong safety Tanner Varner's interception on a poorly thrown Elder pass on an out pattern.

    "It's disappointing, of course, but at the same time we've had a great season with a great group of players," Panthers coach Mark Farley said. "It's a game of inches, and in this one we didn't have the inches fall in our direction."

    Friday night's attendance -- 20,236, a scant 430 short of a sellout -- was a Finley Stadium record and the largest I-AA championship crowd since the game moved from Marshall in 1997.

    Appalachian State's gold-and-black clad fans swarmed over the wall and mobbed the field as time ran out.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.
     
  8. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    Title is pure APPiness, Hunter's TD seals Appalachian State's I-AA national crown
    By David Scott, The Charlotte Observer

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - All Richie Williams had to offer Friday was his right arm. Appalachian State's defense handled the rest as the Mountaineers beat Northern Iowa 21-16 for the NCAA Division I-AA football championship.

    With Williams directing a key third-quarter scoring drive and defensive end Jason Hunter scoring the winning touchdown on a 15-yard fumble recovery, the Mountaineers won their first title -- and the state of North Carolina's first NCAA football championship on any level.

    Appalachian (12-3) got its winning points when Marques Murrell hit Panthers quarterback Eric Sanders as he began to throw and the ball popped loose. Hunter scooped it up for the go-ahead touchdown with 9 minutes, 14 seconds remaining.

    "I dropped back to throw and one second I had it," said Sanders. "The next second, I didn't have it."

    Williams, who strained a tendon in his left ankle last week in a semifinal victory against Furman, came on for starter Trey Elder on the final play of the first half. Then, with his team trailing 16-7 at halftime, Williams spent the second half bringing the Mountaineers back.

    But Williams, a shifty, dangerous runner when he's healthy, wasn't able to do much more than drop back and pass against the Panthers (11-4).

    "It was real frustrating," said Williams. "But I knew coming in what my abilities were and coach told me we'd come out in the second half and (throw it)."

    The Panthers felt a change in the Mountaineers when Williams came in.
    "He couldn't move around like we know he's known to do," said Northern Iowa linebacker Darin Heidman. "But he definitely gave them a little jump."

    Williams drove the Mountaineers 79 yards in the third quarter to get Appalachian closer. The drive's biggest play was a 31-yard catch by Zach Johnson, who wrestled the ball away from Northern Iowa's Dre Dokes at the 15. After another mistake by Dokes -- a pass interference call in the end zone -- Kevin Richardson scored from 1 yard, cutting the lead to 16-14 with 6 minutes, 5 seconds left in the third quarter.

    Appalachian's defense, led by ends Hunter and Murrell, kept the Mountaineers in it in the first half, when three turnovers could have allowed Northern Iowa to take an insurmountable lead. But the Panthers could only manage three field goals to go along with a single touchdown.

    "You always want to get seven points," said Panthers coach Mark Farley. "Especially against a good team like that."

    In the second half, Hunter and Murrell -- who each sacked Sanders twice -- took over.

    "They caused a lot of havoc with us," said Farley.

    The Panthers' Brian Wingert opened the scoring with a 50-yard field goal with 11 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first quarter, the longest of his career.

    Then, when Appalachian's Dexter Jackson fumbled the following kickoff at the Mountaineers 24, the Panthers were only able to get another field goal -- this one from 26 yards by Wingert. Appalachian had yet to run an offensive play.

    The Mountaineers took a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter when Richardson scored from 5 yards. Richardson at first went up the middle, found no room and bolted around the left side.

    Later in the quarter, the Panthers' regained the lead, going ahead 13-7 on a 2-yard touchdown run by David Horne. Northern Iowa had gotten the ball when Tanner Varner intercepted an Elder pass at the Mountaineers 41.
     
  9. HighPoint49er

    HighPoint49er Full Access Member

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    Appalachian State does it!
    By Keith Jarrett. Senior Writer, Asheville Citizen-Times

    CHATTANOOGA — One All-American defensive end came from the left, the other All-American defensive end came from the right, and where they came together was the summit of NCAA I-AA college football for Appalachian State.

    Ends Jason Hunter and Marques Murrell dominated Northern Iowa’s offense and combined for the game-winning score, and injured quarterback Richie Williams helped produce a second-half touchdown to key a 21-16 victory at Finley Stadium on Friday night, giving the Mountaineers their first national championship.

    Hunter had 10 tackles, two sacks among his three tackles for losses and a forced fumble. Murrell added nine tackles, 5.5 tackles for losses including two sacks and two forced fumbles.

    The Mountaineers (12-3) took the lead for good at 21-16 lead with 9:14 remaining when Murrell came from his left end position and stripped UNI quarterback Eric Sanders. Hunter picked up the fumble and raced 15 yards into the end zone.

    The defensive touchdown was ASU’s sixth this season and the third by Hunter, giving ASU coach Jerry Moore his first national title with his 140th win with the Mountaineers.

    “I came around the corner and saw (Sanders) was holding the ball low, so I knew I could strip it,” said Murrell, a 6-2, 230-pound junior.

    “I had (the ball) one second and the next second I didn’t,” said Sanders, who completed 17-of-31 passes for 181 yards.

    “That was a heckuva play by (Murrell).”

    “This is a great night for our team, our school and the state of North Carolina,” Moore said. “Man, we played tenacious defense and made a big play when we needed to.”

    With Williams hobbled by a strained tendon in his left ankle, ASU gave the start to sophomore Trey Elder.

    But Williams, the Southern Conference’s Player of the Year who accounted for 3,613 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns this season before the injury, entered the game on the final play of the first half to throw a “Hail Mary” that fell incomplete.

    Behind 16-7 in the third quarter, Williams completed four of five passes for 64 yards on a 79-yard drive capped by Kevin Richardson’s 1-yard scoring run.

    Williams finished 10-of-26 for 121 yards.

    Elder, in his second career start, completed 9-of-16 passes for 123 yards and an interception in the first half.

    With an estimated 12,000 ASU fans in the crowd of 20,236, the Mountaineers played stout defense in the second half, limiting the Panthers (11-4) to 108 yards and finishing with 13 tackles for losses.

    After taking the lead, ASU stopped the Panthers on two more possessions, with Murrell and Hunter having back-to-back sacks to thwart one series.

    The Mountaineers’ offense then ran the clock out over the final three minutes, setting off a celebration that included thousands of ASU fans storming the field.

    ASU turned the ball over three times in its own territory to trail 16-7 at halftime.

    The Panthers converted those giveaways into 13 points.

    After Brian Wingert kicked a 50-yard field goal on Northern Iowa’s first possession, ASU’s Dexter Jackson fumbled a kickoff and six players later Wingert booted a 3-pointer from 26 yards.

    The Mountaineers took a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter on Richardson’s 5-yard run that capped a nine-play, 64-yard drive.

    Elder threw an interception later in the period, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by David Horne, who finished with 102 yards rushing.

    Wingert added a 31-yard field goal with 1:03 left after the Panthers picked up a fumble by ASU’s Trey Hennessee at the Mountaineers’ 28.

    “This is something we’re going to remember for the next 10, 20, 30 years,” Williams said. “We’ll never forget this feeling we have right now.”

    Notes: The first Southern Conference team to reach a I-AA championship game was Western Carolina in 1983, a 43-7 loss to Southern Illinois. That game marked the last postseason appearance for the Catamounts. … ASU’s appearance in the national championship game was the first for a SoCon school since 2001, when Furman lost 13-6 to Montana. From 1991-2001, the SoCon had a team in the title game nine times in 11 seasons. …Then SoCon-member Marshall played Youngstown State in the title game three straight seasons (1991-93), winning the crown in ’92. …Marshall also played in the championship game vs. Montana in ’95 and ’96, winning the title in ’96. …Georgia Southern reached the title game three straight seasons (’98-2000), claiming crowns in ’99 and 2000. …The league is 6-8 in title games since 1983. …Furman won the ’88 crown with a 17-12 win over Georgia Southern prior to Georgia Southern joining the SoCon. …This marked ASU’s 13th trip to the I-AA playoffs, the 11th under Moore.
     
  10. chris

    chris Full Access Member

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    Thank you.
     

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