Michigan to Face Appalachian State in 2014 Opener

Submitted by snoopblue on

 

Aug. 25, 2011

 

• Football Future Schedules

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football program will open the 2014 season with a match-up against Appalachian State University on Aug. 30 at Michigan Stadium. This will be the second meeting between the Wolverines and Mountaineers at Michigan Stadium.

"We look forward to facing Appalachian State again," said U-M Athletic Director Dave Brandon.

The only previous game in the series between Michigan and Appalachian State came in the 2007 season opener. The defending FCS champion Mountaineers stunned the Wolverines, 34-32, as ASU blocked a field goal attempt that could have won the game for Michigan at the end of regulation. It was the first-ever game broadcast by the Big Ten Network.

U-M has two remaining open dates on its schedule.

(http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082511aad.html)

M-Dog

August 25th, 2011 at 10:08 PM ^

Exactly. 

A little kid kicks you in the balls at a wedding reception.  It really fucking hurts, meanwhile everyone is laughing. You finally give into temptation for "revenge" and beat the crap out of him.

You wind up looking like an ass twice.

Wendyk5

August 25th, 2011 at 4:41 PM ^

COME ON! We're acting like the pussies that everyone else thinks we are! Afraid of Appy State?? Lose to Appy State? Are we not Michigan Men? Bring it on, Dave Brandon. Bring on Appy State. And Toledo. And Oregon. And an entire season of Ohio State games. BRING IT ON! 

NOLA Blue

August 25th, 2011 at 4:42 PM ^

Amazed by the number of people who believe that Michigan should pout, and take its ball home after a loss.  What are we, the bullied kid on the playground?  We are supposed to hide from our tormentors? 

Hell no!  This is Michigan.  We face our opponents head on.  I feel bad for the people to whom App State is a tormentor.

The only thing I don't like about this matchup is that it is in the Big House.  Dave Brandon should have packed up the team and sent it out to App State's stadium, lest we forget that it is not the size of a team's facilities that determines wins.  App State earned that home game.

BlueByTheAlamo

August 25th, 2011 at 4:51 PM ^

Exactly my sentiment. We got beat. It was bad. I cried for days (okay, it was a bit longer than that). We can hide our heads in shame, swear never to talk about it again, and pretend THE HORROR never occured. However, we will never truly escape it - everytime a Sparty or Buckeye want to rub some salt in the wound I hear the same lame joke, the one about how many batteries it takes to beat Michigan, and it brings all the memories back anyway. Might as well invite App State back, and show them, our rivals, and the world, that the Wolverines are Michigan Men who do not hide but pick themselves up and come back gunning for you.

jmblue

August 25th, 2011 at 8:32 PM ^

I remember people saying the same thing after the Colorado Hail Mary loss.  "Why relive that nightmare again?"  Well, the next time CU came into the Big House, we stomped all over them, 27-3.  We made a statement that our program had turned the page.  We then ran the table.

ryebreadboy

August 25th, 2011 at 4:51 PM ^

This is a horrendous idea. Beating them means nothing because we're supposed to beat them. And my god, if we lose again? We'd never hear the end of it. This is legitimately ridiculous. No good can come of it.

Wolverine Devotee

August 25th, 2011 at 4:53 PM ^

I can't wait. I want revenge. Michigan needs to run up the score, onside kicks. There will be no taking an FCS team lightly especially THIS one. The coaches need to make the 2014 guys watch the last time the two played, over and over. So it'll be fresh in their heads.

Bat0342

August 25th, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^

It's part of college football history.  We will be forever tied to them.  So why not play again?  I think everyone knows by now that App St wasnt your average sub-division team, and alot better than some FBS teams. I remember everyone making fun of us for playing them that year before the season started and i said i was worried about them from watching their national title game the year before.  We overlooked them, big deal, they were legit.  I see them as a FBS school in the years to come.  The talent is there. 

BigBlue02

August 25th, 2011 at 10:02 PM ^

Ha!  Yes, big deal, they were legit. You know who else was supposed to be legit? The 5th ranked team in the nation.

We overlooked them. Yes. But there is no fucking way any FBS team should ever beat a ranked team that had 5 starters on offense alone drafted into the NFL.

expatriate

August 25th, 2011 at 4:58 PM ^

In 1921, Centre College in Danville, KY upset the then #1 team in the nation, undefeated Harvard University, 6-0.  

To this day, Centre College has C6H0 all over their campus, from a wall in their athletic facility covered with pictures and images of newspaper articles from that game.  They have C6H0 on their sidewalk, on their brochures, everything.  It is and always will be a huge deal to them.

Would anyone care if Harvard had whooped them a thousand times after that?  No, because tiny little Centre College took down the big man just once.  It was later named by the New York Times as the upset of the century.  Doing this does nothing to exorcise the demons of that first game, and will do nothing but remind fans, recruits, and the college football world of a day Michigan would rather forget. 

Great job, Dave Brandon.  Is this what you call "branding?"

Sambojangles

August 25th, 2011 at 6:09 PM ^

And 90 years later I had never heard of that upset, until today. Hopefully with time most of us, and more importantly, our rival fans, will forget about the Horror, and we can all move on with our lives. ASU is going to be FBS sooner or later, and so then the loss will only look like an upset of a team that was overrated to begin with, not "the biggest in NCAA history."

BigBlue02

August 25th, 2011 at 10:05 PM ^

I don't understand your logic. Using your example, the reason you had never heard of it is because it happened 90 years ago...so are you hoping that our rival fans forget about the Horror because all the ones who were around for it died of old age?

IowaBlue

August 25th, 2011 at 4:59 PM ^

There sure is a whole lot of whining about this topic... For a group of people who like to tote our "all time" win/loss against everyone else you want to set these records straight. Personally, I think we should play them one more time after this to make sure the record is 2-1 all time then let it rest, a tie record would not sit much better than the 0-1 record we currently have against them. If the worst thing we can say is we have to eat a bit of crow from ESPN the weeks before the game, then so be it... set it right after the game. Stop whining, Go Blue!