There is a little known town, nestled in the northwest mountains of North Carolina, that has become a household name over the past three days.  Boone, North Carolina is home to those "upstarts" we all know as the Appalachian State University Mountaineers.  And on Saturday, it was home to a few thousand students, who instead of taking the Labor Day Weekend trek home, decided to stay in Boone and cheer for their beloved Mountaineers.  Little did anyone know that history was about to be made.

For anyone who lives outside the "Tri-State" area of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, the words "Appalachian State" mean nothing.  It is a school with around 13,000 students that most like to label a "suitcase school".  Most students, unless they are athletes, are close enough to home that they can travel home during just about any weekend they choose.  For me, it was literally a 30 minute trek up the mountain.  So you could literally say that Appalachian State was my "home school".

Football has always been "the sport" at App State.  During the mid 90's, they began asserting themselves as a top Division 1-AA threat for the National Championship.  But it always seemed that the Championship game was illusive, in an almost taunting sort of way.  Very little is known about their football program, simply because the only Division 1-A school that seemed to be willing to play App State on an annual basis was Wake Forest.  And we all know, up until last year, that Wake has never been a football power.  We always looked forward to that game as ASU fans...because more often than not, we seemed to come away with the win.  But in recent years, Wake Forest has shown no interest in playing App State, probably because of the damage losing to them would do their egos and to their program. 

So in recent years App State has played such foes as Auburn, LSU, NC State, and this year Michigan.  Two years ago, they gave a LSU, a National Championship contender, all they could handle in Baton Rouge.  Although the score showed 24-0, most of those points came late, and the stats showed that the game was very close.  Last year, they played NC State very tough, and should have come away with a victory.  But it was not to be.  So after two years of hard luck and losing games to the "big boys", it was their turn to take it a step further, and try their luck with a perennial national power, Michigan. 

Keep in mind that Kidd Brewer Stadium, where App plays their home games, holds a measly 17,000 spectators at full capacity.  So when the opportunity came to play in the "Big House", it was too hard to pass up.  They would leave their cozy little home in the North Carolina mountains, and voyage to a place that most high school football players could only dream of playing their college careers. 

Most football experts, and fans alike, seemed to believe that the game this past Saturday would be a blowout.  Press releases from all around the country talked about the "meaning" of playing a Division 1-AA team.  Most believed this was nothing more than a "tune up" for Michigan.  There were some who stated that Michigan only hoped to play Henne for no more than two quarters, or at least until Michigan had had time to "build a sizeable lead".  Reporters were tauting the receiver corps for the Wolverines, and wrote of limited playing time for them also.  Michigan students and fans alike had no idea who this App State team was...or where they were from.  They only knew it was supposed to be blowout city for the Wolverines and company. 

Appalachian State has little to show for their football program.  Players like Dexter Coakley and Matt Stevens have been lucky enough to make it to the NFL.  But there has only been a select few to represent App State in the NFL over the years.  So how could it be that this little school with this "suitcase" mentality could ever dream of playing a perennial national contendor in "their" house and dream they could come away with a win? 

Michigan was supposed to win this game 55-0.  Michigan was supposed to use this game as a "tune up" for bigger games.  Michigan was supposed to intimidate this little team from nowhere.  The only problem is, someone forgot to tell that to the App State Mountaineers.  Someone forgot to tell Michigan that they were playing a team who had only lost 4 of their previous 30 games.  Someone forgot to tell Michigan that there is more to football than talent, size, and ability.  Someone forgot to tell them that they needed heart to beat this upstart team of "nobody's". 

If you want to see the biggest and hear the biggest heart in college football, please feel free to come to the mountains of North Carolina where the clouds bleed black and yellow.  But don't forget to bring your radios and "in car televisions".  Because finding a way into this little 17,000 seat football stadium may be the hardest ticket you'll ever find. 

By the way, I'm more than just a fan of App State.  I'm also a graduate.

GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!