Ann Arbor, MI (My Sportsbook) - The fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers to Ann Arbor for what is the season opener for both teams.
Appalachian State has earned the reputation as one of the Football Championship Subdivision's (formerly Division I-AA) top programs, but taking on one of the Football Bowl Subdivision's (formerly Division I-A) elite squads on the road to begin the new campaign represents a momumental challenge. The Mountaineers, who are the two-time defending I-AA national champions, are led by head coach Jerry Moore, who recently received a contract extension. Moore's club enters the season as the top-ranked football team in the land, but APSU is still a decided underdog in this opener.
As for Michigan, it was one of the best teams in the nation last season and welcomes back many key contributors from that club. The Wolverines only lost one game during the 2006 regular season, a three-point setback to Ohio State on the road in what may have been the game of the year. The club landed in the Rose Bowl against USC, and while that tilt ended in defeat as well, all of the pieces are in place for Lloyd Carr's club to make a run at this year's national championship.
This game marks the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Appalachian State on the gridiron.
In 2006, APSU had eight All-Americans and 19 All-Southern Conference performers. On the offensive side of the ball, there are seven starters back in place. Quarterback Armanti Edwards, tailback Kevin Richardson as well as receivers T.J. Courmn and Dexter Jackson are all back to lead the way for the Mountaineers. Edwards threw for 2,251 yards and 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions as the primary starter in 2006, and he added 1,153 yards and 15 rushing scores. Clearly, he is a dual threat who is talented enough to make plays against the Michigan defense. Richardson was a force a year ago, racking up 1,676 yards and 30 rushing scores while averaging a gaudy 5.5 ypc. As for the aforementioned receivers, both Courman and Jackson were solid last year, and it will be interesting to see if either is ready to become the primary target for Edwards. As for the offensive line, three starters return from the 2006 squad.
Defensively, six starters are back for Appalachian State, which operates out of a base 4-3 set. The defensive backfield returns three of four starters, as safety Corey Lynch is joined by corners Justin Woazeah and Jerome Touchstone. BOth Woazeah and Touchstone posted a pair of interceptions apiece in 2006, and each player had 38 tackles as well. They combined for 19 pass break-ups and will be counted on heavily in this opener against one of major college football's premier offensive teams. The linebacking corps benefits from the return of both Pierre Banks and Cam Speer. Banks is a steady force, as he made 110 tackles a year ago and always seems to be around the football. Up front, the lone returning starter is Gary Tharrington, and the standout is coming off a stellar campaign in which he posted 15 TFLs.
The Michigan offense is loaded, as Carr is fortunate to welcome back one of the nation's top players at quarterback, wide receiver and tailback. It all starts with senior QB Chad Henne, a 6-2, 224-pounder who completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,508 yards, 22 TDs and only eight INTs last season. Henne, who has nearly three times as many TD passes as he does INTs in his career, is the latest in a long line of talented signal callers to play at Michigan and he will have the luxury of throwing to an ultra-skilled receiving corps led by junior speedster Mario Manningham. The 6-0 Manningham caught 38 balls and led the team with 703 receiving yards and nine TDs in '06. He was hobbled a bit by an ankle injury at one point and is unstoppable when healthy. Senior RB Mike Hart is back to pick up where he left off last year when he rushed for 1,562 yards and 14 TDs. Hart needs just 794 yards to become UM's all-time leading ground gainer, and with a big, experienced line in front of him, as long as he stays healthy, it should be a lock. Senior OT Jake Long is among the best at his position in the Big Ten, as is senior OG Adam Kraus.
While the Michigan offense appears to be poised for a huge season, there are questions on the defensive side of the ball. To be specific, only four starters are back in place. Carr's defense was brilliant against the run in '06, yielding a national-best 43.4 ypg, but defending the pass was another story as foes picked up nearly 225 ypg. A pair of defensive backs who finished among the club's top four tacklers last year return for their senior seasons, as FS Jamar Adams and CB Trent Morgan look to elevate their game in the absence of any notable superstars. The front seven consists of solid players in junior DT Terrence Taylor and senior LB Shawn Crable, but there are also some unknowns on which the Wolverines will have to rely. Linemen Will Johnson and Tim Jamison have some experience in big games, and one guy to keep an eye on is LB Austin Panter, the first juco transfer to come to Michigan in a decade and the reigning Junior College Defensive Player of the Year.
