Situation is already upsetting to these 2
Good morning, Lloyd Carr and Charlie Weis, coaches of the No. 1- and No. 2-winningest programs in the history of college football. How does it feel to be knocked out of contention for the national championship before Labor Day?
How does it feel to be on the wrong end of what is being called in some circles the greatest upset in the history of college football, Coach Carr? (Although Temple's 28-24 upset of No. 10 Virginia Tech as a 35-point underdog Oct. 17, 1998, still has more shock value.)
And how does it feel to open the season with a whimper rather than the bang that is always expected of any Notre Dame football team, Coach Weis?
In case you were snoozing, we are talking about two of the notable events from major college football's opening weekend.
Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32.
Yes, that was Appalachian State, not Arizona State, Penn State, Kansas State, or Florida State. Yes, that was Division 1-AA (or the Football Championship Subdivision, as the NCAA has chosen to now call it) Appalachian State.
Sure, the Mountaineers had credentials, with back-to-back national championships (last year's victim was UMass). But this was No. 5 Michigan, and in the Big House.
"We were not a well-prepared football team," said Carr. "That's my job and I take full responsibility for that."
And here's what Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson had to say: "I think that was their best effort." Ouch.
How big an upset was it? No Division 1-AA team had beaten a team ranked in the Associated Press poll from 1989-2006, and it is unlikely it happened after Division 1 subdivisions were created in 1978.
And consider this: ESPN had been pushing Michigan to schedule Hawaii in its opener. Carr chose not to, figuring he'd rather face an easier 1-AA opponent. Oh, well.
And to make matters worse for Wolverine fans, Michigan State hammered UAB, 55-18, in its opener in East Lansing.
Down in South Bend, the upset of Notre Dame was less stunning but just as startling when one considers its one-sided nature: Georgia Tech 33, Notre Dame 3.
The speculation before the season centered on which untested quarterback Weis was going to use in the opener.
A. Demetrius Jones
B. Evan Sharpley
C. Jimmy Clausen
D. All of the above
The answer was D, and now we know why Weis kept his choice secret. The Irish produced an embarrassing 3 points, and they get to take their show on the road next week against a Penn State team that looked fairly impressive in a 59-0 romp over Florida International Saturday.
"There's a whole litany of problems we have to fix," said Weis.
The good news for Weis and Carr is that they play each other in two weeks, so someone has to win. Appalachian State next week must deal with Lenoir-Rhyne, which was 3-8 last season. Watch out for those pesky Bears. I bet no one ever has played Michigan and Lenoir-Rhyne back to back.
Cupcakes, anyone?
Consider some results between 1-A powers and schools just looking for a good payday.
No. 10 Louisville 73, Murray State 10
No. 24 Boise State 56, Weber State 7
No. 6 Florida 49, Western Kentucky 3
No. 8 Oklahoma 79, North Texas 10
And if you took No. 23 Hawaii and gave the 59 1/2 points against Northern Colorado, you lost. Hawaii 63, Northern Colorado 6.
The good and the bad
Randy Shannon's Miami team rolled over Marshall, 31-3; Butch Davis's North Carolina squad took care of business with a 37-14 win over James Madison, and Jeff Jagodzinski's Boston College team knocked off Wake Forest, 38-28 . . . On the other side of the coin, Tom O'Brien's North Carolina State team lost to Central Florida, 25-23. And Todd Dodge's North Texas team was rolled over by Oklahoma, 79-10. Dodge came to North Texas from Carroll High School in South Lake, Texas, where his teams compiled a 79-1 record in five years, won four state titles, and fashioned a 48-game winning streak. Turn out the "Friday Night Lights," Todd, the party is over . . . Al Groh's Virginia team lost to Wyoming, 23-3.
Week 1 Heisman outlook
First of all, let's put BC quarterback Matt Ryan on the list. He had 408 yards and 5 touchdowns in the win over Wake. Sure, there was the opening-pass interception that was returned for a touchdown. But Ryan is the best QB in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and that should put him on any Heisman list. The others (in no order yet):
Hawaii QB Colt Brennan had 6 TD passes and 416 yards - in the first half (which was all he played) in Hawaii's win over Northern Colorado.
Rutgers RB Ray Rice had 184 rushing yards and scored three TDs in the Scarlet Knights' 38-3 win over Buffalo Thursday night.
Louisville QB Brian Brohm had 4 TD passes and 375 yards in the Cardinals' romp over Murray State.
USC QB John David Booty had 3 TD passes and 206 yards in the Trojans' 38-10 win over Idaho.
Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran for 151 yards and a touchdown and threw a TD pass in the Hogs' 46-26 win over Troy.
Extra points
The most spectacular play of the weekend might have been California wide receiver DeSean Jackson's 77-yard punt return in the Bears' 45-31 win over Tennessee. Jackson now has punt returns for touchdowns of 49, 80, 65, 72, 95, and 77 yards . . . Safe quote of the week: Arizona coach Mike Stoops after a 20-3 loss to Brigham Young. "It wasn't all bad. We'll be better next week. I'll promise you that." Arizona plays 1-AA Northern Arizona next week . . . The Big East was 7-1 in its games last week, widely outscoring opponents in the wins. But Syracuse lost to Washington, 42-12, Friday, and had 8 rushing yards on 29 carries. Eight yards on 29 carries for the school that produced Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, and Joe Morris . . . Division 3 Mount Union scored an NCAA-record 52 points in the second quarter en route to its 24th consecutive win, a 75-7 rout of Averett College . . . Pitt quarterback Bill Stull is out indefinitely after needing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb that occurred in a 24-3 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday night.
Eagles update
So, what was not to like about BC's win? The offense produced, other than the two early speed bumps - the Ryan interception returned for a TD and an A.J. Brooks fumble returned for a score. The defense was solid and at times spectacular in shutting down Wake most of the afternoon. The offense was uptempo, and cornerback DeJuan Tribble was named Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation after his three interceptions and seven tackles, one for a loss.
What did you think, Coach Jags?
"The kids didn't panic, they played hard, and I thought we were OK," said Jagodzinski, who made his head coaching debut with the Eagles with family and friends on hand.
The Eagles were more than OK defensively, allowing only 2 net yards rushing, and had virtually no penalties and mental mistakes. Throw in the overall performance of the passing game led by Ryan, who completed passes to nine receivers (he even also completed one to himself) and had a career high in touchdowns and yardage, and you have a formula for success.
This week will bring the hype of North Carolina State and O'Brien, BC's coach for 10 years before he left last December. "The only hype will be coming from the media," said Jagodzinski. "We've got to play a North Carolina State team that beat us last season."
State running back Toney Baker will miss the rest of the season after injuring a knee Saturday.
If there is a concern for the Eagles, Steve Aponavicius kicked off seven times and the Demon Deacons enjoyed excellent field position.
Jagodzinski said he would consider switching to freshman Billy Bennet this week.
Other than that, Jagodzinski said he had no major concerns. When asked what he did Saturday night, Jagodzinski said, "I visited with my family, had a glass of wine and a cigar, and took a deep breath."
Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.
