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Mountaineers claim title in 28-17 victory |
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Sunday, 17 December 2006 |
by ERIK RHYNE
Sports Editor
The saying goes, “Games are won in the final minutes.”
Ahead 21-17 with just over eight minutes to go, Appalachian State University went 80 yards in 6:46 with junior running back Kevin Richardson recording his fourth touchdown of the night.
The score put the University of Massachusetts away with ASU winning 28-17 in the Division I Football Championship game.
“I made the statement that we’ve got to run eight minutes off [the
clock],” ASU head coach Jerry Moore said. “That was big. Eating up
six-plus, almost seven, minutes off the clock, driving and scoring.”
Richardson finished the night with 30 carries for 179 yards and four
touchdowns. It was the most yards given up by UMass since 2002 against
the University of New Hampshire.
He also set a new Division I Championship Subdivision record with 30 rushing TDs on the season.
“It was all the play calling and the coaches trusting us,” Richardson
said of his performance. “Our offensive line has done a great job all
year. …We just came out and finished our game today.”
On UMass’s next series, Minutemen quarterback Liam Coen was intercepted
by ASU junior safety Corey Lynch sealing the game for ASU.
“It was no mystery coming in,” UMass head coach Dan Brown said. “We
knew we had our hands full.
Giving up 28 is probably too much and
scoring 17 is not enough.”
The Mountaineers kept to the ground throughout the game as 285 of their 431 yards were rush yards.
“Their offense ran the ball very well,” Minutemen safety James Ihedigbo
said. “They found some kinks in our defense and executed well. My hat
goes off to them.”
While ASU finished the game strongly, UMass kicked off the scoring with a touchdown on its first drive.
“UMass is a good football team,” Moore said. “On offense, they pick you
here and there. That’s the reason they are here. They didn’t just
accidentally get here.”
On the 80-yard drive, 42 yards came on the legs of running back Steve
Baylark. He finished the game with 139 yards on 24 carries.
“We knew he was a good back,” ASU senior linebacker Monte Smith said.
“As a defense, our focus was to stop the run and force them to pass. We
had to swarm to the ball and tackle every play. We talked about going
110 mph and giving everything you got every play. That’s what we came
to do.”
With just over one minute to go in the quarter, junior running back
Kevin Richardson broke through the
left side of the line and scampered
45 yards to tie the game.
In the second quarter, Richardson took the ball in from six yards out
to cap another ASU drive to give the Mountaineers their first lead of
the game.
“We just kept doing what we did all year: focus on running hard between
the tackles,” Richardson said. “It pays off, hard work pays off.”
In the third, Coen found tight end Brad Listorti open as he took it 17 yards for a touchdown to tie the game
“They did everything we expected them do defensively,” Coen said. “We
executed fairly well. In the
passing game it came down to a few plays
where we have to find the pass.”
On ASU’s ensuing 13-play, 71-yard drive, the team overcame fourth-and-one and
third-and-long situations to push the lead back to seven. It was
the first points allowed by UMass in the second half of its playoffs
games.
UMass kicker Chris Koepplin added three points as it would be the closest they would get to ASU.
Defensively for ASU, senior safety Jeremy Wiggins and Lynch led the way with seven tackles each.
The Mountaineers finish the season 14-1, setting a new school record
for wins. They also are the first team since Georgia Southern
University in 2000-01, to repeat as National Champions.
Looking at both seasons, Moore said both titles are of equal value.
“Both trophies and championships have their place,” he said. “The two
are two different teams, two groups of men and they have a special
place for everybody.”
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