Appalachian State made its debut on ESPN’s College Gameday after thrashing Texas A&M at No. 6 at College Station a week ago. Usually, when Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and crew roll into town, the game rarely lives up to the traditional festivities.
Of course, students made a mass appearance to represent Boone, North Carolina, before the game against Troy. The entire panel chose the Climber to win the game even though Desmond Howard made the case for a game of traps.
In fact, Howard was completely booed when he mentioned the large amount of Kool-Aid that had been consumed on the mountain town grounds since defeating the Aggies. Reading your own newspaper clippings is dangerous for college athletes – ask BYU, who sat in the top 15 after passing Baylor a week ago, but showed up ahead of Eugene, Oregon, and ran out building.
Indeed, it looks like Troy will ruin the excitement of the 30,000 spectators as Troys lead the majority of the match. Even after tying Troy to safety with 20 seconds remaining, taking a 28-26 lead, the Mountaineers still couldn’t quite get in range to try to grab a W with free-kick play.
So with: 02 points left on the clock, App State coach Shawn Clark decided a Hail Mary from number 47 was the only option. What happens next only happens when you combine casual and college sports.
G/O Media may receive a commission
54% Off
CAP Barbell 52.5 Pound Adjustable Dumbbell
Gains
Has cast iron plates to make sure they’re sturdy and avoid corrosion, includes the 17″ handle with multiple different weight plates you can lock in, can be stored with ease, and it’s easy to use too.
So many things need to go right for a desperation heave to work. The quarterback needs to create enough time and space to step into a throw. The jumbled mass of receivers, corners, and safeties has to be chaotic enough for a catch or a tip drill to ensue. And, most of the time, the QB has to have a strong enough arm to get the ball to the endzone.
App State QB Chase Brice accomplished the first part, stepping up and into a throw, but it was 5 yards short of the goal line. By sheer luck or fate, Christian Horn had the ball drop right into his hands after a favorable bounce, and the only thing any Trojans could do was watch flat-footed — presumably in disbelief — as Horn crossed the plain and utter pandemonium erupted.
Take a look at this next video and tell me what you’d do if you saw this and had no idea what just took place inside Kidd Brewer Stadium.
“I don’t know what happened, Cheryl. Google Maps said this was the easiest way to B-dubs. How was I supposed to know that an impromptu riot would break out?”
Goddamn college football is perfect.
Another great ending unless you had the unders
I rarely know odds to games offhand, and had I now put together a preview of the non-ranked games this weekend, I would’ve had no idea what the over-under of the Syracuse-Purdue game was. However, I did, and in my blurb I predicted a track meet, even citing the 60-point mark.
For three quarters, I looked like a doofus. The two teams combined for 19 points, and anyone who wagered a little coin on the unders was kicking their feet up and wondering who to bet their winnings on in the late afternoon window.
Then insanity took hold. The Orangemen and Boilermakers scored six total touchdowns, including a pick-six, en route to a 42-point quarter, culminating in Cuse QB Garrett Shrader finding Oronde Gadsden for a 25-yard touchdown with seven ticks remaining to retake the lead for good.
The touchdown pushed the total to 60, and the extra point made it 61. In the immortal words of Al Pacino in Two for the Money: “I’m gambling again!”
