III 110th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 412 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 19 (legislative day, December 18), 2007 Mr. Burr (for himself and Mrs. Dole) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Commending the Appalachian State University Mountaineers of Boone, North Carolina, for winning the 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division 1–AA) Championship.

Whereas, in 2005, Appalachian State University became the first team from North Carolina to win a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football championship with its victory over the University of Northern Iowa; Whereas, in 2006, Appalachian State University defeated the University of Massachusetts football team to win its 2nd straight championship; Whereas, in December 2007, the Appalachian State University Mountaineers won their 3rd straight NCAA Division 1 national title by winning the Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as the Division 1–AA Championship), the first Football Championship Subdivision team in history to accomplish this feat, beating the University of Delaware (Delaware) Blue Hens by a score of 49–21; Whereas, in the 2007 championship game, senior tailback Kevin Richardson opened the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Armanti Edwards; Whereas Delaware responded by driving the ball to the Appalachian State 1-foot line, where the Mountaineers stonewalled the Blue Hens with an impressive defensive stand; Whereas, on the ensuing possession, sophomore Devon Moore extended the lead to 14–0 in a touchdown run that capped a 5-play, 99-yard drive to set an Appalachian State school record for longest scoring drive; Whereas Appalachian State extended the lead to 21–0 with 10:22 remaining in the 2nd quarter as freshman tight end Daniel Kilgore recovered a fumble in the endzone for the touchdown as the Mountaineers scored on their 1st 3 drives of the game; Whereas Delaware broke into the scoring column with only 1:10 remaining in the 1st half, in a play that was originally ruled incomplete, but upon official review was ruled a touchdown to cut the Appalachian State lead to 21–7; Whereas Appalachian State answered the score 26 seconds later as Armanti Edwards threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to senior Dexter Jackson, in his 4th touchdown pass this season to Dexter Jackson for more than 59 yards; Whereas Appalachian State opened scoring in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to 35–7; Whereas Delaware countered to cut the Appalachian State lead to 35–14; Whereas Kevin Richardson then ran the lead to 42–14 with a 6-yard touchdown for his 2nd score of the game, in which he posted a total of 111 yards rushing and 27 yards receiving with touchdowns both on the ground and by air; Whereas Kevin Richardson is Appalachian State’s all-time leading rusher, closing his college career with 4,797 yards on the ground; Whereas sophomore quarterback Armanti Edwards had 198 yards passing, 89 yards rushing and 3 passing touchdowns, and finishes the season with 1,948 yards passing and 1,587 yards rushing, falling just short of becoming the 1st player in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards twice in his career; Whereas Corey Lynch finishes his career with 52 pass breakups, capturing the NCAA Division I record for career passes defended; Whereas the team's championship victory finished off a remarkable season for the Mountaineers, who, on September 1, 2007, in their 1st game of the 2007 season, beat the University of Michigan Wolverines, ranked 5th nationally at the time, by a score of 34–32 in front of 109,000 spectators at The Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, marking the 1st time a Division 1–AA team has ever beaten a nationally ranked Division 1–A team; Whereas the Mountaineers finished off this impressive 2007 season with a 13–2 record; Whereas the Appalachian State Mountaineers 2007 All-Americans include Kerry Brown, Corey Lynch, Kevin Richardson, Armanti Edwards, Gary Tharrington, and Jerome Touchstone; and Whereas the Mountaineers enjoy widespread support from their spirited and dedicated fans as well as the entire Appalachian State University community: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)applauds the Appalachian State University Mountaineers football team for its historic season and National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision title; (2)recognizes the hard work and preparation of the players, head coach Jerry Moore, and the assistant coaches and support personnel who all played critical roles in this championship; and (3)requests the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an enrolled copy of the resolution to— (A)Dr. Kenneth E. Peacock, Chancellor of Appalachian State University; (B)Charles Cobb, Athletic Director of the University; and (C)Jerry Moore, Head Coach.