Appalachian State meets Northern Iowa tonight

Both teams will be making their first appearance in the I-AA title game.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore has been sizing up the teams in recent I-AA national championship games while attending as a fan.
This year he brought along his team -- and he'll be much more than a fan tonight.
The Mountaineers (11-3) face Northern Iowa (11-3) in the first title game appearance for both teams.
"I've been coming here watching this championship game for seven or eight years, and I sit up there in the stands and say 'We can beat those guys,' " Moore said Thursday. "This is the first time we've had a chance to beat those guys."
Coming off big wins
Both teams reached the championship after dramatic victories last weekend. Mountaineers backup quarterback Trey Elder had a 1-yard touchdown run, and Appalachian State held on to beat Furman 29-23.
Elder replaced starter Richie Williams, who strained a tendon in his left ankle in the first quarter. Elder will start unless Williams' ankle improves by game time, Moore said.
"It's the national championship game, of course I want to play," said Williams, a senior and the Southern Conference offensive player of the year. "Right now, I couldn't tell you exactly where I am in the healing process but it's progressing."
Williams ran for 1,009 yards and five touchdowns this season and was 201-of-312 for 2,680 yards passing with four interceptions and 20 TD passes.
Panthers win in overtime
Northern Iowa beat Texas State 40-37 in overtime. Matt Tharp sealed it with an interception after Brian Wingert kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Northern Iowa had lost all five previous times it reached the semifinals, starting in 1985, when coach Mark Farley was a linebacker for the Panthers.
He received a congratulatory message from former Panthers quarterback Kurt Warner, who went on to become a two-time NFL MVP with the St. Louis Rams and now plays for the Arizona Cardinals.
"I heard not only from him and others who played in the NFL, but also from any other players who wore the UNI helmet. By finally getting past that final hurdle last week to get to this game, it was a big win for all the former players," Farley said.
Sanders leads way
The Panthers are led by sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders, who joined the team as a walk-on. He started the final seven games of last season after the starter was injured.
This season, Sanders was thrown for 2,748 yards with five interceptions and 23 touchdowns.
"Their quarterback is a great story," Moore said. "I have a soft place in my heart for walk-ons."
Chattanooga has hosted the I-AA championship since 1997 at the 20,668-seat Finley Stadium. Only about 1,000 tickets remained early Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Fans of both schools -- UNI in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and ASU in Boone, N.C., -- planned to make the trip despite winter weather in their home states.
Put in new playing surface
The grass on the field was a big part of last year's game between Montana and James Madison because clumps of the new sod were kicked up on every play, leading one player to call it the worst field he'd ever played on.
Chattanooga officials, embarrassed on national television by the shoddy surface, made the case to remain the game's host until at least 2007 by installing a new artificial surface.
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