Richardson leads Appalachian State over UMass with four TDs

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Kevin Richardson led Appalachian State to its second straight Division I-AA national championship, running for 179 yards and four touchdowns in the Mountaineers' 28-17 victory over Massachusetts on Friday night.

Richardson's third touchdown put the Mountaineers (14-1) ahead 21-14 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He added another for 2 yards with 1:51 left that gave him the I-AA record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 30.

"Whenever I've got an opportunity to do something, I try to give it all I've got," Richardson said. "If I didn't get the ball the whole game, I'd still be happy as long as we won that championship."

Appalachian State became the first team to win consecutive crowns in six years.

The Minutemen (13-2), hoping to win their first title since 1998, cut it to 21-17 on Chris Koepplin's 42-yard field goal with 8:46 left. UMass got the ball back, but Appalachian State's Corey Lynch had an interception to seal it.

Kevin Richardson runs for 179 yards and four TDs to set a record for rushing TDs in a season. (AP)

Appalachian State is the first team to take home the newly named NCAA Division I Football Championship. The NCAA is phasing out the terms Divisions I-A and I-AA that applied to football. I-A is now the Football Bowl Subdivision, while I-AA is the Football Championship Subdivision.

Georgia Southern was the last team to win consecutive crowns in 1999 and 2000.

"Any time you win the first one, you don't know what to expect," Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said. "It wasn't about the trophy. It was about beating UMass and playing at our very best. The trophy is a product of playing our very best. Both trophies and both championships have their place."

The large contingent of Appalachian State fans, who didn't have to travel far from Boone, N.C., swarmed the field as the final seconds ticked off the clock and celebrated as fireworks went off.

"It was like playing at home almost," Moore said.

Appalachian State was ranked fourth nationally in rush offense, and Richardson came into the game with 1,497 yards on the ground.

Richardson broke the TD record of 29 set by Colgate's Jamaal Branch in 2003.

The Mountaineers' freshman quarterback, Armanti Edwards managed the game well and finished 12-of-19 for 146 yards. He also ran 15 times for 81 yards, and Appalachian State totaled 285 yards on the ground.