A day after a stunning 34-32 loss to Appalachian State, the Wolverines tried to look ahead to the rest of the season, one which could include winning the Big Ten title and playing in the Rose Bowl.

"It's kind of an eye-opener, and it's best that it happened early and not late," linebacker Shawn Crable said of the season-opening defeat.

While the loss ranks as one of the biggest upsets in college football history, it came against a nonconference opponent. The No. 5 ranking will be gone when the AP poll is released Tuesday, but Michigan can still rebound and end up in Pasadena on Jan. 1.

"When you have disappointment, you can lay down and feel sorry for yourself," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "But in our case, this schedule is about to get tougher. We will see how we respond."

Michigan attempts to restart its season Saturday at home against Oregon, followed by a visit from Notre Dame before the Big Ten opener against Penn State.

"Our team has to become mentally tough," said defensive captain Crable. "We have goals, and we still have a chance to reach them."

Michigan has not fared well recently when it comes to finishing strong. The Wolverines have lost three straight to Ohio Stare in the regular-season finale, and have dropped four bowl games in a row. Now, they are feeling the heat after becoming the first Top 25 team to lose to a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA.

"I wouldn't call it embarrassing because that takes away from them," running back Mike Hart said after the game. "We're disappointed. I can tell you that."

It didn't take long to notice the Mountaineers belonged on the same field with Michigan because they made up for a slight size disadvantage with superior speed and, perhaps, more passion.

The two-time defending I-AA champions were ahead of the nation's winningest program 28-14 late in the second quarter before Michigan nearly pulled out Saturday's game.

Hart's 54-yard run with 4:36 left put the Wolverines ahead for the first time since early in the second quarter. One snap after the go-ahead touchdown, Michigan's Brandent Englemon intercepted an errant pass, but the Wolverines couldn't capitalize and had their first of two field goals blocked.

"We simply made too many mistakes and had too many missed opportunities," Carr said. "Now, we have to fight back and we have deal with some adversity to find out what we're made of."