BOONE, N.C. -- The launch point was Appalachian State's own 43-yard line, an almost impossibly high arc with a trajectory that left the throw well short of the end zone. That's when it seemed as if the magic might've finally run out. But this was Chase Brice, and this was Appalachian State, and for reasons no one can quite explain, in these mountains, there's always a little more magic.
Zeroes were on the clock, but time was distorted in the moment. The pass hung for so long it was possible to recount all the chaos of the past three weeks in detail -- the 40-point fourth quarter against UNC, the shocking upset of sixth-ranked Texas A&M, the weeklong celebration that culminated with ESPN's College GameDay broadcasting live from a mountain here -- and yet, looking back, Brice remembers it all happening so fast.