A playoff win means stopping Edwards

ORANGEBURG -- Five years ago, a skinny kid from Greenwood High School walked into the confines of Oliver C. Dawson Stadium looking for a home.

He left Orangeburg following his recruiting visit to South Carolina State that day still searching for just the right situation. Not that the Bulldogs' football program is in bad shape today, but who knows what could have been accomplished if only Buddy Pough and his staff had convinced the kid to stay.

What is certain is that, five years later, Armanti Edwards has a definite home, not only as the starting quarterback for the Appalachian State Mountaineers but in the annals of FCS football. With four Southern Conference titles, two national titles, a Walter Payton award and a win over Michigan under his belt, Edwards is arguably the best player in the history of FCS play. He knocked the Bulldogs out of the playoffs once, passing for 433 yards and four touchdowns in last season's 37-21 win, and he is aiming to do it again.

Take a look at his eye-popping stats -- he is the only person in Division I history to pass for 9,000 yards and rush for 4,000 -- and it becomes clear that keeping Edwards in check Saturday in Boone, N.C., will be no easy task.

"Athletically, he is just phenomenal," S.C. State defensive coordinator Mike Adams said. "He is actually a better quarterback than most people talk about. You look at the entire career and really, he has been a kid that has passed for 350 or more yards four or five times and along with that he has rushed for about 100 yards in four or five games. He is the ultimate player, and he is capable of doing absolutely anything you ask him to do."

Most NFL draft prognostications rate Edwards as a second-day pick, a mid- to late-round selection as a wide receiver. But, with the growing popularity of the Wildcat formation, it would seem the door is ajar for Edwards to, at least, see some time under center as a pro.

"Yes sir, I always loved playing football, and I'm not looking to stop right now," Edwards said during his weekly teleconference Wednesday. "That is up to their decision (whether I play quarterback). You can't go in there wanting to do what you want to do when it's professional. You have to be open-minded."

Edwards, who has passed for 2,504 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and rushed for 575 yards and 16 touchdowns, entered last season's game against the Bulldogs with a torn meniscus that required surgery after the season. With his mobility impaired, Edwards was forced to become more of a pocket passer and he showed himself more than capable of throwing the ball down the field.

A better version of Edwards figures to step on the playing field in Boone this time around.

Last year, he said, he couldn't run at all. This year, despite dealing with a sprained MCL, Edwards said he can "run a little." So, the question for S.C. State is, have the Bulldogs improved their weaknesses enough to, not only account for Edwards, but to account for a better Edwards? Adams sure hopes so.

"It's very difficult," Adams said. "You want to stay aggressive and you want your kids to not treat him different than any kid you have faced this year. But, you know in the back of your mind, he is a little different. He is a little bit faster, a little bit tougher and a little bit better quarterback than we have seen all year. All we can do, and we try to beat this into our defensive kids is ... be aggressive. The second you start playing his game and waiting for what move he is going to make or to see what ball he is going to throw, it's going to be a long day."