Edwards named Frosh of the Week

By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards was named the Freshman of the Week by the Southern Conference Monday afternoon.

Edwards, who is from Greenwood, S.C., completed 15-of-20 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown in about two and a half quarters in the Mountaineers’ 45-21 victory over Elon at Kidd Brewer Stadium Saturday. He also tossed an interception.

Edwards scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter and added a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Richardson with 13.1 seconds left in the first half, giving Appalachian state a 31-7 lead.

Edwards has yet to play a complete game in any of his three starts. He left after leading the Mountaineers to a 38-7 lead by marching them 70 yards in 10 plays before Richardson scored from 10 yards out. From there, backup quarterback Trey Elder hit William Mayfield for a 50-yard touchdown.

“He is a very gifted athlete,” Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said of Edwards, who also was named Freshman of the Week following the Gardner-Webb game. “I want to go out on a limb here, as you guys probably don’t see this as much as I do in practice — one thing I see better than anybody in that stadium is the physical contact. I can’t see who’s on the other sideline or how the linebacker adjusts, unless you’re up high. But I see him take lots of hits. He is a tough football player.”

Edwards led the Mountaineers on an 85-yard, 8-play drive with 1:42 left in the first half that slammed the door on any real chance Elon had of making a second half comeback.

Edwards ran for eight yards on the second play, four more and a first down on the third play and hit Mayfield for a 21-yard gain on the fourth play, giving Appalachian State a first down at the 50-yard line.

Another Edwards run on the fifth play netted 12 yards and his completion to Dexter Jackson gained 21 yards and a first down at the Elon 19. Two plays later, Edwards hit Richardson for a 19-yard touchdown with just 13.1 seconds left in the first half, giving Edwards 85 yards in total offense during the march.

When he was finished, with the addition of 70 yards rushing on 15 attempts, Edwards had racked up 263 yards in total offense.

“At first, their defense was out there talking,” Edwards said. “On that drive, they were out there looking tired, ready to get off the field.”

The Citadel’s Duran Lawson was named the Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 324 yards on 24-of-32 passing. He was the first Citadel quarterback to pass for over 300 yards since 2003.

Mayfield, who caught nine passes for 185 yards and one touchdown, was also under consideration for the award.

Elon’s Corey Weaver was the Defensive Player of the Week for his career-high 25 tackles against the Mountaineers. It’s the most any Elon player has racked up since linebacker Chad Nkang had 25 tackles against Chattanooga last year.