Published: 10:31 AM, 09/09/2009

Last updated: 12:52 PM, 11/17/2009

By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com
Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards confirmed Wednesday he would be the Mountaineers' starting quarterback when they host No. 16 McNeese State Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Edwards missed the No. 2-ranked Mountaineers' 29-24 loss to East Carolina last Saturday because of a cut on his right foot suffered in a lawn mowing accident. He practiced without pain Monday and Tuesday and was told he would be the starting quarterback for Saturday.
"I'm 100 percent," he said Wednesday morning on his conference call. "It's not like I'd be going out there if I was at 50 percent."
Mountaineers head coach Jerry Moore expressed concern about Edwards' conditioning during his teleconference call Monday. Edwards said his foot felt tired after a while, but it was not in pain.
As for his physical conditioning, Edwards said he was already in decent shape after working out with the team all summer by running sprints and lifting weights.
Those workouts were done following knee surgery made necessary after an injury against Elon in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Edwards was held out of the Mountaineers' season finale at Western Carolina, but played in two playoff games, the final being a 33-13 loss to eventual national champion Richmond.
Edwards was limited during spring practice, but was able to workout with teammates during the summer.
"I've been practicing like I'm playing in a game," Edwards said. "I should be able to do it. I haven't been breathing very hard. I'm in better shape than I thought."
Edwards said his wound has closed and that he would not be wearing any extra protective padding on his shoe. He said that his timing with his receivers has been good and he's been making the right reads with the running game.
He also shrugged off any suggestion that since he was the team's quarterback and the FCS's Walter Payton Award winner that he should not have been cutting the grass in the first place.
"Just like everybody else, as you clean your room, I clean my own room," Edwards said. "My roommate and I take turns mowing the grass. It was just a freak accident."

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