Published: 2:42 AM, 11/07/2009

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

By: Steve Behr Sports Editor

By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com
It would be easy for Appalachian State to overlook its opponent, Chattanooga, when the teams play at Kidd Brewer Stadium Saturday.
Appalachian State (6-2, 5-0 SoCon) has won six straight after losing its first two games of the season. The Mountaineers have averaged over 600 yards and 52 points in their last four games, the final being a 52-27 win over rival Furman last Saturday.
However, looming over the horizon is Elon, the No. 6 team in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Phoenix is also 5-0 in the SoCon and looking to breakthrough to not only earning its first SoCon championship, but its first bid into the playoffs.
But that game will come soon enough. And it's not like the Mountaineers, who won three-straight FCS-Division I-AA championships haven't played in big games in the past.
"We've have bigger games than Elon in the past and never looked past them, so we're not going to start now," Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards said.
"We've got our hands full with Chattanooga," Mountaineers head coach Jerry Moore added. "Elon is there and everybody knows it. We certainly haven't been talking about Elon. When you look at what's happening in Chattanooga, it doesn't take long get Elon out of your mind."
Edwards, the SoCon's Offensive Player of the Month, has been the focus on the Mountaineers' offensive juggernaut. The senior passer threw for 355 yards against Furman to go with the 106 yards he rushed for. He became the first Division I quarterback to ever pass for 9,000 yards and pass for 4,000.
"I've been pulling my hair out trying to slow down Armanti Edwards and slow the rest of them down" Chattanooga coach Russ Huesman said.
In all, Edwards accounted for 461 of the 554 yards the Mountaineers gained against the Paladins. He also passed for two touchdowns and ran for a career-high tying four TDs.
All of that was done before he left early in the third quarter.
But Edwards lost one of his favorite targets, receiver CoCo Hillary, to a knee injury suffered in practice. Hillary had caught 37 passes for 514 yards and four touchdowns this season. He caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown against Furman and passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in a dominating 52-16 win over Georgia Southern one week earlier.
"He's a very competitive person," Moore said of Edwards. "I don't want to shoot pool against him either. He's a competitive person. He's driven to be as good at anything he's done."
Edwards still has plenty of other options. He can go to Matt Cline, who has emerged as the team's leading receiver with 47 catches. He's led the Mountaineers with eight catches for 122 yards against Furman and 10 catches for 102 yards and a TD against Georgia Southern.
Then they're Brian Quick, who has 33 catches for 582 yards and four touchdowns. Quick caught eight passes for 181 yards and three scores in a 44-34 win over Wofford three games ago.
Brian Jorden and Blake Elder are also available.
"I'm feeling comfortable back there," Edwards said. We've stepped our game up as an offense overall."

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