Published: 11:43 AM, 11/03/2009

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

By: staff reports

From staff reports
A pair of national news services and the Southern Conference honored Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards on Monday for his 461-yard, six-touchdown performance in the Mountaineers' 52-27 win at Furman Saturday. The Sports Network and College Sporting News tabbed Edwards as the National Offensive Player of the Week while the SoCon recognized the senior as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week.
Edwards passed for 355 yards and rushed for 106 more in just three quarters of action to lead Appalachian to its sixth-straight win. In the process, he became the first player in NCAA Division I history (FCS or FBS) to amass 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career. He achieved the historic feat when he broke the 9,000-yard passing barrier with a 14-yard completion to CoCo Hillary midway through the second quarter.
"He's a special person," Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said. "He's not just a special player, but a special person. He's a terrific player and an unbelievable student. He's going to graduate in 3 1/2 years."
Despite watching the final period from the sideline, Edwards completed 25-of-36 passes, including touchdowns of 16 and 21 yards, and matched a career high with four scoring runs that covered three, four, one and five yards.
With 9,184 passing yards and 4,132 rushing yards in his career, Edwards vaulted to fourth in NCAA Division I FCS history with 13,616 yards of total offense. His 461-yard performance against Furman ranks fourth in school history.
"It's a great accomplishment," Edwards said after the game Saturday. "I haven't had time to think about it. It's just another great accomplishment."
Samford coach Pat Sullivan compared Edwards to former West Virginia quarterback Pat White, which is a common comparison. Both are left-handed quarterbacks who can run and pass with equal effectiveness.
"He's got it all," Sullivan said of Edwards. I went up one year and watched Pat White at West Virginia early in his career and they are a lot alike. Armanti's a unique guy. The thing that sets Armanti or Pat White apart is yes, they have great running ability and they can throw, but what they do is make their teams better. Armanti puts his team on his back and when there is a bad play, he escapes. He has my upmost respect."
Edwards was also named National and SoCon Player of the Week following his 415-yard passing effort versus Wofford on Oct. 17. In all, Edwards has earned national weekly honors six times and SoCon weekly recognition 13 times in his illustrious career.
Appalachian (6-2, 5-0 SoCon) hosts upstart Chattanooga (5-3, 3-3 SoCon) for a pivotal conference battle on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

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