Appalachian State Ain't No Joke
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by Behbigben15
Anyone remember Appalachian State?? The team that upset #5 Michigan in Week 1 of this season. Well, that was no fluke. The Mountaineers of Appalachian State were crowned the Champs of the Southern Conference after beating the now 9-4 Eagles of Eastern Washington in Kidd Brewer Stadium in NC, earlier today. Appalachian State finished the regular season 11-2, as they succeeded in defending their Southern Conference Championship. App. State had the highest scoring Offense in the Conference, scoring 41.6 Points a game.
The Mountaineers run game was outstanding, as they finished the year with not one, but TWO 1,000 yard rushers. Kevin Richardson, their leading rusher, finished with 1,154 Yards, and 14 TD's on 221 Carries. He averaged an astounding 5.2 YPC, the Mountaineers QB,m Armanti Edwards added another 1,186, and 17 TD's, and an average of 6.3 YPC (188 carries). That is amazing, their QB rushed for more Yards than the starting RB. I don't think too many other teams can say that (other than WVU). Armanti Edwards is an amazing athlete, and he is alot like Pat White (QB for WVU). Edwards had 1,060 before today, but he racked up 126 on 23 carries today, in fact, he had more rushing attempts than passing attempts (22).
Appalachian State's two losses came against Wofford (42-31), and Georgia Southern (38-35). Appalachian State is a very dangerous team, what amazes me though, is that they aren't even 1st in Rushing Offense in their Conference, they are 3rd, behind Georgia Southern, and Wofford (the two teams they lost to). If App State had a better Defense, they may have been able to hold off those two teams, and go undefeated. The down side of their offense is that Edwards throws picks in inconvenient times, but he completes a high percentage of his passes, so he is efficient with the ball in his hands, especially when he tucks it and runs. If you asked me now, if App. State could beat Michigan, my answer would be "Yes", I think Edwards is a great all-around QB, and he can dominate opponents.
App. State's Championship is well-deserved, and I believe they are the best team in the Conference, obviously. Edwards ran for 5 100+ Yard games this year, and two of them were 200+ yards (220, 291), actually.
I think that if Edwards was on a bigger team, like say, LSU, WV, Oklahoma, USC, or many others, then he could be a Heisman Candidate. That is the thing I don't like about College FB, in order for you to win a big award like the Heisman, you have to play for a major school. But, I really think he is just as good as Pat White, Tim Tebow, and Dennis Dixon (who is injured). Like I said, Appalachian State AIN'T NO JOKE!!!
