Edwards Leads Appalachian State Over Richmond

Mountaineers seek third consecutive FCS championship

Dec. 8, 2007

By Myron Hosea

Special to CSTV.com from College Sporting News

BOONE, N.C. - Armanti Edwards rushed for 313 yards and accounted for seven touchdowns as Appalachian State defeated Richmond 55-35 in a Football Championship Subdivision semifinal.

A record crowd of 24,140 watched as Richmond rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to tie the game in the third quarter. They then saw the Mountaineers score the game's final 20 points for the victory.

The attendance set a record for a FCS playoff game, not including championship games. Several hundred of the fans actually began slipping out of the gates in the third quarter to get in line to purchase tickets to the December 14 title game in Chattanooga where Appalachian State will seek its third consecutive title. The Mountaineers (13-2) will play either Delaware or Southern Illinois in that game. The Spiders finish the 2007 season with an 11-3 record.

"It was a great win for our program, a great night for our school," said Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore. "You just can't say enough about our team and their resiliency. It just speaks volumes for these players and their grit." Appalachian State's win was its 11th consecutive postseason win, setting a FCS record. It is the third school to play in at least three championship games in a row.

Edwards, a sophomore, carried the ball 31 times to gain his 313 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns. He was also sharp throwing the ball, completing 14-of-16 passes for 182 yards and three scores. His 313 yards breaks a school record he set with 291 yards at The Citadel on November 3.

"That doesn't happen without those offensive linemen," Moore said. He said he told them during the week "the ball game will be in your hands. You will be the difference in this ball game."

Richmond head coach Dave Clawson said it was clear who made the difference in the game. "Fourteen [Edwards]. He's the best we've seen this year. He really made plays in space that no one has made against us this year."

Appalachian State scored on five straight possessions in rolling out to a 35-14 lead in the first half. Edwards found wide receiver Dexter Jackson in the flat at the Richmond 47. Jackson then ran across the field and down the sideline for the game's first score. Three minutes later, Edwards scored on a seven-yard run to give the Mountaineers a 14-0 lead with 6:29 remaining in the opening quarter.

Richmond got on the board when wide receiver Kevin Grayson caught a pass from quarterback Eric Ward and bolted down the sideline, just squeezing in at the pylon for the touchdown.

Edwards answered with a nine-yard scoring run with 29 second left in the opening quarter. Following a Richmond fumble, Edwards raced 36 yards for another score, and the Mountaineers led 28-7 with 14:41 left in the first half.

The Spiders cut the lead to 14 with Ward's 26-yard touchdown pass to Grayson. But Edwards came back with a three-yard run and a 35-14 lead with 10:36 to go.

Ward then led Richmond to 21 unanswered points stretching from the second quarter to the third. He scrambled out of trouble to score on a 37-yard run with 21 second left in the first half, cutting Appalachian State's lead to 35-21 at intermission.

Richmond took the second half kickoff and drove for a score. On play action, Ward found tight end Joe Stewart open on the goal line for a 17-yard touchdown pass, and Richmond trailed by seven. The Mountaineers fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, giving Ward another opportunity. He capitalized with a five-yard run to tie the game at 35 with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter.

Ward had a big game of his own, rushing for 79 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 208 yards and three scores. From 3:22 left in the second to 9:02 to go in the third, while Richmond scored its 21 unanswered points, the Mountaineers ran just one play from scrimmage -- downing the ball at the end of the half.

Edwards and the offense came out and regained control. "We knew we were going to go back out and push the ball down the field," he said. The Mountaineers drove the ball 69 yards in nine plays as Kevin Richardson capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, and Appalachian State had the lead for good. Edwards and senior tight end Nic Cardwell teamed up for the last two scores on passes of 29 and 13 yards.

"We had two chances to come back and tie the game up," Clawson said about the situation after the Mountaineers regained the lead. "Our inability to capitalize on those two drives and tie the game made the difference."