Good To GO: ASU's Edwards says shoulder is fine

Armanti Edwards drew about as much attention at last week's Southern Conference media days as he does on the football field.

He wasn't nearly as elusive, however.

Edwards, a speedy quarterback who led Appalachian State and its high-powered offense to a third straight national title in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision, spent nearly two hours with reporters stacked sometimes three deep to hear what he had to say.

Typically a bit reserved, Edwards seemed comfortable fielding question after question -- some for the second and third time. He's getting used to it. And, with two seasons left to play and being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy possibility, a rarity for an FCS player, Edwards knows that even more focus will most likely come his way.

"It seems like I've done a million interviews," Edwards said. "I've had to get used to it."

Edwards grinned when asked if he had put on weight and added muscle. So did Coach Jerry Moore of the Mountaineers.

"He's wearing medium T-shirts now," Moore said.

Edwards now weighs 185 pounds -- up from 175 last year -- and has recently resumed a full program of strength training that was cut short last season after he sprained his left (passing) shoulder.

"You certainly hope it gives him a little more durability," Moore said. "He's the type of player that will try to run over you if he weighed 140. He'll just probably try to do it a couple more times now.

"That's the way he plays, and that's one of things you like about him. I don't think you've ever seen one of our quarterbacks take a slide."

Edwards, noted for his fearless, hard-nosed running style, missed four games last season because of the shoulder injury but still ran for 1,588 yards in 11 games. Appalachian's offense led the nation with 488 yards a game and averaged 42.7 points.

"Our players have great respect for him," Moore said. "You do some of the things he's done, and take the licks he's taken, you have to respect that.

"All our guys love to watch game tape of him. We'll run it back and forth just to watch again. We like knowing he's our guy -- that he plays for us."

Edwards, a two-time All-America, said he feels 100 percent healthy for the first time in nearly a year and that the added weight and strength should be a benefit.

"I think so," Edwards said. "Hopefully it will help prevent minor injuries like I had last year. One turned into more of a major one as the season went along."

Edwards initially hurt his shoulder during a Fan Fest scrimmage two weeks before the 2007 opener. He was running with the ball, got tangled with cornerback Justin Woazeah and landed on the shoulder.

"It hurt, but it was one of those things that I thought two or three days later it would be OK," said Edwards, who played in the season-opening upset of Michigan but wound up re-injuring the shoulder. "I stayed in, but it felt kind of funny on my next throw. It just got worse when we played Michigan and as the season went on."

Edwards aggravated the injury in the fourth game against Wofford and wound up missing the next four games. He returned and excelled down the stretch -- rushing for a record 313 yards against Richmond -- and led Appalachian to a third national title.

He said that the shoulder just recently quit hurting.

"I'm good to go now," Edwards said.

Edwards has passed for 4,199 yards and 32 touchdowns in two seasons, and he said that a primary goal this season is to improve on his interception rate. He has been intercepted 17 times in 496 attempts.

"I threw seven interceptions last year," Edwards said. "I want to make that number go down."

Edwards fielded questions about the Heisman mention -- the last FCS player to finish in the top five in the voting was Steve McNair, who was third in 1994 -- and about his NFL potential.

"It seems surreal to hear it," Edwards said. "Being in the FCS, you wouldn't expect it. So just to be mentioned for that feels good. But at the same time, I don't want to think about it, that I might be up for the Heisman. I just want to go out and play football like I always have."

He said he won't play with any individual goal in mind.

"I've got two more years, and you don't know what might happen," Edwards said. "I had an injury last year, and that's something that could happen again. You just don't know. I just hope to stay injury-free.

"I'm really not worrying about those things, about individual things. I've always been taught growing up not to try to win the games yourself. I just go out there and try to help the team. I don't feel like I have to go prove anything, rush for more yards or throw for more yards. I think winning games will speak for itself."

Edwards, who is 22-2 as ASU's starting quarterback, said that the last three national titles won't matter when Appalachian opens the season Aug. 30 at LSU, the defending BCS national champion.

"It all starts over," Edwards said. "Our approach won't change. We've got a lot of players on this team that hate to lose. It doesn't matter if we had won six straight national championships. We'd want to make it seven."

■ Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at tbowman@wsjournal.com.