Edwards' status still undetermined for opener

Appalachian State wrapped up two-a-day practices Monday, and Armanti Edwards took the next step in his recovery process.

Edwards, the record-setting quarterback who has been sidelined since cutting his right foot in a lawn-mowing accident Aug. 5, threw on the sideline for about 10 minutes. His status for ASU's opening game Sept. 5 at East Carolina hasn't been determined.

Coach Jerry Moore said he has been pleased with the progress of his team, which returns 16 of 22 starters and has several new players in the mix. One-a-day practices started yesterday.

"It's been a really good camp, overall," Moore said. "We've had our share of small injuries, a lot of hamstrings, but nothing real major, and we've been real pleased with a lot of these younger players."

Nine starters return on defense, but nickel safety and bandit linebacker remain question marks.

Justin Lloyd, a redshirt freshman, is expected to start at bandit linebacker, and freshman Michael Frazier is the backup. Lloyd has been limited after being hit by a helmet and damaging teeth last week but is expected to be fitted with a special mouthpiece later this week.

"We think he'll be OK, but that was a setback," defensive coordinator John Wiley said.

Senior Quavian Lewis, who has been hampered by injuries since transferring from Vanderbilt and had off-season knee surgery, was working at bandit linebacker but was moved back to defensive end and is still nursing a knee injury.

"I'm just trying to get it back 100 percent." Lewis said. "It's a little frustrating, but it's part of the game."

Dominique McDuffie, who started three games at cornerback as a freshman last season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury, might start at nickel but isn't yet back to full speed.

"That's a position where we just don't know yet," Wiley said.

Junior Jared Reine, who started one game at cornerback last season, is in the running to start at nickel safety, and Wiley said he's considering giving freshman Troy Sanders a look. Sanders has been working at corner, gaining practice reps with starters Cortez Gilbert and Ed Gainey both nursing strained hamstrings.

"Sanders has emerged from this group of younger guys," Wiley said. "… He runs really well. He's an aggressive player."

Cedric Baker, a sophomore and former walk-on who rushed for 183 yards on 19 carries last season, has worked his way to No. 2 at running back behind Devon Moore. Baker accounted for all 80 yards on a five-play scoring drive in a scrimmage Saturday. He gained 58 yards on a screen pass and had touchdown runs of 6 and 56 yards.

"Cedric has had the best camp he's had," running-backs coach Chris Moore said. "He's picking up blitzes, he's running his routes well. He's a solid No. 2 right now."

Chris Moore also said that redshirt freshman Rod Chisholm is coming along in a deep group of running backs, adding: "With the football, he's probably as good as any we have. He's just still learning what to do without the ball."

Sam Martin, a redshirt freshman, is the probable starting punter, and Jerry Moore said he is pleased with his progress.

Candidates to return punts include: quarterback Travaris Cadet, a junior-college transfer; senior Matt Cline, who has had an outstanding camp, according to coaches; and Ingram Bell, a redshirt freshman who has been sidelined with a knee injury. Veterans CoCo Hillary and Tavaris Washington are the top candidates to return kickoffs.

Newcomers who have impressed coaches in camp include Jeremy Kimbrough, a freshman who will back up senior Jacque Roman at middle linebacker, and Tony Washington, a freshman receiver from High Point who delivered a highlight block in Saturday's scrimmage.

Shawn Elliott, the offensive-line coach, said that walk-on Louis Swaba has emerged as a role player. Swaba, a 6-4, 245-pound junior, transferred from Greensboro College.

The Mountaineers have been experimenting with a new offensive wrinkle, running some plays from a Pistol formation -- with the quarterback taking a shotgun snap closer to the center and a running back lined up directly behind the quarterback.

Brad Glenn, the quarterbacks coach, said he's not sure if or how much the formation will be used, but that it's being evaluated.

"It's a real small package right now," Glenn said. "We've started out just wanting to look at it really, run some inside zone with it, nothing else. It's kind of just an experiment … but I think there are some things we can expand upon."

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