Apps to take on Bulldogs again

S.C. State will travel to Boone for second season in a row

By: By Tommy Bowman | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: November 23, 2009

Appalachian State will play at home in the first round of the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

The Mountaineers will face S.C. State at noon Saturday in a game to be televised by ESPNU. The Mountaineers defeated the Bulldogs 37-21 in a first-round game in Boone last year.

"They're one of the better teams, we know that from last year, but all 16 teams are good at this point," Coach Jerry Moore of the Mountaineers said. "It all comes down to doing a good job of preparing and hope that you prepare well enough to go win."

The Mountaineers (9-2) are ranked No. 5 in the final regular-season FCS media poll. S.C. State (10-1) is No. 7.

Armanti Edwards injured his right knee on Nov. 14 against Elon -- he said he has a sprained medial-collateral ligament -- and did not play against Western Carolina on Saturday.

Edwards said yesterday that he intends to play against S.C. State.

"Of course, it's the playoffs," Edwards said. "I can't sit this one out."

And, he said, he's pleased that his team will begin its quest for a fourth national title at home.

"To think that two weeks ago could have been my last home game, I'm very grateful we have at least one more home game," Edwards said.

Edwards said that his injury isn't as bad as a knee injury last year which hampered him in the playoffs.

"I couldn't even run at all last year," he said. "I could have run (after returning to the game) at Elon, but it was the cutting that was giving me the problem."

Moore said: "I feel pretty confident about it. They (the trainers) are pretty optimistic. I think the rest was good for him Saturday. We'll just have to let Mother Nature take its course and wait and see."

Edwards said he plans to return to practice today with a light workout.

"That will progress through the week," he said. "We don't want to re-injure it before Saturday."

The Mountaineers were not awarded one of the top four seeds in the playoff field. Montana is seeded No. 1 followed by Villanova, Southern Illinois and defending champion Richmond.

"Losing those two ballgames (to East Carolina and McNeese State) at the start of the season hurt us," Moore said, referring to the seeding process. "But it doesn't bother me that much. You have to go play well, regardless."

If the Mountaineers win Saturday, they will face the Elon-Richmond winner in the quarterfinals. If Richmond wins, it will play at home in the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal site if Elon wins hasn't been announced.

Elon, which finished second to Appalachian in the Southern Conference, is in the playoffs for the first time.

S.C. State won the MEAC championship and has lost only to South Carolina 38-14. The Bulldogs are led by senior Will Ford, the MEAC's all-time leading rusher with 4,650 yards. He rushed for 117 yards against the Mountaineers last season in a game in which the Bulldogs trailed 24-21 in the fourth quarter.

"I remember that they were extremely well-coached and that they played hard," Moore said of last season's game. "And I remember that the Ford kid was an awfully good football player ."

Edwards said: "They were a very good team. They were tough, pretty fast. We went into that game not expecting them to be as good as they were. They shocked us. We were impressed with them."

tbowman@wsjournal.com.

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