They still won by 15.
Now, the Southern Conference title is on the line as ASU (7-2, 6-0 SoCon) takes on the Phoenix Saturday at 3 p.m. in Elon, N.C.
Marquee athletes highlight the matchup. At the top of the totem poll is ASU quarterback Armanti Edwards, whose 9,324 passing yards put him at No. 1 in conference history. He is also the only Division-I player to pass for more than 9,000 yards while rushing for more than 4,000 in a career.
Not far behind in the passing ranks is junior Elon quarterback Scott Riddle, whose 9,234 passing yards are good for second all-time in the league. He is tops in the conference in career passing touchdowns (75), while Edwards (72) is not far behind.
Shattering records from the wide receiver position is Elon’s Terrell Hudgins, whose 4,812 career receiving yards passed Jerry Rice as the NCAA Division-I all-time leader. He also ranks first in NCAA history with receptions (362) and first in the SoCon in receiving touchdowns (50), trailing Division-I record-holder David Ball (New Hampshire) by eight.
In Appalachian coach Jerry Moore’s mind, Saturday’s game, for obvious reasons, features some of the best ever in the SoCon.
“The (Jayson) Foster kid and (Adrian) Peterson, the kids from Georgia Southern, you go that way with Hudgins and the quarterback from Elon,” Moore said. “Those are kids in that same category. A long, long time ago there was a running back at VMI – Thomas (Haskins) – and he was a great player. These guys fall into that same category. The problem we’ve got is we can only have them for four years.”
His biggest concern with Saturday’s trip to No. 6 Elon (8-1, 6-0) is trying to find a way to control Hudgins.
“I think if you break Jerry Rice’s record, you’re probably pretty good,” laughed Moore about the senior. “He’s a great player. You’ve got to find a way to deal with him, that’s all there is to it. … He’s going to make big plays and he’s just capable of doing those things. He’ll grab it with one hand. He can probably get two fingers around the ball and catch it.”
The winner of the matchup will secure the SoCon’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs and at least a share of the SoCon championship.
Playing for pride
And then, there’s everybody else.
Gone for now are the days of power struggles at the top of the SoCon. Sure, there’s still parity, but everybody else is fighting to be the best of the rest.
It’s been a while since the top of the league has been so clear-cut.
“(2007) really jumps out because you had App and Wofford, and right behind them (were) ourselves, Citadel and Georgia Southern who all finished 7-4,” said Elon coach Pete Lembo. “If just one of us found a way to beat the other ones and get to eight wins that year I’m sure we would have had a third team in the playoffs. There’s been a lot of parity the last few years, and for whatever reason this year … a lot of teams are stuck in the middle. It’s exciting to be playing for something at this point.”
Everyone except Wofford (3-6, 2-4) and Western Carolina (1-8, 1-6) still has the opportunity to finish with a winning record.
“The season has not gone the way we wanted to go, however we’re sitting here with two games left – two difficult games I might add – but if we win both games, we finish at 6-5 and be third in the conference outright,” said Furman coach Bobby Lamb, whose Paladins (4-5, 3-3) travel to Statesboro Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff against GSU (4-5, 3-3). “That’s not a bad season when you’re playing two Division-I (FBS) teams on your schedule.”
The young Eagles haven’t experienced the rivalry in the same was Furman has over the past few years.
“(The players) know that Furman has a great program,” said GSU coach Chris Hatcher, “and I know the history of the rivalry – of course, not as good as coach Lamb, he’s been through plenty of them – but it is a special week for our fans and this game means an awful lot to us.”
Wofford is another team playing with something to prove. Saturday’s 43-17 win over The Citadel (4-5, 2-4) was a good start.
“We told our guys that we’re not playing for a Southern Conference championship ring or a chance to go to the national playoffs,” said Terriers coach Mike Ayers. “What we’re playing for is pride. What we’re playing for is to let people know that when we start this thing, we’re going to finish it.”
The Citadel will look to its seniors to inspire a team that is playing for just its second winning season in the last 11 years.
“All of our focus is on finding a way to beat Chattanooga and then have an opportunity for another one after that,” said Bulldogs coach Kevin Higgins. “In order for us to do that, those seniors are going to have to step up and play the best football that they’ve ever played.”
NOTES: Western Carolina plays out of conference Saturday, traveling to Eastern Kentucky (5-4) at 1 p.m. … Chattanooga (5-4, 3-4) faces The Citadel (4-5, 2-4) at home Saturday at 2 p.m. … Wofford hosts Samford (4-5, 2-4) at 1:30 p.m. … The game between ASU and Elon marks the first time two 6-0 teams faced off in SoCon play since Nov. 6, 1996 when eventual national champion Marshall defeated East Tennessee State 34-10 at Johnson City, Tenn.
Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9408.
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