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Title Game is Latest in SoCon History: Saturday’s Southern Conference showdown between No. 6 Elon and No. 7 Appalachian State, both 6-0, will guarantee the winner at least a share of the league championship as well as the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs.
The game will feature just the second meeting of 6-0 SoCon teams since the league reclassified to the Football Championship Subdivision in 1982. On Nov. 6, 1996, eventual national champions Marshall (9-0, 6-0), led by freshman sensation Randy Moss, defeated East Tennessee State (8-1, 6-0), 34-10, in the Mini Dome in Johnson City, Tenn., to secure the SoCon title en route a 15-0 season.
An Appalachian State win would give the Mountaineers their fifth consecutive SoCon conference championship and 10th overall. A victory for Elon would secure the first-ever Southern Conference football championship for the Phoenix while also clinching the program’s first playoff berth at the Division I level.
Welcome Back, Defense: After the past two seasons in which SoCon offenses lit up the scoreboard, defense is making a comeback across the league in 2009. In conference games, scoring is down approximately 4 points per game from a year ago and an astounding 20.3 points per game from 2007.
While scoring 30 points only resulted in a win 65 percent of the time in 2007, teams are 16-1 (.941) when scoring 30 or more points this season. In addition, after recording a 1-24 record (.040) in 2007-08 when scoring fewer than 20 points, SoCon teams are 4-14 (.222) this season when held under 20.
For a detailed look at the return of strong defenses in the Southern Conference, see the data below.
2009 Southern Conference Defense
(SoCon Games Only)
Avg. Score Avg. PPG Record when Record when
(Winning score 1st) scoring <20 pts. scoring =30 pts.
2007 41-28 68.5 0-6 22-12
2008 35-18 52.3 1-18 21-4
2009 32-16 48.2 4-14 16-1
Note: 28 games in 2007, 36 games in 2008 and 28 games in 2009.
Hudgins, Roberts Rewriting Record Books: Elon’s Terrell Hudgins and The Citadel’s Andre Roberts, both seniors, will end their careers as the top two receivers in Southern Conference history.
Hudgins holds the career records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, and he is now taking aim at the NCAA marks in each category. On Saturday, Oct. 3, Hudgins became the NCAA Division I (FCS and FBS) career leader in receptions, and on Nov. 7, he topped Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s career receiving yards total, pushing the mark to 4,812 yards.
Roberts is now ranked second in each category.
SoCon Career Receptions
1. 362, Terrell Hudgins (Elon), 2006-present (NCAA DIVISION I RECORD)
2. 270, Andre Roberts (The Citadel), 2006-present
3. 223, Michael Mayers (Elon), 2004-07
SoCon Career Receiving Touchdowns
NCAA record - 58, David Ball (New Hampshire), 2003-06
1. 50, Terrell Hudgins (Elon), 2006-present
2. 34, Andre Roberts (The Citadel), 2006-present
3. 28, Chas Fox (Furman), 1982-85
SoCon Career Receiving Yards
1. 4,812, Terrell Hudgins (Elon), 2006-present (NCAA DIVISION I RECORD)
2. 3,555, Andre Roberts (The Citadel), 2006-present
3. 3,520, Mike Barber (Marshall), 1985-88
Appalachian Builds SoCon Win Streak: After starting SoCon play with a 6-0 mark in 2009, Appalachian State currently boasts an 18-game conference win streak. The Mountaineers’ run is the longest streak of its kind in school history and is the fourth-longest win streak in league history. The streak is the longest SoCon win streak in the past 50 seasons.
West Viriginia holds the record with 30-straight SoCon wins from 1952-59.
Southern Conference Win Streaks
30 West Virginia, 1952-59
20 Alabama, 1924-26
20 Tulane, 1929-32
18 Appalachian State, 2007-current
Edwards, Riddle Rank as Top SoCon QBs in League History: Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards’ 415-yard passing effort against Wofford on Oct. 17 vaulted him to the top of the SoCon’s all-time passing list, and he now boasts 9,324 yards.
Edwards passed Elon quarterback Scott Riddle, who broke the previous record of ETSU’s Greg Ryan on Sept. 26. Riddle has amassed 9,234 passing yards and holds the league’s all-time passing records in completions (822) and passing touchdowns (75). Edwards is three TDs behind at 72.
Riddle also set a new SoCon standard earlier this season for pass attempts without an interception, tossing 218 straight passes without a pick prior to a second half interception against Georgia Southern on Sept. 26.
SoCon Career Passing Leaders
Gms Comp.-Att. Pct. Yards TD INT
Armanti Edwards, ASU 47 679-1,039 65.4 9,324 72 29
Scott Riddle, Elon 31 822-1,257 65.4 9,234 75 32
Edwards a Dual Threat: In addition to his exploits as a passer, Armanti Edwards also ranks as one of the greatest rushing quarterbacks of all time. Already the SoCon’s career leader in total offense with 13,508 yards, Edwards recently moved into the eighth spot in the SoCon in career rushing with 4,184 yards.
The southpaw is currently fourth on the NCAA Division I FCS all-time chart for total offense, sitting 1,107 yards behind third place Ricky Santos of New Hampshire. Former Alcorn State and NFL legend Steve McNair is the all-time leader in total offense with 16,823 yards.
NCAA Division I FCS Career Total Offense Leaders
1. 16,823 Steve McNair (Alcorn State) 1991-94
2. 14,720 Bruce Eugene (Grambling) 2001-05
3. 14,615 Ricky Santos (New Hampshire) 2004-07
4. 13,508 Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State) 2006-present
Edwards Vies For Payton Award Double in 2009: Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards was named as the recipient of the 2008 Walter Payton Award, which recognizes the top offensive player in FCS football. Edwards was the second straight SoCon QB to win the award, following Jayson Foster (Georgia Southern) in 2007. In total, five SoCon student-athletes have been honored with the award. A senior, Edwards is aiming to become the first player in the award’s history to win it twice.
Elon’s Terrell Hudgins, Samford’s Chris Evans and The Citadel’s Andre Roberts were also named the preseason watch list for the 2009 Walter Payton Award.
Southern Conference Walter Payton Award Winners
1992 - Michael Payton, QB, Marshall
1999 - Adrian Peterson, RB, Georgia Southern
2000 - Louis Ivory, RB, Furman
2007 - Jayson Foster, QB, Georgia Southern
2008 - Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State
Appalachian Joins SoCon Record Books: Appalachian State completed a perfect 8-0 Southern Conference season in 2008, wrapping up its fourth consecutive league title. Appalachian State joins a short list of four-time champions, and if it wins the league crown again in 2009, Appalachian would become just the second-ever SoCon team to win five league titles in a row.
SoCon Football Championship Streak
(Since 1933)
Consecutive
Team Seasons Championships
Georgia Southern 1997-2002 6
West Virginia 1953-56 4
Furman 1980-83 4
Appalachian State 2005-08 4
SoCon Teams Set Winning Standard This Decade: The Southern Conference boasts three of the top 10 winningest teams in FCS football (among playoff-qualifiers) this decade (2000-present). Appalachian State’s 97 overall victories during that span trail only Montana (114) while Furman (81) and Georgia Southern (80) sit in the seventh and eighth spots, respectively.
Winningest FCS Teams This Decade
(2000-present)
1. Montana 114-22 .838
2. Appalachian State 97-32 .752
3. Northern Iowa 88-35 .715
4. Colgate 81-35 .698
5. McNeese State 80-35 .696
6. Hampton 75-37 .670
7. Furman 81-40 .669
8. Georgia Southern 80-40 .667
9. North Dakota State 72-37 .661
10. Lehigh 74-39 .655
SoCon Returning Starters
Team Offense Defense Specialists Total (Pct.)
Appalachian State 7/4 9/2 2/1 18/7 (72%)
The Citadel 5/6 9/2 2/1 16/9 (64%)
Elon 9/2 9/2 2/1 20/5 (80%)
Furman 7/4 4/7 2/1 13/12 (52%)
Georgia Southern 7/4 7/4 3/0 17/8 (68%)
Samford 8/3 6/5 2/0 16/8 (67%)
Chattanooga 8/3 8/3 3/1 19/7 (73%)
Western Carolina 7/4 7/4 3/2 17/10 (63%)
Wofford 4/7 5/6 3/1 12/14 (46%)
Total 62/37 64/35 22/8 148/228 (65%)
Experienced Coaches: Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore and Wofford head coach Mike Ayers are the deans of SoCon coaches, having combined for 274 victories while coaching in the Southern Conference ... Moore’s 185 wins at Appalachian are the most in league history ... Ayers (98) is third on the list behind Moore and Duke’s Wallace Wade ... Furman’s Bobby Lamb (60 victories) needs four more victories to enter the top 10.
SoCon Players Make NFL Impact: 16 players with SoCon ties are currently on NFL rosters ... the list includes Pro Bowl DB Courtland Finnegan of Samford who played in the OVC and three Marshall players who competed in the SoCon ... Appalachian State leads the way with four players each Chattanooga, Furman and Georgia Southern each have two ... Rob Bironas, Jerome Felton, Courtland Finnegan, Chris Hanson, Jason Hunter, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Chad Pennington were all in the starting lineup on week one.
NFL Players with Southern Conference Ties
Jason Hunter DE Appalachian State Detroit Lions
Dexter Jackson $ WR Appalachian State Carolina Panthers
Corey Lynch DB Appalachian State Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marques Murrell LB Appalachian State New York Jets
Eldra Buckley RB Chattanooga Philadelphia Eagles
Terrell Owens WR Chattanooga Buffalo Bills
Jerome Felton RB Furman Detroit Lions
William Middleton DB Furman Jacksonville Jaguars
Rob Bironas PK Georgia Southern Tennessee Titans
Adrian Peterson RB Georgia Southern Chicago Bears
Courtland Finnegan * DB Samford Tennessee Titans
Brad Hoover RB Western Carolina Carolina Panthers
Former Members (played in SoCon)
Gerald Sensabaugh S East Tennessee State Jacksonville Jaguars
Chris Hanson P Marshall New England Patriots
Randy Moss WR Marshall New England Patriots
Chad Pennington QB Marshall Miami Dolphins
$ Practice Squad
* Competed in the OVC
Facilities Improve Throughout the Conference: Both Kidd Brewer Stadium at Appalachian State and Seibert Stadium at Samford will look different to visitors this season as each stadium received significant upgrades during the offseason.
At ASU, a seven story, 120,000-square foot building behind the west stands at Kidd Brewer Stadium was officially opened this month. The facility is a part of ASU’s $50 million facilities enhancement campaign, which also included an indoor practice facility, baseball, softball and soccer stadiums. It provides office space in addition to locker rooms, club seating and a new press box.
Samford’s home opener on Sept. 12 showcased the newly-constructed Cooney Family Field House, a $7.5 million, 39,000 square-foot structure in the south end zone of Seibert Stadium.
Elsewhere around the league, Furman installed a new scoreboard with video replay capabilities and Wofford opened a new building adjacent to Gibbs Stadium that houses a new weight room and coaches offices.