Photo by: Georgia Southern University AthleticsEdwards, Covington Named Players of the Year
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Appalachian State junior quarterback Armanti Edwards picked up his second award in as many days as he was named the Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year by the Southern Conference Sports Media Association (SCMSA). Georgia Southern senior linebacker Chris Covington was honored as the Defensive Player of the Year while Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore earned Wallace Wade Coach of the Year honors and Samford quarterback Dustin Taliaferro was voted Freshman of the Year.
Appalachian State, the 2008 Southern Conference champion and three-time defending national champion, landed 12 players on the all-conference teams, including nine first-team selections. Led by three players on the first-team defensive unit, Furman landed nine players on the team while Wofford and Elon each grabbed seven spots. Samford was rewarded with five all-SoCon selections followed by The Citadel and Georgia Southern, which each nabbed four citations. Western Carolina also had two players earn all-SoCon accolades.
Edwards was a unanimous choice for Offensive Player of the Year by the SCSMA members, as he was the key component in ASU’s fourth-straight SoCon title run. The junior signal caller passed for 2,146 yards and 25 touchdowns on the season while also rushing for a team-high 890 yards and nine scores. Edwards’ 178.5 passing efficiency rating is the second-highest in the nation, and he has thrown 171 consecutive passes without an interception.
Covington moved from defensive back to linebacker during the season and remained the Eagles’ leader on defense. Covington totaled 95 tackles, including 48 solo stops, in addition to 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks, ranking fourth or better in the SoCon in each category.
A true freshman, Taliaferro stared all 11 games for Samford this season, leading the Bulldogs to a 6-5 overall mark and 4-4 record in the SoCon in their inaugural season. Taliaferro threw for 1,745 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, and the freshman excelled in league play, completing 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions over the final seven games of the season.
Moore was honored after guiding ASU to its fourth-straight league championship and only the third undefeated SoCon season since 1998 a year after losing 12 starters to graduation from his third national championship team. The Mountaineers rebounded from a 1-2 start to win nine consecutive contests while pushing their SoCon win streak to 12 games.
2008 SCSMA All-Southern Conference Football Team
Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year – Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State*
Defensive Player of the Year – Chris Covington, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Dustin Taliaferro, Samford
Wallace Wade Coach of the Year – Jerry Moore, Appalachian State
* - Unanimous selection.
First Team Offense
QB Armanti Edwards, Jr., Appalachian State
RB Chris Evans, So., Samford
RB Dane Romero, Sr., Wofford
OL Ben Quick, Sr., Wofford
OL Joel Bell, Sr., Furman
OL Derek Wooten, Sr., Wofford
OL Jon Bieschke, Sr., Appalachian State
OL Mario Aciteli, Jr., Appalachian State
TE Ben Jorden, Fr., Appalachian State
WR Andre Roberts, Jr., The Citadel
WR Terrell Hudgins, Jr., Elon
First Team Defense
DL Dakota Walker, Sr., Georgia Southern
DL Jabari Fletcher, So., Appalachian State
DL Mitch Clark, Jr., Wofford
DL Patrick Hatcher, So., Samford
LB Jacque Roman, Jr., Appalachian State
LB Chris Covington, Sr., Georgia Southern
LB Brandon Williams, Sr., Furman
DB Mark LeGree, So., Appalachian State
DB William Middleton, Sr., Furman
DB Cortez Gilbert, Jr., Appalachian State
DB Max Lerner, So., Furman
First Team Specialists
PK Andrew Wilcox, Sr., Elon
P Neil Young, Sr., Appalachian State
RS Andre Roberts, Jr., The Citadel
Second Team Offense
QB Scott Riddle, So., Elon
RB Brandon Newsome, So., Elon
RB Mike Brown, So., Furman
OL Ben Miller, Sr., Wofford
OL Brad Coley, Sr., Appalachian State
OL Chris Werden, Jr., Elon
OL Thomas Slaughter, Sr., Furman
OL Mitchell Waters, Sr., Samford
TE Chris Truss, Jr., Furman
WR Raja Andrews, Sr., Georgia Southern
WR Adam Mims, So., Furman
Second Team Defense
DL Terrence Reese, Jr., The Citadel
DL Anthony Williams, Jr., Appalachian State
DL Dewitt Jones, Jr., The Citadel
DL Jeff Bradley, Sr., Western Carolina
LB Seth Goldwire, Sr., Wofford
LB D.J. Smith, So., Appalachian State
LB Bryce Smith, So., Samford
DB Mitchell Bell, So., Western Carolina
DB Jason Leventis, Sr., Wofford
DB Andy Davis, So., Samford
DB Walker White, Jr., Elon
Second Team Specialists
PK Adrian Mora, Fr., Georgia Southern
P Brandon Lane, Sr., Elon
RS Adam Mims, So., Furman
