
Edwards, Beard, Johnson, Acitelli, Moore and Huesman Earn Major Awards
Additionally, Mountaineer head coach Jerry Moore earned his seventh Coach of the Year honor, sharing the award with
Edwards, the SoCon’s first back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year winner since VMI’s Thomas Haskins in 1995-96, leads the league in total offense, scoring, passing efficiency and passing yards per game, and he ranks fourth in rushing. In 2009, he amassed at least 300 yards of total offense in 7-of-9 games and topped the 400-yard mark three times. By guiding ASU to an 8-0 SoCon record and another SoCon title in 2009, the senior from
Beard, a 6-1, 250-pound senior defensive end, is tied for the national lead with 12 sacks on the season, a number that equals the ninth-highest single-season total in league history. He was an integral part of Chattanooga’s dramatic turnaround in 2009, as the Mocs’ defense surrendered 12 fewer points and 135 yards less on average than a season ago. In addition to his sacks, the native of
Johnson was a mainstay in the
Huesman was the architect of one of the greatest turnarounds in league history, guiding his alma mater to a 6-5 overall mark and 4-4 record in league play one year removed from a 1-11, 0-8 campaign. The five-win turnaround ties for the best in school history, and the results were noticeable in the stands as well where UTC averaged over 10,000 fans per game for the first time in Finley Stadium history and nearly doubled the attendance average from a year ago. Huesman’s six victories are the most by a first-year
Acitelli was tabbed as the league’s top blocker as he anchored a unit that helped produce one of the top offenses in the nation. The Mountaineers finished the regular season rated second nationally in total offense (478.9 ypg) and fourth in scoring offense (35.7 ppg) while leading the conference in both statistics. The
Appalachian State led all schools with 15 players selected to the all-conference team, including nine first-team honorees. Elon had 11 players chosen, followed by
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players in the voting process.
2009 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year – Armanti Edwards, Sr., QB, Appalachian State
Defensive Player of the Year – Josh Beard, Sr., DE,
Freshman of the Year – Michael Johnson, RB,
Jacobs Blocking Award – Mario Acitelli, Sr., OL, Appalachian State
Co-Coaches of the Year – Jerry Moore, Appalachian State and Russ Huesman,
First Team Offense
QB Armanti Edwards, Sr., Appalachian State
RB Chris Evans, Jr., Samford
RB
OL Mario Acitelli, Sr., Appalachian State
OL David Harrison, Sr., Elon
OL Pat Illig, Jr., Wofford
OL Jon Weber, Sr., Samford
OL Chris Werden, Sr., Elon
TE Ben Jorden, So., Appalachian State
WR Terrell Hudgins, Sr., Elon
WR Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
First Team Defense
DL Josh Beard, Sr.,
DL Jabari Fletcher, Jr., Appalachian State
DL Andre Campbell, Sr., Elon
DL Eric Ludwig, Sr., Elon
LB Jacque Roman, Sr., Appalachian State
LB D.J. Smith, Jr., Appalachian State
LB Bryce Smith, Jr., Samford
LB (tie) Joshua Jones, So., Elon
DB Mark LeGree, Jr., Appalachian State
DB Karlos Sullivan, Sr., Elon
DB Buster Skrine, Jr.,
DB Cortez Gilbert, Sr., Appalachian State
First Team Specialists
PK Craig Camay, Sr.,
P Chris Tommie, Sr., Wofford
RS Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
Second Team Offense
QB Scott Riddle, Jr., Elon
RB Jamal Shuman, So., Elon
RB Tersoo Uhaa, So., Furman
OL Tyler Haynes, Sr., Furman
OL Chris Harr, Jr.,
OL Daniel DeHaven, Sr., The Citadel
OL
OL Brett Irvin, Jr., Appalachian State
TE Alex Sellars, Jr., The Citadel
TE (tie) Chris Truss, Sr., Furman
WR Blue Cooper, Sr.,
WR
Second Team Defense
DL Terrence Reese, Sr., The Citadel
DL Brent Russell, Fr.,
DL Malcolm Bennett, Sr., Appalachian State
DL Markeith Wylie, Sr.,
DL (tie) John Michael Clay, Jr., Samford
LB Adrian McLeod, Sr.,
LB Joseph Thornton, Sr.,
LB Jordon Gilmore, Sr., The Citadel
DB Cameron McGlenn, Sr., Elon
DB Nolan Ward, Sr., Elon
DB Julian Hicks, Sr., Furman
DB Ed Gainey, So., Appalachian State
Second Team Specialists
PK Jason Vitaris, Jr., Appalachian State
P Bob Hooper, So., Samford
RS