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By B.J. Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com Senior Editor
SouthernPigskin.com Senior Editor B.J. Bennett looks at two of the premier players in FCS football history. Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin
Two of college football's greatest playmakers ever are in the midst of absolutely unbelievable senior seasons, ones where their teams are directly in the mix for the national championship. Both of their teams won on Saturday, both of their teams put up big numbers against in-conference foes. The two stars and player of the year candidates combined for eight touchdowns.
And you may not know either of their names.
Armanti Edwards and Terrell Hudgins are FCS football's Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, with less media attention but more clout in the national record books.
Edwards and Hudgins, the leading names in the Southern Conference, have broken more records than grade-schoolers playing in the basement. One could make the argument that Edwards and Hudgins are both the most productive and accomplished players at their respective positions in the history of FCS football. And perhaps more. Their careers are the type of legacies that defy distinction and blur the lines of classification.
Meet. Armanti Edwards. One Saturday night a few years ago, you probably mentioned he and his Mountaineers the evening after they upset Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2007. You poked fun at the Wolverines, in what was arguably the greatest upset in college football history, then likely haven't thought about Edwards or the Wolverines since.
Your bad.
During his career, Edwards has been the most dynamic player in college football. He is the defending Walter Payton Award winner (the FBS Heisman) and will likely become the first two-time winner of the award ever later this winter. Edwards will finish his career as the all-time leader in every passing category in Southern Conference history. Entering his senior season, he was already the only FCS player in history with 7,000 passing yards and 3,500 rushing yards. He recently became the first player in the history of Division I football with 9,000 career passing yards and 4,000 career rushing yards. He has already won two national championships and may win a third this fall. He is 38-6 as a starter. For good measure, Edwards graduated in three and a half years with a degree in graphic arts and imaging technology.
“We executed a lot of plays but at the same time we made a lot of mistakes,” a perfection-seeking Edwards said after a homecoming win against North Carolina Central, “there’s a lot of things we could have done a better job of out there today but we’re happy to get a win.”
This season, Edwards has completed 72% of his passes for 2,083 yards, ten touchdowns and one interception. He has rushed for 450 yards and 12 touchdowns. In a win over Furman on Saturday, Edwards compiled 461 yards and six touchdowns.
Statistically, Terrell Hudgins may be the greatest wide receiver in college football history. On October 5th, Hudgins' became the Division I career leader with 331 receptions. In the game, a win against Furman, Hudgins caught 16 passes for 209 yards. Over the weekend, Hudgins had his 24th career 100-yard game. The mark eclipsed the previous FCS record held by NFL Hall of Fame member Jerry Rice. After leading the FBS in receptions and receiving yards per game last season, Hudgins continues to be unstoppable as a senior. His touchdown catch against Chattanooga this season is one of the plays of the year in college football.
With a few games left to go, Hudgins has caught 82 passes for 1,042 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is averaging 130 yards receiving per game. Against Wofford over the weekend, Hudgins caught 11 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns. It was his second consecutive game with three touchdown receptions.
"The thing that impressed me about him is even when we had a pretty solid lead in the fourth quarter, he was playing like he played the first quarter," Wake Forest head coach Grobe said. "And that was full speed. He gave us fits. He's a heck of a player."
More important than their individual performances are the fact that Edwards and Hudgins have both of their teams ranked in the national top ten and poised for a deep run in the FCS playoffs. These two players, and teams, will meet on November 14th at Elon in the Southern Conference game of the year. For Edwards, postseason success is nothing new. As mentioned above, he already has two championship rings and ASU has to be considered one of the favorites this year. Elon, however, has never recorded an FCS conference championship and has never won an FCS playoff game. Both could be accomplished this season.
The SoCon is no stranger to great football players. Hudgins' quarterback Scott Riddle will break every conference passing record, and some national marks, in his senior season next fall and is one of the top handful of players in FCS football this year. He will have a similar legacy as the two in this story. But the league, and college football in general, hasn't seen many players like Edwards and Hudgins in its 120+ year history.
Coaches call them game-changers. Fans call for their autographs. As they move towards their season-defining game versus each other later in the year, both Armanti Edwards and Terrell Hudgins want to be called champions.
Though their late season efforts and the playoffs will bring them more spotlight, some college football fans won't realize just how great both of these players are and have been. Even if you don't remember their names, the history books certainly will.
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