Charleston, S.C. A season-high 19,697 fans packed Johnson Hagood Stadium for The Citadel's 55th Homecoming celebration, but Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards stole the show as he rushed for 291 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns as the Mountaineers defeated the Bulldogs 45-24 in a Southern Conference match-up on Saturday afternoon.

Edwards ended his extraordinary day with 439 total yards of offense and four total touchdowns as he also went 10-20 for 148 yards and two scores through the air. Running back Kevin Richardson added 68 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown for Appalachian State. The Mountaineers ended the day with 439 yards on the ground.

In his first career start, freshman quarterback Bart Blanchard rushed for 64 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown for The Citadel. He also went 20-36 for 197 yards and a score through the air. Sophomore wide receiver Andre Roberts caught nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs, and senior running back Tory Cooper carried 16 times for 69 yards.

The Mountaineers quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Julian Rauch kicked a 39-yard field goal to cap a 58-yard opening drive. Appalachian State then held the Bulldog offense to a three and out and Edwards scrambled 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play of their second offensive possession. Rauch added the extra-point to make it 10-0 Mountaineers with 9:53 left in the first quarter.

The Citadel forced the first turnover of the game as wide receiver CoCo Hillary took a direct snap and was stripped by senior linebacker Andrew Rowell. Safety Dwight House recovered the fumble and the Bulldogs took over at the Appalachian State 30-yard line. The Cadets scored on the very next play as Blanchard found Roberts for a touchdown. Senior Mike Adams hit the extra-point to make it a 10-7 game with 2:52 remaining in the opening period.

Appalachian State dominated the rest of the first half, however, as they scored three unanswered touchdowns. Linebacker D.J. Smith intercepted a Blanchard pass on the second play of the second quarter and returned it 23 yards for an Appalachian State touchdown. Rauch knocked the extra-point through to give the Mountaineers a 17-7 advantage.

The Mountaineers capped a five-play, 72-yard drive on their next offensive possession with a six-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to wide receiver Josh Johnson. Rauch added the point after for a 24-7 lead.

Appalachian State's offense again struck quickly on their next offensive possession as Edwards found wide receiver Dexter Jackson down the sideline on the first play from 45 yards out for his second touchdown pass of the game. Rauch's extra-point gave Appalachian State a commanding 31-7 lead with 8:07 remaining in the first half.

The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead beginning with an 11-play, 80-yard drive on their next offensive possession. Led by the passing and rushing of Blanchard, the Cadets advanced to the one-yard line of the Mountaineers. Defensive tackle Terrence Reese then came in for a rare appearance on the offensive side of the ball and plowed his way into the end zone for his first career rushing touchdown. Adams nailed the point after to cut the Mountaineer lead to 31-14, which was the score as the game went to halftime.

The Citadel cut into the lead further on the first possession of the second half as they drove 63 yards in 14 plays, capped off by a 24-yard field goal by Adams to make it a two-score game at 31-17.

The Cadets got even closer with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter. After the Bulldogs converted on a third-and-19 play from the Appalachian State 49-yard line on a 20-yard pass from Blanchard to senior wide receiver Ta'Mar Jernigan, Blanchard finished the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. Adams added the extra-point to cut the Appalachian State advantage to 31-24.

The Mountaineers put the game away, however, with two fourth quarter touchdowns. After a 43-yard run by Richardson put Appalachian State at the Bulldog eight-yard line, Richardson ran it into the end zone two plays later from one yard out. Rauch hit the extra-point to put the Mountaineers back up by 14 at 38-24.

After their defense held the Bulldog offense, Appalachian State got the ball back and added to their lead with a 10-play, 70-yard drive. Edwards capped it off with another long touchdown run, this time racing in from 25 yards out. Rauch put the point after through to give the Mountaineers their final margin of victory at 45-24.

The Bulldogs will play their last home game of 2007 next Saturday as they host Elon in their Southern Conference finale. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. and all the live action will be available on ESPN Radio 910 The Team and through Bulldog Insider at www.CitadelSports.com.