CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Armanti Edwards didn't come close Friday night to his record-setting mark in the semifinals, when he ran for more yards than any quarterback in FCS history.

Instead, he showed off his other talent: throwing.

Edwards threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns to lead Appalachian State to a 49-21 victory over Delaware, the Mountaineers' record third consecutive FCS national championship. He ran for 89 yards.

``We already knew they were going to try to stop the run,'' Edwards said. ``We had been running over everybody in the playoffs. We had to get it done in the air in order to open the run back up.''

Delaware got lots of looks at the back of Edwards, who blew by the Fightin' Blue Hens all night. But mostly, the left-hander threw over them.

Edwards' 60-yard pass to Dexter Jackson put the Mountaineers ahead 28-7 at halftime, and his 8-yard pass to Kevin Richardson stretched their lead to 35-7. He also had a 19-yard touchdown pass to Richardson in the first quarter.

``What Armanti's been doing all season, all season basically, racking up all those yards,'' Richardson said. ``He opens everything up for everybody else. The receivers get open, and then we could do it through the air also.''

Edwards saved his best games this season for the biggest stage.

He had 227 yards passing for three touchdowns to stun then-No. 5 Michigan the opening week in the Big House, the first time a school from the former Division I-AA beat a ranked Division I-A opponent.

Edwards also rushed for an FCS quarterback record 313 yards and four touchdowns last week against Richmond, and he threw for a 182 yards and three more scores.

``The reason the things that Armanti and Trey (Elder) and those guys do it's like Football 101 every day,'' Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said. ``They probably get a little bored with it as soon as we finish stretching getting ready for practice.''

The formula worked.

Edwards finished the postseason 49-of-71 for 722 yards, with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

Yet no major college offered him a spot at quarterback.

The speedster from Greenwood, S.C., didn't start playing quarterback until midway through his junior year in high school. Nearby Clemson recruited Edwards, but as a defensive back.

Edwards wanted to play quarterback, and Appalachian State happily took him.

Edwards injured his shoulder in the Michigan upset, and he missed four games later in the season. When he returned, his passing struggled and the Mountaineers lost to Wofford and Georgia Southern.

Luckily for Appalachian State, the FCS has a playoff.

Only a sophomore, Edwards will have two more chances to lead the Mountaineers to another championshipCopyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.