The Kansas State football team entered Saturday with the worst rushing attack in the Big 12.
In its first four games, K-State averaged an ugly 108 yards per contest on the ground. To put that number in perspective, not only did the Wildcats rank dead last in the conference in terms of total rushing yards but they trailed six teams that had only played three games.
K-State was running the ball so poorly that coach Chris Klieman spent long hours trying to fix the problem over the past two weeks while the Wildcats were on a bye.
Turns out, the solution wasn’t all that complicated.
K-State running back Dylan Edwards made his healthy return to the starting lineup during a 34-20 victory over UCF on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and everything changed for the Wildcats.
K-State rushed for a season- high 266 yards.
“We’re a different team when Dylan Edwards plays,” Klieman said afterward. “Sometimes we maybe get too hard on the offensive line when Dylan is not in there, because Dylan makes some things right when it’s not right. He was obviously the spark we needed.”
Edwards was limited to just a handful of plays during K-State’s first four games. He was only on the field for one snap during the season-opener against Iowa State before he left with an ankle injury. And he remained on the sideline for games against North Dakota and Army.
The Derby product was able to suit up and start against Arizona, but he only lasted one quarter.
K-State missed him while he was away. Edwards reminded EMAW nation what he is capable of in his healthy return by rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. His best moment came on a 75-yard touchdown run in which he used his speed to beat everyone to the end zone.
Of course, he did more than just that. Seven of his runs went for double-digit yardage.
“He opened up a lot,” Klieman said. “To the naked eye, it looks like the field is about 60 yards wide when he’s playing, because he can hit something. We saw it on the 75-yard touchdown run. They had angles on him, but they couldn’t get squared up. He’s also a physical runner. He’s not just a scat back. He’s a physical runner. He ran through two arm tackles. But once he gets by you, nobody is going to catch that kid.”
Indeed, Edwards seemed to open up things for the K-State offense even when he wasn’t touching the ball.
His presence forced UCF to keep eyes on him every time he was on the field. That helped quarterback Avery Johnson rush for 75 yards and it helped wide receiver Jaron Tibbs get open for 72 yards on eight catches.
For the first time all season, the K-State offense felt wide open.
“He is just electric with the ball in his hands,” Edwards said. “All he needs is a little crease, and the offensive line did a great job of opening up holes for him. The rest is just Dylan. If you get Dylan to the third level, which our offensive line did multiple times today, good luck stopping him.”
Edwards was understandably happy after K-State picked up a much-needed victory over UCF.
This is what he hoped to do all season. It pained him to watch so many games from the sideline. In some ways, this game was therapeutic for both him and K-State fans.
