What’s next for Kansas State at running back? Dylan Edwards could shine in Rate Bowl
There is an old football cliche that suggests the most popular player on any team is the backup quarterback.
At Kansas State, that saying works better if you switch it to the backup running back.
No offense to DJ Giddens, who declared for the NFL Draft after piling up the third-most career rushing yards in school history (3,087), but K-State fans were eager to see what reserves like Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson could do throughout this past season.
Good as Giddens was, as he amassed 1,601 yards of total offense and scored eight touchdowns for the Wildcats, the crowd roared every time his backups found the end zone.
Reporters have been asking K-State coach Chris Klieman how he can get Edwards more involved within the offense since he stepped foot on campus last spring. Jackson began to gain a cult following as he averaged 5.5 yards per rush and 8.7 yards per catch this season.
What could they do with more carries? We are about to find out.
The Wildcats will peak into the future at running back when they take on Rutgers at the Rate Bowl. Giddens will skip the game as he prepares for his pro career, leaving Edwards as the presumptive starter and Jackson as a secondary playmaker.
It will be interesting to see how they handle that opportunity.
All eyes will be on Edwards. The Derby product is one of the biggest names on the entire K-State football roster, and his highlight reel is impressive when you consider he only touched the ball 73 times this year. The sophomore provided instant offense in certain matchups. He averaged 20 yards per carry against Kansas, ran for a touchdown in three different games and was also dangerous as a return man.
He finished the regular season with 456 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
Many have wondered what he could accomplish as the star of K-State’s back field. He didn’t see more than 10 touches in any game this season. This is his opportunity.
Edwards is best known for his speed and ability to make defenders miss in space. That has led some to label him a scatback who does most of his damage on perimeter runs and catches in the flats. But K-State coaches have said he is a complete running back who is also capable or gaining yards between the tackles.
Rutgers allowed 4.9 yards per rush this season, a number that ranked 17th in the Big Ten.
Edwards should be excited about this matchup. So should Jackson, a freshman running back who gained 177 yards and scored a touchdown on 32 carries.
“Joe is a really good complement, because he runs really hard,” Klieman said during the season. “He maybe isn’t polished yet and doesn’t know how to see all (the) holes and all the blocking schemes, but the reps that he has been getting in practice and in games is going to help him in the future. The future is now for him. I’m excited about Joe.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 12:44 PM with the headline "What’s next for Kansas State at running back? Dylan Edwards could shine in Rate Bowl."