Kansas State football sure knows how to stage a coming-out party for its future stars.
When leading rusher DJ Giddens opted out of the Rate Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, all eyes turned to Dylan Edwards to pick up the slack, and the sophomore running back from Derby did not disappoint.
It was Edwards’ 36-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that completed a crazy 44-41 Wildcat comeback victory over Rutgers on Thursday at Chase Field in Phoenix, but that wasn’t the half of it.
Edwards turned in a record-breaking performance with 196 yards and two touchdowns, plus caught two passes for 27 yards and another score as the Wildcats rallied from a 17-point deficit deep in the third quarter for their second straight bowl win and third in the last four years.
“I just tried to do my job to the best of my ability,” said Edwards, who averaged 10.9 yards on his season-high 18 carries, including the winning touchdown and a 65-yarder in the third quarter that triggered the school-record bowl comeback. “We worked on these plays for the past two weeks, so just trying to do my job, and that’s what I did today.”
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A year ago, the breakout star was Avery Johnson, who helped lead the Wildcats to a 29-21 Pop-Tarts Bowl victory over North Carolina State in his first start at quarterback. Edwards was even better in breaking the school bowl record for rushing yards.
“I knew it was going to happen,” Johnson said of Edwards, his friend since childhood growing up in Wichita, during a postgame radio interview. “We had a bunch for him in the game plan this week, and he’s just explosive and dynamite with the ball in his hands, so credit to him in his preparation.
“He had to wait his time, but he made the most of it, so congratulations to him. He earned that, and he led us through to the win tonight.”
Edwards actually made five starts during the regular season but was clearly overshadowed by Giddens, who ran for 1,343 yards as a junior and finished his career as the school’s third-leading career rusher with 3,087.
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“It felt really good,” said Edwards, who was named the game’s most valuable offensive player, while super-senior linebacker Austin Moore was the defensive MVP. “I played the whole season. It wasn’t like I was waiting for my time. I was just trying to do my job and my part for the team.
“I guess you could say I had more of a job to do today. As long as I stay focused and do what I was supposed to do, I think we are going to come out and be successful.”
Edwards wasn’t the only K-State back to take on a bigger role with Giddens moving on. Redshirt freshman Joe Jackson had seven carries for a career-best 50 yards and caught three passes for 37 yards, including a 9-yard TD from Johnson with 7:03 left that trimmed Rutgers’ lead to 41-36.
Edwards, Jackson, and Johnson, who started every game as a sophomore, give the Wildcats a young and talented backfield going forward as well. Johnson ran for 57 yards and a score and threw for 195 yards, and his three touchdowns gave him the school single-season record with 25.
“It shows that we want more for next year, and this was a great building game to go into next year, especially in January,” Edwards said. “It starts then, trying to be diligent and working hard.”
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Dylan Edwards carries Kansas State football to Rate Bowl comeback win
