Jahwan Edwards’ return to the field proved to be quite a headache for Eastern Michigan University.
After missing two games due to a concussion, the junior running back looked fresh as he rushed for 83 yards on 15 attempts in Saturday’s 51-20 win in Ypsilanti, Mich.
“It feels great to be out there with my team,” Edwards said. “The running backs in my role, I’ve been giving them advice, so it’s fun to get out there and just do what I’ve been coaching them up on.”
Edwards rushed for 45 yards on the team’s opening drive, including a 36-yard touchdown run that put Ball State back in front after allowing a touchdown to Eastern Michigan.
As if his physical running early on wasn’t enough, Edwards pointed to his head after scoring that first touchdown. He said he wanted fans to know everything was feeling better.
In Edwards’ absence, sophomore Horactio Banks took over the starting position. Though inconsistent at times, he carried the load efficiently, rushing for 192 yards in two games.
Banks was consistent in his 65-yard performance today. Edwards said that his teammate has been a help to him both on and off the field.
“[Banks] has a chance to start,” he said. “But he’s been worried about me the whole time. That says a lot about that guy, he’s listening to my advice when I give it to him. On his first carry, he got a touchdown, so we were both excited.”
Edwards ran for three touchdowns on the day. Head coach Pete Lembo said the one-two punch Edwards and Banks bring to the field is valuable to Ball State.
“That just brings such a nice balance to our offense,” Lembo said. “Getting [Edwards] back today, and how he fought for some extra yards, I think we were able to lean on him a little bit.”
With Edwards back in the lineup, the running game was much more consistent. Ball State rushed the ball 37 times for a team total of 197 yards. Senior quarterback Keith Wenning threw the ball just 31 times.
It was the first time this season in which Ball State had more rushing attempts than passing attempts.
"We wanted to stay balanced,” Lembo said. “Obviously, with having Jahwan back, we felt like we needed to get more consistent with our running game.”
Lembo said the offense was much more explosive today than in recent weeks. In the first half, Ball State’s scoring drives lasted 2:28, 0:24, 0:32, 2:13 and 1:22.
An efficient running game was a big part of that.
"The offensive line did a great job,” Edwards said. “Today, we came out and did a great job, executed, the linemen got push up front and we were able to [set the] tone up front.”
