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    • Kansas State football running back Dylan Edwards meets his former team
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    Kansas State football running back Dylan Edwards meets his former team

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    MANHATTAN — Despite all the intrigue, when Kansas State football running back Dylan Edwards takes the field in Colorado this weekend, don't prepare for any additional drama.

    Yes, Edwards left the Buffaloes in the spring after a season in Boulder, and there's no doubt he'd like to help secure a road win against his former team when the 19th-ranked Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) kick off on Saturday at 9:15 p.m. at Folsom Field against Colorado (4-1, 2-0). Ultimately, the outcome could have big implications for what is shaping up to be a wild conference race.

    It's just that Edwards, the former Derby High School star who backed out of a first K-State commitment in 2022 to join new coach Deion Sanders at Colorado, has shown no interest in discussing the matter.

    K-State quarterback Avery Johnson, Edwards' friend since childhood and later high school rival when he played for Maize High School, didn't rule out the possibility of extra motivation for the game. But he doesn't think it will consume Edwards either.

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    “That's probably something he wants a lot because when you play against an old-school player, you definitely want to play your best game and help win,” Johnson said of Edwards, who has been a major contributor so far a variety of roles for the Wildcats. “But ultimately I don’t think he sees it that way.

    “I think he sees it like any other week and doesn't want the game to affect him too much. He just wants to go out there and play his game and do what he does best, and that’s get him the ball and be explosive with it.”

    The 5-foot-10, 167-pound Edwards did that while splitting time with workhorse and leading rusher DJ Giddens. They have started three of the games in the same backfield behind Johnson, and Edwards has rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry, as well as a score as a receiver and another on a 71-yard punt return.

    What Edwards hasn't done is overshadow the Colorado program or Sanders, his flamboyant former coach. Coach Prime, for his part, showed nothing but love for Edwards when asked if he would face him this week.

    Related: DJ Giddens and Dylan Ewards give the Kansas State football running game a powerful one-two punch

    “I love the young man and I love him for life, I really do,” Sanders said of Edwards, who started six of 12 games for the Buffaloes last year as a true freshman and rushed for 321 yards and a touchdown while 36 caught passes for 299 yards and four scores. “Anyone who leaves here in the right way, even briefly, I want them to be successful.”

    Likewise, K-State coach Chris Klieman didn't burn any bridges when Edwards headed to Colorado, leaving the door wide open for a return to his home state. And like Johnson, Klieman expects Edwards to approach the game the right way.

    “I know he’s excited about the opportunity. I know he enjoyed his time there,” Klieman said. “He has a lot of friends there. A lot of those teammates were his brothers, and that’s what college football is all about right now.”

    “Coaches do it just like players do, and so it's probably always a little more special when you have a relationship with your previous school, whether you're a player or a coach. But once the game starts, it's between the white lines, and you have to beat your opponent, just like you do in training. I'm happy for him, he's playing really well and he's healthy and we have to find ways to take advantage of him.

    Even Sanders wished Edwards well — to a point.

    “Dylan has made a great decision for himself and his family and I support it 100%,” Sanders said. “I just hate it when guys make those decisions and then go and shoot back at us. When you go where you're going, you don't shoot back because you're so focused on where you are on your head, (and) you don't have time to turn around and shoot back.

    “So I thank him for not being that guy. We've had some great moments and he's going to have many more great moments, so I'm proud of him. I just don't want him to perform well against us, but I want him to perform well against any other team.

    Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

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    Kathleen William
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