![]() And when they're capable of doing that, the offence works better, the guys stay healthy, and they stay fresher for longer. "Our guys have done a fantastic job of getting in there and the second they touch the ball, they make a play. "The biggest thing that I try to instill in the backs is if you get three touches, all three of those have to count," Kirk said. ![]() Western moves closer to Vanier Cup defence with rout of Queen's.Western wins 8th Vanier Cup, overcoming halftime deficit to Saskatchewan."It was apparent from day one of camp that Keon was going to be special … Him and were like brothers, the two of them were just feeding off each other's energy." Making each touch countįor an encore in 2022, the five-foot-11, 230-pound Edwards eclipsed 100 rushing yards in all 11 regular season and playoff games he played to once again lead U SPORTS in rushing with 1,533 yards, to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns - and did it while splitting carries with another top-five Ontario University Athletics rusher in Edouard Wanadi, who averaged over 100 yards per game himself.Īlthough Wanadi received a four-year suspension last November after being found in violation of the anti-doping rule set out by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, the competitive nature of Western's backfield is something that can always be relied on as a constant in an offence overseen by legendary Western head coach Greg Marshall. And just through that time, Keon was able to hone his abilities as a running back. "We were able to have more meetings and get in-person training sessions. "Through the COVID year … we were able to do a lot of things in the off-season that we were never able to do," Kirk told CBC Sports. The breakout was abrupt, but not exactly unexpected to Western running back coach and director of football operations Jake Kirk, who first started working on-field with Edwards in his first season in 2018, overseeing the development of the back who worked extensively in the weight room during COVID-19. WATCH | Western running back Keon Edwards a dominant force in U Sports:ĭuration 1:10 Western Mustangs running back Keon Edwards has proven to be a dominant force in U Sports football. "My emotions were through the roof … I was just like, 'Okay, now it's time to go.'"Įdwards would go on to rack up 174 yards on the ground and three touchdowns on the game to kick off a superlative season that saw him lead the country in both rushing yards (838) and touchdowns (nine) during six regular-season games. He added another 449 yards and seven touchdowns in five playoff games en route to a Vanier Cup title - Western's first since 2017. Then I remember getting hit late to tack on another 15 yards. ![]() "I just hit the inside gap and made a bounce to the outside. "I had the mindset that this cannot be a five-yard gain, this needs to be more," Edwards told CBC Sports about a carry that went for 30 yards. ![]() But it left the door open for his first offensive touch on home field in London, Ont., against the McMaster Marauders in 2021. Western University running back Keon Edwards remembers his first carry well.Īfter being recruited to Canada's "Running Back U" in 2018, the Toronto native spent his first two seasons buried on an extremely deep Mustangs depth chart and had the 2020 season wiped out due to COVID-19. ![]()
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