Jahwan Edwards, Horactio Banks Must Step Up for Ball State

Jan 5, 2014; Mobile, AL, USA; Ball State Cardinals running back Jahwan Edwards (32) is tackled by Arkansas State Red Wolves linebacker Xavier Woodson (55) in the second half at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Arkansas State Red Wolves defeated the Ball State Cardinals 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

The Ball State Cardinals were a very good football team last season, and ended up getting selected for a bowl game. Their success had a lot to do with quarter Keith Wenning, who graduated and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. That leaves the Cardinals’ offense in a very bad place, and will force senior running back Jahwan Edwards to step up in a big way this season.

Edwards is more than capable of stepping into the spotlight and becoming Ball State’s offensive leader. He carried the football 212 times last season for a total of 1,110 yards and 14 touchdowns, but has shown the ability to carry even more of a load when needed. This coming season, he’ll likely get the largest workload of his career, and will be asked to step into being the number one option on offense.

There are other pieces that Ball State can look at to help Edwards in the offense, such as fellow running back Horactio Banks. Banks is heading into his junior season with the Cardinals, and has shown the ability to be a big play type of running back. He carried the football 95 times for a total of 595 yards and seven touchdowns. Those numbers will help relieve Edwards if Banks is able to repeat that type of production.

Ball State has a lot of question marks surrounding their upcoming season with Wenning no longer behind center. He has been one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football, and he made the Ball State offense extremely dangerous. The Cardinals are going to need to find a replacement for him that can help support the ground game, but both Edwards and Banks are going to have to step up their game if they want to put together another winning season.

Overall, the Cardinals are looking at a very difficult situation. It is always hard for a team to rebuild after losing an NFL caliber quarterback, especially for a smaller school in the MAC. The Cardinals have two workhorse running backs, and they will likely look to utilize them as much as possible this coming year.

Evan Massey is a Lead Editor for InkOnIndy.com. Follow Evan on Twitter at @Massey_Evan. Make sure to follow us on twitter, @InkOnIndy, and “Like” us on Facebook.