Season Review: Gus Edwards

Uhhhh…..well……as I was writing my original draft of this article, the news came down that Gus Edwards is transferring from the UM program.

So……yup. Ok then! On we go…..

Gus entered the UM program in 2013 without much national accolade, but with an impressive and imposing frame that figured to allow him to be a punishing back. He certainly looked the part of a back suited for a physical brand of ball (which seemed to suit Richt’s ground-and-pound style entering 2016).

But it never all came together for Edwards during his time at UM.

Edwards’ first two years were bits of promise and potential sprinkled over the course of the 2013 and 2014 campaigns. But with Duke Johnson gone early to the draft, it seemed the Gus Bus was set to roll into the 2015 season as a strong candidate as the Canes’ featured back. But the bus injured his foot in fall camp, which sidelined him for the entire 2015 season.

Having recovered from his injury, Edwards entered 2016 fall camp as part of a three-headed monster fighting for the starting running back spot, with the electric Mark Walton and the diverse Joe Yearby. Ultimately it was Walton who won the lion’s share of the carries, with Yearby backing him up early in the season.

Edwards’ touches were limited early, but he managed to make the most out of them in the opener against FAMU, running for 106 yards on only 7 carries.

But then, it appears he fell out of favor with Coach Richt at some point thereafter, recording only 9 carries over the next 7 games, including 4 games without a touch.

It wasn’t until the win at Virginia that Gus had any meaningful kind of impact on a game. When finally given double-digit carries for the first time of the season, Gus for 68 yards on 11 carries. The only other double-digit performance was an 11-carry, 55-yard stint against Duke in the regular season finale.

So, when he was given a legit chance to run, he made the most of it. Unfortunately, his chances were limited, and unsurprisingly, the Gus Bus will roll for a new team in the future.

For the 2016 season, Edwards ran for 290 yards on 59 carries for 1 score, which came in the opener against FAMU. For his career at UM, he finished with 977 yards on 186 carries with 12 touchdowns.

Given his sporadic usage, I understand Gus’s desire for a new start, and I wish him the best of luck wherever he goes.