By Nick Deriso, Louisiana Sports Bureau
Receiver shoots for SWAC, school records
GRAMBLING — The rare performer who is as consistent on the field as he is off, senior Grambling receiver Clyde Edwards still surprises people.
"I'm more of a quiet guy," the Houston native said, quietly.
He'd like to see his team — a 3-8 disaster last season, GSU is picked by nobody to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Western Division in '07 — slip up on some people, too.
"As talented as we are, we feel like we can play with anybody," Edwards said. "Last year, we had what it takes to win, but for a few plays here and there."
First-year coach Rod Broadway might have trouble sorting out the reasons for that down season — after all, GSU fell six of eight times by a touchdown or less — but not who gives Grambling its best shot at pulling out of the downturn.
That would be Edwards, who enters the season with 2,400 career yards.
"It didn't take long over the spring to see that he was one of our best players," Broadway said. "I would like for him to show more leadership, not only with the receiving corps but the entire offense."
He's a show-by-doing standout.
"My biggest thing is I want to lead by example," Edwards said. "I feel like if I am doing what I need to do on the field, then others will follow."
They'd be following him right into Grambling lore.
If Edwards matches his average over the past two campaigns — 55 catches and 10 touchdowns a year — he will pass Tramon Douglas in the school record books.
His 11 scores last season, even as the team struggled to a 3-8 record, ranks among the best performances in Southwestern Athletic Conference history. Edwards is already No. 13 overall in career yardage among SWAC receivers.
The model of consistency, he has hauled in at least one pass in each of his last 26 games, dating back to 2004. Better still are his trademark acrobatic one-handed grabs, including a dramatic coatch against Alabama State at home last season.
He's the same way off the field, maintaining a 4.0 in seven of his eight semesters at GSU thus far.
"I've been blessed; my parents always stressed school and taking care of things in the classroom," Edwards said. "Football is what I lived to do. So I just try to do my best to please parents on one side and myself on the other."
Broadway and first-year offensive coordinator James Spady have made no promises on how they will adapt Grambling's pass-oriented passing attack, other than to say Edwards will get his touches.
Together last season at North Carolina Central, Broadway and Spady helped craft an attack that led their conference with 211 passing yards per game, while setting school and league records with 24 touchdown passes by a freshman. Broadway's offense also averaged 30.8 points per game in 2005, a new school record.
"In the past, we were always a home-run team," Edwards said. "It's a little bit different now. We are looking to be more of a ball-control offense. I've had a chance to sit down and talk with the coaches; they understand our strengths. They know where the talent is and they will use that.'
Receiver shoots for SWAC, school records
GRAMBLING — The rare performer who is as consistent on the field as he is off, senior Grambling receiver Clyde Edwards still surprises people.
"I'm more of a quiet guy," the Houston native said, quietly.
He'd like to see his team — a 3-8 disaster last season, GSU is picked by nobody to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Western Division in '07 — slip up on some people, too.
"As talented as we are, we feel like we can play with anybody," Edwards said. "Last year, we had what it takes to win, but for a few plays here and there."
First-year coach Rod Broadway might have trouble sorting out the reasons for that down season — after all, GSU fell six of eight times by a touchdown or less — but not who gives Grambling its best shot at pulling out of the downturn.
That would be Edwards, who enters the season with 2,400 career yards.
"It didn't take long over the spring to see that he was one of our best players," Broadway said. "I would like for him to show more leadership, not only with the receiving corps but the entire offense."
He's a show-by-doing standout.
"My biggest thing is I want to lead by example," Edwards said. "I feel like if I am doing what I need to do on the field, then others will follow."
They'd be following him right into Grambling lore.
If Edwards matches his average over the past two campaigns — 55 catches and 10 touchdowns a year — he will pass Tramon Douglas in the school record books.
His 11 scores last season, even as the team struggled to a 3-8 record, ranks among the best performances in Southwestern Athletic Conference history. Edwards is already No. 13 overall in career yardage among SWAC receivers.
The model of consistency, he has hauled in at least one pass in each of his last 26 games, dating back to 2004. Better still are his trademark acrobatic one-handed grabs, including a dramatic coatch against Alabama State at home last season.
He's the same way off the field, maintaining a 4.0 in seven of his eight semesters at GSU thus far.
"I've been blessed; my parents always stressed school and taking care of things in the classroom," Edwards said. "Football is what I lived to do. So I just try to do my best to please parents on one side and myself on the other."
Broadway and first-year offensive coordinator James Spady have made no promises on how they will adapt Grambling's pass-oriented passing attack, other than to say Edwards will get his touches.
Together last season at North Carolina Central, Broadway and Spady helped craft an attack that led their conference with 211 passing yards per game, while setting school and league records with 24 touchdown passes by a freshman. Broadway's offense also averaged 30.8 points per game in 2005, a new school record.
"In the past, we were always a home-run team," Edwards said. "It's a little bit different now. We are looking to be more of a ball-control offense. I've had a chance to sit down and talk with the coaches; they understand our strengths. They know where the talent is and they will use that.'
No comments:
Post a Comment