Can Joe Jackson Have a Big Day With Dylan Edwards Ruled Out?

Joe Jackson had a strong performance against Baylor. Could he capitalize on an expanded opportunity against TCU?

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Despite a disappointing loss, sophomore running back Joe Jackson's performance against Baylor gave Kansas State Wildcats fans a reason to be excited.

Jackson did not start the game but did lead the team in carries (13) and finished second in rushing yards with 61, averaging nearly five yards per attempt. It was his best day on the ground this season. He added five receptions for 41 yards as well — his first career game with 100 yards from scrimmage.

"I thought Joe played a really good football game and picked up protections well, caught the ball out of the backfield," head coach Chris Klieman said.

Starting running back Dylan Edwards has been in and out of the lineup all season. He played one snap in Week 0, missed a pair of games, and then played nine snaps in Week 3. After recovering during a Week 4 bye, he played 53 and 29 snaps in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. He is now set to miss K-State's contest in Week 7.

Source: Kansas State star tailback Dylan Edwards will not play against TCU this weekend. It’ll be the third full game Edwards will miss, as he was knocked out early in Kansas State’s Week 0 loss in Dublin. Wildcats are 2-4 with the losses by a combined 13 points. pic.twitter.com/Soe7NQsKo0

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 9, 2025

"He [Edwards] was limited on Saturday, and so we went with Joe more," Klieman said after the game against Baylor. With that expanded role, Jackson put together a career day on his 21st birthday. He ran hard and hit holes with authority. There were multiple plays where he nearly broke a long run before getting stopped at the last second by the final defender.

The Wildcats have been playing on the margins. With a 2-4 record, Kansas State has only been outscored by a combined 13 points in losses and even has a positive overall point differential.

"I like Joe because of his toughness. He's a mentally tough kid, and everything hasn't always gone his way, and I can attest to that personally, and I like that in him," offensive coordinator Matt Wells said.

"I think he's got a mental toughness, I think he's got a physical toughness to him, and he's smart. He does a good job. And I think him being the way he played, I think it jumpstarted us a little bit, and we needed his legs."

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Edwards is the team's best runner, and his juice felt instantly impactful when he made his return against UCF. He carried the ball 20 times for 166 yards as the Wildcats totaled 266 rushing yards as a team. With Edwards in and out of the lineup, K-State cleared 120 rushing yards just once in the first four games.

Jackson should see additional carries with Edwards sidelined, with redshirt freshman running back DeVon Rice as his backup. He has 18 rush attempts for 77 yards and two touchdowns this season. Backup quarterback Blake Barnett has also seen action recently, carrying the ball eight times over the last two games.