MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia running back Tye Edwards' patience was tested throughout the offseason, as he was one of four Mountaineers who was unsure whether they'd be able to compete in 2025.
Edwards, along with Jimmori Robinson, Justin Harrington and Jeffrey Weimer, was granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the NCAA, which had rejected their petitions for eligibility.
The Northern Iowa transfer appeared in WVU's first two contests, against Robert Morris and Ohio, but Edwards didn't record a single stat.
Questions surrounded the WVU running back room following the Mountaineers' 17-10 loss to the Bobcats on Sept. 6, during which Jahiem White went down with a leg injury.
Then, last week, White was announced as done for the remainder of the season following the injury. Coach Rich Rodriguez was searching for one of the backup running backs to emerge in a big contest against archrival Pitt.
Clay Ash was given the nod to start the 108th Backyard Brawl. However, once Edwards came in, it was as if a fire was lit inside him. His first run was for 12 yards and the rest was history.
Pitt’s Deuce Spann (7) slides with the ball while WVU’s Kade Hensley (25) taps WVU’s Ben Bogle’s (32) helmet at the end of a tackle during the game between WVU and Pitt in Morgantown, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
- LAURA BILSON | Gazette-Mail
Edwards etched his name among Backyard Brawl greats, recording 25 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead 1-yard score in overtime. The Mountaineers took down the Panthers, 31-24, in Morgantown.
"Football is an emotional sport," Edwards said. "It could be plenty [of] ups and downs, but it's always about stand[ing] together as a unit fighting through persevering as a team from defense to offense. That's exactly what we did."
It wouldn't be accurate to say Edwards has had an easy transition transferring from Northern Iowa to West Virginia. But his mentality, mindset and faith never swayed even as he was unsure what his fate was going to be this season.
"First and foremost, I always give glory to the Man above," Edwards said. "Without Him, I wouldn't be where I'm at right now. I wouldn't be blessed with the abilities if it weren't for Him. So, even going through the process of being eligible, I always kept my faith high. I never doubted for a second His ability. I don't like doubting in what Jesus can do. I had a good spirit throughout the whole experience."
Rodriguez was quick to praise the resilience of Edwards and his performance on Saturday.
"We told him that he is a big, strong back and he needs to use his power. He did [on Saturday]," Rodriguez said. "He ran with a purpose."
West Virginia sent out a few times in the second half a loaded package set that featured nine offensive linemen.
The package was used for both of Edwards' touchdowns, including the score in overtime.
The Mountaineers lined up seven offensive linemen up front then an additional two linemen behind the far left offensive tackle.
It shaped a large L with Edwards then quarterback Nicco Marchiol to his right lining up in the backfield.
"When I was ineligible and they installed that, I was like, 'Oh, I got to be in that,'" Edwards said. "That was the first time we actually did it. I was ready for it. It was fun."
- By Taylor Kennedy tkennedy@hdmediallc.com
- 2 min to read
Big games can give everyone involved some type of nerves - i.e., butterflies.
Edwards mentioned that he deals with anxiety, and it's something that 77% of polled athletes deal with on a regular basis, according to a 2024 article by Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.
"Every game I play, I got real bad anxiety," Edwards said. "All the training and running doesn't mean nothing like the first couple of plays. I [would] be super drained, tired, anxious and ready before the game. I got to remove all of the doubt, anxiousness and nervousness. When I was out there, I was ready.
"Our chapel person was preaching [about] freedom and going out there and playing free. That's exactly what I did. I just prayed and asked, 'Can I play free?' He took all the worry and everything out of me and let me play free."
Edwards said that this anxiety he feels before every game is something he's dealt with for a while.
"That's something I always dealt with being in big crowds," Edwards said. "That's something people don't really know. Just that little butterfly feeling. I be like, 'I'm not nervous. So what is it?' I dug a little deep one time and I guess it was a little anxiety."
