BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — When the topic was broached, Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards begged off on making a definitive comment, much like a head coach might without knowing all the information or facts.
"I'm going to have to watch the film," he pleaded.
Edwards wanted to see it with his own eyes after being informed that UW's 6-foot-7, 295-pound right tackle David Edwards (no relation) was a high school quarterback just like he was.
"Really? What? No way," T.J. Edwards balked. "I can't see it."
But it's true. David Edwards ran the split-back veer at Downers Grove (Illinois) North High School, an hour drive from Lake Villa (Illinois) Community High School where T. J. Edwards starred as a QB.
"I loved it (the veer), it was the old Houston offense," David Edwards said of an option attack that was made famous by innovator/coach Bill Yeoman in the '60s at the University of Houston.
Edwards led Downers Grove North to the Class 7A quarterfinals as a sophomore. The Trojans made it back to the quarterfinals during his junior year though Edwards was slowed by injuries.
David Edwards
"I was real skinny — I was about 6-foot-5, 220," Edwards said. "I'd get three yards (running) just because I was so big and I'd fall forward and get three or four."
As a senior, he was the starting quarterback through the first six games when a change was made to snap a losing streak. From that point forward, Edwards concentrated on playing defensive end.
"I was obviously not good enough to play (quarterback) in college," said Edwards, who was projected as an offensive lineman by some recruiters (Iowa and Syracuse).
Some liked him as a D-end. Everyone else, including Wisconsin, viewed him as a tight end.
Northwestern liked him but not enough to offer a scholarship.
"I went on a visit," he said. "But I didn't hear much from them."
On Saturday, Edwards will make his second career start at right tackle for the Badgers. And it will come against the Wildcats at Ryan Field, a little more than 30 miles from his home.
Edwards has been scrambling for tickets with some of the Chicago-area players on the Wisconsin roster, mainly tight end Troy Fumagalli, who's from Aurora, an hour from Evanston.
Edwards' family has some strong Big Ten roots. His dad played middle linebacker at Indiana. He had a cousin who was a free safety at Illinois and an uncle who was a running back for the Illini.
Despite the ties, and offers from Indiana and Illinois, he chose the Badgers.
"My family was really good with helping me make my own decision," he said. "It's kind of the PC answer but I felt like I would excel here in all three phases: academically, socially and athletically."
Edwards practiced as a tight end while redshirting as a true freshman last season. Prior to the August training camp, he made the move to offensive tackle, which was not totally unexpected.
"All of my high school coaches kind of joked around about it," he said. "But I knew this was kind of the end game for me so I wasn't really surprised by the position switch.
"I thought it was a real smooth transition because Coach (Mickey) Turner's and Coach (Joe) Rudolph's philosophies are very similar and even the techniques and terminology are similar."
Turner is the tight ends coach; Rudolph is the offensive coordinator and O-line coach.
"I put on a lot of weight and strength this offseason," Edwards said, "and I feel pretty confident in my ability. It was a really cool experience against Nebraska. It was everything I've dreamed of."
On replacing the injured Jacob Maxwell in the starting lineup, Edwards said, "I thought I had a good week of prep and all the guys and Coach Rudolph supported me."
The week before, Edwards was used on five possessions at Iowa.
"I thought those snaps were huge for me," he said.
Edwards also got some playing time against Ohio State. That got him up to game speed. "It was a little different," he said, "than going against our defense in practice."
After last Saturday's exposure in a 23-17 overtime win, Edwards said, "Obviously, I have to get better and there are a lot of things to clean up. But I felt pretty good coming out that game."
Based on what he has seen from Edwards, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst feels the same way.
"This was his most extensive action," Chryst said. "With that, he was good. You didn't see a big drop-off as the game went on. I thought he was challenged and he battled in those challenges.
"Getting that significant experience, maybe his chance to grow late in the season, maybe it can be a little bigger than someone that has played a lot more. I thought he did some good things."
• • • •
T.J. Edwards was recruited by Northwestern. As a quarterback.
T.J. Edwards
"I loved it there," he said of the recruiting visit. "Good staff. And Coach Fitz (Pat Fitzgerald) was an awesome guy when I talked to him a little bit. I had good feelings for sure."
But he wasn't offered by the Wildcats.
"Maybe they saw a little film and weren't as impressed as some of the other guys they saw," reasoned Edwards, who was also recruited by some MAC programs as a QB. "But that's all right."
As a two-year starter at Lake Villa, Edwards threw for well over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. More impressively, he posted a 17-3 record, a testament to his leadership skills.
That's what the Badgers saw in Edwards, among many other strengths. And even though he had never played linebacker as a prep, he has blossomed into one of the best in the Big Ten.
There has never been a question about Edwards' ability to adjust. That came to the forefront when he moved to linebacker. And it was also in evidence after Jack Cichy was lost for the season.
Edwards had nothing but praise for Cichy's replacements, Ryan Connelly and Leon Jacobs, who combined for 22 tackles against Nebraska. It looked like they had been playing together for years.
"We all have a really good relationship — whoever is in the game we play well together," Edwards said. "I trust both of those guys. They have a really good mental capacity."
Defensively, the Badgers will need to be mentally sharp against a Northwestern offense that revolves around quarterback Clayton Thorson, tailback Justin Jackson and wide receiver Austin Carr.
Thorson ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards (1,942), yards per game (242.8) and touchdowns (15). He has thrown for at least one TD in seven straight games.
"He's really a complete quarterback," Edwards said. "We've even seen a little flash of those dual-threat guys (like Ohio State's J.T. Barrett and Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong).
"It's something that people underestimate (Thorson's running prowess). We've been working a lot on the quarterback run stuff."
Jackson needs just 132 rushing yards to become the first player in Northwestern history to rush for 1,000 in three consecutive seasons. He's averaging 150.5 against Wisconsin.
"He has started since his true freshman year and he has gotten so much better," said Edwards. "On film, you see him delivering a blow. He's fast and he's strong. He's a complete back."
Carr leads the conference in catches (58), receiving yards (878) and touchdowns (9). He had caught at least one TD pass in six straight before being blanked at Ohio State.
Yet, he still had a career-high 158 receiving yards on eight catches against the Buckeyes. He's the first Northwestern player since 2000 to have three consecutive 100-yard plus outings.
"You have to make sure you know where he is at all times," Edwards said. "He's just one of those guys who's going to make some things happen. You just have to try and limit him."
The Badgers have been pushed seemingly to the limit with injuries to key personnel on defense. And the testing is not over, Edwards implied. Nor is this unit anywhere near where it can be.
"Not even close," Edwards said. "There are still a lot of things we have to clean up, a lot of things that are going to get harder. We're going to have more adversity hit."
That's the reality.
"And I'm excited to see what we can do when it does hit," Edwards said.
That has been the response — since the first defensive snap of the season.
