Matt Edwards didn't waste any time. Bright and early Monday morning, the Miami senior defensive end was on the telephone to his former Moeller teammate, University of Cincinnati middle linebacker Willis Edwards.

UC tackle Josh Gardner said he wouldn't hesitate to level his former Moeller teammate playing for Miami. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        “I kind of woke him up,” Matt Edwards said. “I told him, "You need to get out of bed and go watch some film. It's a long week.' He said, "Don't worry. I'll be ready.”'

        The former Crusaders were motivating each other for what Matt calls a “huge week” - the week of the annual grudge match between his RedHawks and Willis Edwards' Bearcats.

        The game is a Moeller Class of 1998 reunion of sorts. Besides the two Edwardses, two other members of that team, UC right offensive tackle Josh Gardner and backup defensive end Ben Piening, will be on hand.

        “We pretty much leave it alone,” Matt Edwards said about good-natured jawing with Gardner. “There's usually a little more talking between (Willis Edwards) and I. (Gardner's) actually on the other side (of the line), so I don't know how much I'll see him.”

        Gardner, also a senior, said that even if he's pulling around to the opposite side in a blocking situation Saturday, he probably won't come across Matt Edwards. But if he does, and there's an opportunity to put a hit on Edwards, he won't hold back. He'll do his best to level him.

        “That's bragging rights,” Gardner said. “But our minds are most focused on getting that (Victory) Bell back. Those are the bragging rights we're after. ... I'm 2-1 against Miami, and it'd be nice to (finish up) 3-1.”

        Matt Edwards wasn't sure how much he'd be seeing of UC - or any team - while working through a string of injuries that hampered his early RedHawks career. He played five games at linebacker as a true freshman before fracturing his right tibia and fibula against Bowling Green. He missed the entire 1999 season as a medical redshirt and played in just three games in 2000.

        Last season, he played in eight games while making the switch from linebacker to defensive end.

        “I think being able to go through that made me a better person,” Edwards said. “All of the aggravation of having to sit out helped me learn perseverance and to learn a lot about myself. Whenever I got healthy, it seemed like I would get hurt again. When you're hurt, you feel very distant from the team.

        “I was happy to be able to learn how to handle sitting out. Now, I'm having a great time. As long as we keep winning, I'll keep having a great time.”

        Edwards' experiences confirmed he made the correct choice while being recruited as a senior at Moeller, which went 12-2 and reached the Division I state finals his senior season. He was Moeller's team captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior, and he was named first-team all-state and earned honorable mention on the USA Today All-America team.

        He also had to resist the efforts of Willis Edwards and his other UC-bound teammates to change his mind.

        “Everybody was trying to talk to each other, trying to get them to go here or go there,” he recalled. “Miami was just a better fit for me.”

        The RedHawks posted their biggest win of the 106-game series in Matt Edwards' freshman year with a 41-0 shutout at Nippert. UC prevailed in the two games Edwards missed with injuries, but Miami bounced back with a 21-14 win last season in a game in which Matt Edwards recorded two unassisted tackles while Willis Edwards was setting career highs with nine tackles, three tackles for losses and two sacks.

        Still, a Miami win would leave Matt Edwards undefeated in personal encounters with the Bearcats.

        “This year, it's an even bigger deal than last year,” he said. “We have a little friendly side bet, just kind of where the loser has to swallow his pride and come up to the winner's school.”

        John Erardi contributed to this story.

Good sign: Huggins complaining Huggins faces long road back, survivors say UC-Miami foes share Moeller connection

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