Marshall's upcoming game brings several players back to "Sweet Home Alabama."

When the Thundering Herd battles Alabama-Birmingham Saturday, linebacker Brandon Burns will be closest to home. He hails from Columbiana, Ala., about 40 miles south of Birmingham, and expects about 200 friends and family members to watch him at Legion Field.

Terrell Edwards' clan has much farther to travel. He is from Mobile, 250-plus miles to the southwest, so he isn't doing as much bartering with teammates for complimentary tickets (players are allowed four per game).

But Edwards has this on Burns: He has played at UAB's home site, Legion Field, for big stakes.

Edwards' alma mater, the UMS-Wright Preparatory School, is one of Mobile's perennial state-title contenders. The Bulldogs have won three state titles in the last six years, going 15-0 twice.

One of those seasons was Edwards' junior campaign of 2005. Legion Field is the site for Alabama's high school championships, and UMS-Wright belted Deshler 42-16 for the Class 4A crown. (The state has six high school classes.)

Edwards caught a 4-yard pass for a touchdown early in the game and led all rushers with 96 yards on 11 carries. After that, he had a big senior season, rushing for 1,800 yards and 30 touchdowns and playing in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.

UAB showed interest in Edwards, who attended the 2006 Herd-Blazers game. But he seemed destined to return to Legion Field in a visiting uniform.

"They talked to me for a little while, but the coach who was recruiting me ended up leaving," Edwards said (remember, there was a coaching change at about that time). "After he left, they kind of fell off. Marshall was one of my first offers, so I was interested in them from the beginning."

Marshall's upcoming game brings several players back to "Sweet Home Alabama."

When the Thundering Herd battles Alabama-Birmingham Saturday, linebacker Brandon Burns will be closest to home. He hails from Columbiana, Ala., about 40 miles south of Birmingham, and expects about 200 friends and family members to watch him at Legion Field.

Terrell Edwards' clan has much farther to travel. He is from Mobile, 250-plus miles to the southwest, so he isn't doing as much bartering with teammates for complimentary tickets (players are allowed four per game).

But Edwards has this on Burns: He has played at UAB's home site, Legion Field, for big stakes.

Edwards' alma mater, the UMS-Wright Preparatory School, is one of Mobile's perennial state-title contenders. The Bulldogs have won three state titles in the last six years, going 15-0 twice.

One of those seasons was Edwards' junior campaign of 2005. Legion Field is the site for Alabama's high school championships, and UMS-Wright belted Deshler 42-16 for the Class 4A crown. (The state has six high school classes.)

Edwards caught a 4-yard pass for a touchdown early in the game and led all rushers with 96 yards on 11 carries. After that, he had a big senior season, rushing for 1,800 yards and 30 touchdowns and playing in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.

UAB showed interest in Edwards, who attended the 2006 Herd-Blazers game. But he seemed destined to return to Legion Field in a visiting uniform.

"They talked to me for a little while, but the coach who was recruiting me ended up leaving," Edwards said (remember, there was a coaching change at about that time). "After he left, they kind of fell off. Marshall was one of my first offers, so I was interested in them from the beginning."

Edwards has gained 73 yards on 14 carries this season in spot duty, including a 49-yard touchdown against Illinois State. He missed two games with a thigh contusion, which required minor surgery, then picked up a carry against West Virginia and three against Cincinnati, totaling 14 yards.

During the Herd's off week, coach Mark Snyder did his best to run Edwards back into top shape. Snyder would love to see Edwards get some carries before his home folks, but it was part of the plan to give the reserves some hard work.

How many carries Edwards and Chubb Small get in relief of Darius Marshall depends, in part, on whether Marshall can lift its offensive play count. The Herd is averaging about 65 plays per game, its opponents 76.

"We ran the daylights out Terrell Edwards," Snyder said. "I'd like to see Terrell. But again, our offensive numbers have to go up for Chubb to get his touches, and get Terrell out there to show what he can do."

Edwards has a few acquaintances on the other side of the ball, and that stands to reason - UAB lists 38 Alabama natives on its roster. Prominent among those is receiver Frantrell Forrest, briefly a high school teammate.

Edwards and Forrest were teammates during Edwards' freshman year at Shaw High, a Mobile public school that is now closed. Edwards later transferred to private UMS-Wright. Forrest is the Blazers' top receiving threat, and made a highlight-film catch last week against Houston.

"He and I tell everyone we're cousins, but we're really just close friends," Edwards said. "He's really, really, really good. He makes a lot of plays like that."

Linebacker Corey Hart, Burns' backup on the strong side, is from Loachapoka, about 100 miles away near Auburn. Wide receiver Demetrius Thomas, from Edwards' area in nearby Theodore, is a redshirting freshman, and defensive back Kevin Perry is a native of Madison, north of Birmingham near Huntsville.

Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.