Never mind top 10, the key to Michigan being No. 1 is whether Braylon Edwards can keep No. 1.

The 6-3 junior wideout, who has coveted the Wolverines' No. 1 jersey since arriving in Ann Arbor, finally was awarded it this spring by coach Lloyd Carr. But it was something the touted receiver had to earn -- and something Carr says he has the right to revoke if Edwards doesn't continue to produce. "You might see him wear No. 1 one day and No. 80 the next," Carr says.

	Braylon Edwards' 1,035-yard and 10 TD season earned him the coveted No. 1 jersey this fall.

Last season Edwards caught 67 passes for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he did drop some balls and wasn't quite the playmaker that UM coaches expect from a guy wearing the No. 1, which around Ann Arbor is akin to USC's No. 55 or Notre Dame's No. 3.

Edwards, the son of Stan Edwards, a standout Wolverine running back, knows all about the number's mystique. "I have been following Michigan football for a long time and noticed that all the great receivers wore No. 1, like Anthony Carter, David Terrell and Derrick Alexander, and I just wanted to be part of that tradition.

"Coach Carr told me in my freshman year that they wanted me to prove myself first. Coach Carr came to me after last season and said that I had proved myself and if I still wanted to wear No. 1 I could."

Edwards' dedication to get better has also pushed him to the Wolverine track team where he is competing as a long jumper and sprinter. At last month's Penn Relays, he jumped 6-feet, 9½ inches. Coach Ron Warhurst says Edwards has worked overtime to improve his speed, refining his knee lift and stride. "His technique and his starts are much better," says Warhurst.

Edwards showed off that speed by running a 4.41 forty this spring, but he says it's important for him to carry that commitment over to the summer. "I see myself as a leader, because anybody who has success is looked up to as someone who has to lead the team," Edwards said. "I definitely have to lead by example. This summer, we're going to practice hard. "(No. 1) is a significant number on any team, and people will go after (No. 1), but even if they go after me, we have a great receiving corps."

Small price to pay for history
From the moment Holly Cohen walked on to the Miners team this spring, she knew history was on the line. But if UTEP's former all-WAC soccer star is to become the first woman to score a point in a D I-A football game, she may need to put a twist on pay-for-play.

The NCAA doesn't want schools hiding, say, 300-pound nose tackles on the golf team, so scholarship athletes aren't allowed to play football without counting against the 85-man scholarship limit. Cohen, on a free soccer ride, could get a football scholarship, but UTEP has none left. So unless a player quits or flunks out, Cohen will have to shell out $6,000 for the privilege of suiting up.

Coach Gary Nord wouldn't mind if a space did open up. He decided the self-described tomboy could handle his placekicking duties after she went five-for-five in the spring game, connecting from as far away as 37 yards. "There's not a weak bone in her body," he says of the 5-foor-4, 145-pound senior. "I'd feel confident going with her with the game on the line."

Cohen hadn't given football much thought before she jogged by a practice field with some soccer buddies last January. But when a bunch of walk-on kickers dared her to try a 45-yarder, she split the uprights. No one was more stunned than she was. A couple of boots later, the guys had talked her into going out for the team. (UTEP's starter, Keith Robinson, missed all of spring ball to have a benign nasal tumor removed.)

Should Cohen win the job, her story could jump from the sports pages to the gossip columns. Her boyfriend, Tevita Fifita, is a Miners defensive end. Now get this: An ex-beau, Brad Brittain, is on the kick-block team at Arizona, which hosts UTEP on Aug. 30. That could be Cohen's first game. Imagine the possibilities.

(Here's your Cliff Notes version of the plot twists: Fifita is the son of former WWF wrestler Haku. Cohen and Brittain's older brother Grant, a former Arizona State football player, are best friends. Cohen introduced Grant to his fiancee. "Holly's the coolest chick in the world," says Grant. Brad, the ex-boyfriend and Arizona D-linemen, haven't spoken since breaking up. "I'm excited for Holly," says Brittain, who is very happy with his current girlfriend and to be honest wouldn't mind keeping a low profile on being known as Mr. Ex-boyfriend of the kicker.)

Thing is, Cohen isn't sure she'll play. "My parents really want me to do this football thing," she says. "But I have to weigh if it's worth it. Seven thousand dollars is a lot of money, but who wouldn't want to make history? I really do feel like someday -- maybe not in the next 10 years -- that some girl is gonna play in the NFL and this could help set the tone."

Random Notes