Will Ford is a young man with great faith.
Not only does the South Carolina State running back strongly believe in his abilities and that of his teammates (calling the offensive line "the best in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference"), but last year's conference Rookie of the Year is more than confident he will avoid the dreaded ‘sophomore jinx'.
Ask the Traveler's Rest native what makes him so sure in light of off-season knee surgery and now a left hamstring injury which kept him out of action for Tuesday's practice and he immediately looks upward.
"I'm just a man that believes in the man up high -- the Almighty," he said. "I worked hard this summer and I just feel like if I put my time in, everything should fall in place."
SCSU can only hope Ford's hamstring injury -- which could potentially leave his status for the Sept. 1 season-opener against Air Force in question -- is not an early sign of the 'sophomore jinx'.
"I hope that he's going to have a great year," SCSU head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough said. "But right now, we've got a long way to go. Right now, Jonathan Woods is ahead of him. I'm hoping that somehow or another, he gets it going here. But he's probably out for maybe a couple of weeks. He may not even be ready for the first game."
With the graduation of MEAC Offensive Player of the Year DeShawn Baker, Ford was expected to help lead the running back corps. The former Class 3-A champion in the 100 meters was the 'Lightning to Baker's 'Thunder', leading the team with 10 touchdowns and finishing with 752 rushing yards. At one point, Ford was averaging nine yards every time he carried the football.
His swift moves carried over to kick returning, where he averaged 25.9 yards on 20 returns and had a 90-yard touchdown return against Big South champion Coastal Carolina.
South Carolina State University tailback Will Ford is looking forward to this season. LARRY HARDY/T&D
Ford accomplished all that while experiencing constant pain in his right knee from a torn meniscus and loose cartilage dating back to high school. Arthroscopic surgery in January solved the problem, but it kept Ford out of action during spring practice.
Despite his latest injury, Ford insists this is the best he's felt physically in some time and is excited about the possibilities once he's fully healthy.
"I feel a lot better than I did during the season because I had the knee injury the whole time," Ford said. "It used to bother me a lot. So, after the surgery, I feel a lot better. I feel a thousand times better.
"They say if I ran the fastest times back then, then I should be leading anything and anybody after the surgery."
For now, Ford finds himself as a supportive observer as Brooks, Travil Jamison, Jo Jo McFadden and even defensive back Jeff Brooks get most of the carries in practice. While not 'Thunder and Lightning', Ford believes his fellow running backs are just as capable of keeping the Bulldogs' backfield in his words 'the best' in both the MEAC and Football Championship Subdivision (formerly called Division I-AA).
"We're about six deep, but all of those guys can go to any school and start," he said. "So, we compete and make each other better. But, we also work hard with each other and help each other out."
SCSU will continue acclimation practices today and Thursday before embarking upon two-a-days in full pads starting Friday.
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