HearldTribune (Sarasota) article on Mike Ford

[Brad]

After disappointing season, former Sarasota standout appears to be back in top form at USF

By ALAN DELL Correspondent

Published: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 8:54 p.m.

TAMPA - Mike Ford has learned to take nothing for granted.

In little over two years, he lost his father to a heart attack, one of his best friends was murdered and he saw his highly anticipated sophomore season at the University of South Florida spiral downward into a heap of disappointment.

The former Sarasota High star knows things can go wrong at the blink of an eye, pointing to last year when a high ankle sprain in the first game all but ruined his season.

The inactivity caused him to put on weight and robbed Ford of the explosiveness that helped him put up record numbers his senior year at Sarasota, when he gained 2,836 yards (6th highest in state history) and averaged 236 per game with 37 touchdowns.

His work habits also came into question. Much to the chagrin of his coaches, he spent a lot of his first two summers at USF in Sarasota instead of working out with teammates.

Those were mistakes, he says.

The 22-year-old appears to have changed, both mentally and physically. He spent nearly the entire summer training on campus. The one thing he can control is effort, and he didn't want to cheat himself.

"I never missed weight lifting, never missed class or anything," Ford says. "This summer is the hardest I've ever worked. I need to concentrate on football. Whatever is going on up there (Sarasota) is going to be there. You could say I was on a mission."

USF running backs coach Carl Franks, one of those who questioned Ford's work ethic, has seen the difference.

"Mike is certainly quicker and stronger and able to make his cuts faster," Franks says. "He was finally here all summer and dedicated himself to the weight room, which is huge. Football players are made in the summer."

There is no question a healthy Ford is a dangerous weapon, USF head coach Jim Leavitt says.

"The problem with Mike has been he gets hurt. If he is healthy, he could get 30 carries," Leavitt says. "He is looking good. He is big, strong and fast and runs over people. Last year, he had the ankle injury that affected his role. "

On the first day of full pads in pre-season practice on Monday, Ford looked impressive in the team's 3- on-3 drills. His increased strength and mental toughness were apparent.

"I've learned you play better when you are healthy," Ford joked. "I also figured out my weight. I was down to 215-220 last spring, but the weight I put on since is all muscle. When I first got here, I could squat about 500, and now I've done between 575 and 585. My bench is up to about 340 from about 265."

New offensive coordinator Mike Canales says the battle among the running backs is highly competitive. He prefers to have a feature back and says Ford is a candidate, but won't name a leader.

"Mike is big and powerful and strong and can block and is working on his pass catching. He is coming along. They all are," Canales says.

The competition centers on Ford, senior Moise Plancher and junior speedster Jamar Taylor, also coming off an injury. One person could emerge as the feature back or they could share the load with others used in special situations.

Ford doesn't care where he sits on the depth chart because he says it doesn't mean much.

"You could lose your job in a day. I don't look at it (depth chart) and I don't think the other running backs do," he says "When you are out there, you've got to perform."

Ford can't hide his desire to get the ball. As a freshman, he ran for 134 yards against Syracuse and followed it with 140 against Louisville. But those are forgotten moments just as the astonishing 369 yards he rushed for against Naples Lely his senior year of high school.

"I am hoping to get 15 carries or more, "Ford says. "My motor cranks up as I get more work, but hopefully I am at the point where I can crank it up on the first carry."

He doesn't want to make excuses and says other guys played hurt, but there were games last year when he couldn't perform up to his ability because of his injury.

"It (the ankle) was messing with me, but I had to play on it," he says. "There were some plays where I went down when I normally wouldn't have. But it's over now. There are no excuses."

Link

[DELdaBull]

We need one guy to separate from the pack.