RB Ford determined to reclaim No. 1 spot
Bigger role likely after flashes of brilliance in ’20
Devyn Ford’s 2020 season served as a microcosm of the arduous football year at Penn State. Ford went from third- string running back to starter by the second quarter of the first game against Indiana. Journey Brown and Noah Cain were supposed to be the new Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders, and Ford would’ve gotten work when those two got tired.
Making plans in 2020 proved to be a waste of time. It’s not much different in 2021, but we’ll save that for another day.
Brown had to retire from football with a heart condition, and Cain is still working his way back from an injury suffered in the first quarter of the loss against the Hoosiers.
Ford should be the obvious choice to get the carries until Cain returns. In 2019, he was the No. 40 overall prospect, No. 1 running back, and No. 2 recruit in Virginia by Rivals. His coaches and teammates notice the skills.
“For Devyn, we say it every year — he is one of our team’s most talented kids,” running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider told reporters last month. “But at some point, we’ve got to stop talking about how talented you are, and you’ve got to put it together. You’ve got to put it together for a whole season.”
Ford played in six of the nine games for the Nittany Lions and posted 294 yards on 67 rushes with three touchdowns.
There were flashes of brilliance from Ford. He ran for 69 yards on a careerhigh 20 carries against Indiana and scored on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette isn’t responsible for any broken laptops, mobile devices or tables, so we won’t get into the Michael Penix-led, 75-yard drive after Ford’s late-fourth quarter touchdown.
Ford showed versatility with catches out of the backfield and returned kicks in games against Ohio State, Nebraska, and Rutgers. But his momentum got railroaded by injuries. He missed games that allowed younger guys such as Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee to play in his spot.
If everything goes according to plan, any opportunity for running backs won’t come easy at Penn State this season. Ford, Lee, Holmes, Cain, and even Baylor transfer John Lovett will compete.
But Ford seemed dedicated to staying in the top spot when he spoke to reporters Wednesday.
“It’s been highly competitive every single day. When you come in, you know you’ve got jobs on the line every single day,” Ford said via Zoom. “It’s a beautiful thing because we’re all pushing each other to be the best we can be on the field. The running back room is good because we were able to push ourselves.”
Ford said he’s refining his diet. He discussed making better decisions on and off the field. His message sounded similar to what Seider said about him earlier.
“You can see maturity taking over. He’s starting to calm down. He’s starting to focus on himself and being a better student,” Seider said. “I tell my guys all the time — if you handle the stuff off the field, it’s going to make the stuff on the field easy for you because you’re not going to have that many distractions. Now you can focus on doing the things you love and playing ball.”
A focused and healthy Ford could be a significant part of the Nittany Lions showing the world that 2020 was an aberration.