As much as Will Ford has made running the football look easy at South Carolina State, nothing could be further from the truth.

Overlooked by major colleges coming out of Travelers Rest, Ford overcame the early naysayers and determined detractors on a weekly basis the past four seasons to become an All-American, a Walter Payton Award finalist and the school’s all-time leading rusher.

Not surprisingly, Ford’s pursuit of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference career rushing record has mimicked his athletic career. Yet through injuries, setbacks and contending with numerous tacklers every time he touches the football, Ford is closing in on the finish line.

With 155 yards either today against North Carolina A&T or in the first round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, Ford will surpass Hampton’s Alonzo Coleman’s mark of 4,648 yards set between 2003-06.

“(S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy”) Pough told us this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Ford said. “It’s a marathon and we’re still running.”

After seamlessly moving up the chart over the past two seasons, passing the likes of Bethune-Cookman’s Allen Suber, North Carolina A&T’s Maurice Hicks, Howard’s Harvey Reid and S.C. State’s DeShawn Baker and former school record-holder Michael Hicks among others, Ford has remained in the number two spot since rushing for a season-high 141 yards against Florida A&M on Oct. 17.

“It’s been rough, but the preparation and work is still the same each year,” Ford said.

For the season, Ford has rushed for 854 yards and seven touchdowns on 164 carries. Though those numbers pale in comparision with what Ford posted last year when his conference-leading 1,499 yards earned him MEAC Offensive Player of the Year and the Banks McFadden Trophy from the Greenville Touchdown Club as the state’s top college player, Ford and the coaches acknowledged he’s confronted even more defenses designed specifically to stop him this season.

“I guess the success that we’ve had the previous years running the ball, I guess they’re packing the box a little bit more this year,” Ford said. “Teams are saying they want us to beat them passing, so that’s probably what it’s been.”

“He has his games where he misses a read or two, but he is the same back that he was last year,” running backs coach Danny Lewis said. “The numbers aren’t there, but it’s not that he’s regressed.”

If anything, Lewis said the strategy of opposing teams to shut down Ford and the running back has helped open up the passing attack. Quarterback Malcolm Long is the school’s first single-season 2,000-yard passer and wide receiver Oliver “Tre” Young leads the MEAC in receptions (52 catches, 780 yards, seven TDs).

“You play eight guys at the line of scrimmage and try to insert a safety, they take away Will and then it will open it up for (quarterback) Malcolm (Long) and (wide receiver Oliver) ‘Tre’ Young.”

To counteract defenses, Ford has developed his pass-catching ability with 10 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

For his part, Ford takes bigger pride in the team’s success (a MEAC record 18 consecutive conference wins, back-to-back conference titles and 33 wins during his four years in the lineup). Instead of setting his goals on obtaining an individual rushing record, winning a first-ever FCS national championship for S.C. State is first priority for Ford.

“The yards don’t really bother me,” Ford said. “We’ve been winning and if this team wins a national championship and I don’t break the record, I’ll be happy with that. I doubt it will happen, but if it happens like that, I’ll be happy. I’ve never won a national championship before, so I’ll take a national championship way before I take the yards.”

Ford is still awaiting that breakout game and the Aggies could be a prime candidate. In three seasons, Ford has averaged 182 yards a game, which includes a school-record 322-yard effort in 2007.

While N.C. A&T head coach Alonzo Lee said his team will be motivated to “put their hands on” Ford, Pough will not count his greatest running back short of making history.

“That’s one of the more consistent kinds of players,” he said. “A guy who consistently continues to work towards getting something done. He’ll get it done.”

T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Read his blog, Following the Bulldogs, and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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