Many athletes only get one shot at the spotlight, and junior tight end Gerald Ford is making the most of his.
After starting tight end and All-ACC selection Bill Khayat went down with an injury in the Maryland game, Ford instantly saw an increase in playing time. Normally used as an extra blocker in a two tight-end set or on the special teams unit, Ford has filled in for Khayat so well that many people may not realize that Khayat was ever injured.
"I told Gerald we [ought to] put him in [Khayat's jersey No.] 37," head coach Fred Goldsmith said. "The way he's catching the ball Khayat's liable to get drafted."
Ford showed off that ability on Saturday with two clutch catches for 46 yards. His first reception was an 18 yarder that brought the ball down to the N.C. State one-yard line and set up Duke's first touchdown. His second reception was early in the third quarter and kept a Duke drive alive as it faced a third-and-11 from its own 30.
"I do think that I run block a little better than I catch," Ford said. "But I'm comfortable doing both."
Ford's blocking ability is easy to see as it translates directly into a better rushing game for the Blue Devils. In the N.C. State and Maryland games, two games that Ford saw a great deal of time in, Duke had its best rushing games of the year, picking up 181 rushing yards against the Wolfpack and 167 yards against the Terrapins.
The reason Ford can fill in so easily may be because he has never really felt like a back-up. As a high school player in Texas, Ford was able to make a name for himself in a state that many people believe is a breeding ground for big-time football players. Ford was on everyone's list as one of the top-100 players in Texas and was named by many as the third-best tight end in the state. Although Ford could have gone to many different Division I schools, he choose Duke, even though it was coming off its second straight losing season.
"I looked at other Division I schools," Ford said. "I went where I could play the earliest, contribute the most and get the best education, and that was Duke."
Although Ford had not started a game until the injury to Khayat, he has remained a valuable part of the offense, seeing action in every game after redshirting his freshman year. Besides being an extra blocker in a run formation, Ford provided much-needed intensity to the team for the past two years as a member of the special teams unit. Goldsmith refers to the special teams as his "Special Forces" group, so you know if a player is given Duke's Special Teams Award for being a standout on the unit, as Ford was last year, he must be a standout.
The intensity that Ford displays and his work ethic which requires him to always be prepared is what allowed Ford to step into the starting role this year so easily.
"The spring before, Khayat didn't participate, so I have had the reps as the first-string tight end," Ford said. "I've worked with the offense and I've worked with Spence and the offensive line, so it wasn't really new to me. You always have to be prepared because you never know when an injury is going to take somebody."
The latest report from Goldsmith is that Khayat is recovering well and may be ready to play as early as this weekend. Although Khayat has been a main focal point of Duke's offense for the past two seasons, Goldsmith may find it hard to keep Ford out of the lineup for long due to the way Ford has seized his opportunity to show off his wares.
Even though it could mean a reduction in his current role, Ford is happy to see Khayat coming back and knows that he will still have a job to do for this Blue Devil team.
"Each player has a specific role on the team and I still think that I will have a pretty strong role with the team," Ford said. "So if [Khayat] came back, I would be extremely happy."
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