Josh Ford

BYU

Sep 27 (Sat)

8:15 PM

Position:
Tailback
Height:
5-9
Weight:
205
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Denver, Colo.
High School:
Mullen/Barton CC

AT COLORADO: This Season (Sr.)—He entered fall camp tied for third at tailback and in the hunt to be in the regular rotation; however he suffered a high ankle sprain on August 11 and he was expected to miss at least the season opener. He once again earned a scholarship for his final year at CU, as the new coaching staff saw fit to renew it just prior to August camp. He again had a great spring, leading all runners in yards in the four main scrimmages (26 carries for 204 yards, 7.8 per with a touchdown). He won the Iron Buffalo Award for the running backs for spring conditioning in the weight room. In three spring practice years, he had 690 yards on 76 carries, or 9.1 per carry, in the major scrimmages.

2012 (Jr.)—He played in eight games (no starts), missing three games with a nasty ankle sprain at Oregon; he was thought to be out for the season but was able to play some in the finale against Utah. He had 27 carries on the year for 127 yards (4.7 per), with a touchdown and six first downs earned; he had three runs over 10 yards and 13 that gained five or more. His top game was at Fresno State, when he had 10 carries for 61 yards and his touchdown; he also had seven rushes for 38 yards versus Arizona State. He added three solo tackles on special teams duty, along with two first downfield credits that altered the return path on the kickoff coverage team. He was placed on scholarship for the season the first day of August camp, the coaching staff rewarding him for his hard work on the field and in the weight room and taking care of business off the field. He had another exceptional spring, and led the team in rushing for a second straight year in the four main scrimmages: he had 20 carries for 222 yards (11.1) with two touchdowns, the longest covering 43 yards.

2011 (Soph.)—He saw action in 12 games (no starts), finishing third on the team in rushing with 128 yards on 22 carries; he had one touchdown, five first downs earned and a long gain of 20. Exactly half of his attempts (11) gained five or more yards, with six efforts of 10 yards or longer. He had carries in five games, with his top game coming at Arizona State when he had 10 carries for 73 yards. He had six rushes for 26 yards and a score in CU’s 48-29 win over Arizona, the 17-yard TD run coming late in the first half to give the Buffs a 20-10 lead. He officially led the team in kickoff returns, averaging 22.9 yards on seven runbacks, with a long of 32; he also had six special team points on the strength of three assisted tackles, two first downfield credits that altered returns and a knockdown block. He had a tremendous spring, leading all runners in the spring game with 164 yards on 17 carries (9.6 per), which included a 56-yard touchdown run. He also was tops for all three main spring scrimmages combined, with 264 yards on 30 attempts (8.8), and he also made three receptions for 35 yards.

2010 (Fr.-RS)—He did not see any action but did participate in practices and on the scout team after joining the team as a walk-on once enrolled at CU for the fall semester.

AT BARTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE (2009, Fr.)—He attended Barton CC (Fort Riley, Kan.) for the spring semester to improve his academics, but the school does not field a football team and thus was a student only.

HIGH SCHOOL—As a senior, he earned honorable mention All-State (5A) honors from both the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post, in addition to being named a first-team All-Big 6 Conference performer at running back. He rushed for 1,348 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt as he ran for 100 or more yards in nine games. Topping that list was a 197-yard, two-TD effort in a win over Cherry Creek, while also scoring five touchdowns in another outing. He was a breakaway threat as a receiver, with 13 catches for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior, when he earned second-team All-Conference honors, he had 688 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 8.8 per try, with seven receptions for over 100 yards including three scores. He returned one kick during his prep career—racing 87 yards with a kickoff for a touchdown against Montbello as a junior. As a freshman and sophomore, he played mostly on defense, as a lineman. He did rush for 134 yards on 16 carries as a sophomore. Mullen, winner of three league titles during his prep career, was 12-2 his senior year (state 5A champions), and 13-1 his junior and sophomore seasons under coach and former CU star Dave Logan. He also lettered three times in track (sprints and relays), with Mullen claiming the state championship his junior year.

ACADEMICS—He is majoring in Sociology at Colorado.

PERSONAL—He was born April 24, 1991 in Denver. A regular churchgoer, he lists working out, debating friends and telling jokes among his hobbies. An uncle, Howard Ballage, lettered for CU from 1976-78 and as a senior, led the nation in kickoff returns with a 29.4 average. One of his idols as a prep performer was LenDale White, the former USC and Chatfield High School star, who was also coached by the same coaches he later would have at Mullen. He is active in the community and was the recipient of the Colorado Youth of the Year Award for his leadership in the Boys & Girls Club as a senior in high school.

		Rushing					High Games		Receiving					High Games
Season	G	Att	Yds	Avg.	TD	Long	Att	Yds	No.	Yds	Avg.	TD	Long	Rec	Yds
2011	12	22	128	5.8	1	20	10	73	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
ADDITIONAL STATISTICS-Kickoff Returns: 7-160, 22.9 avg., 32 long (2011); Special Team Tackles 0,3-3 (2011).