Rice Looking To Cook Up Heisman Season
Apr 27 | Football
By Chris Huston
Special to CSTV.com from Heismanpundit.com
Ray Rice has been running most of his life.
He took his first handoff at the age of seven, playing Pop Warner football in New Rochelle, N.Y. He fell in love with the position and he's been a carrying the ball ever since.
"I've always loved the offensive side of the ball," said Rice, who checks in at No. 13 on the Heismanpundit.com Pre-Season Heisman Watch. "I played a little corner in high school, but I've always been a running back at heart."
It's his heart that has pushed him to become the player he is today. At 5-foot-9, 195 pounds, the rising junior from Rutgers isn't exactly the prototypical tailback. He's not going to break ankles or leave defenders grasping for air. But he will pound defenses into submission with his relentless, attacking running style. A true workhorse, Rice led the nation in carries last year, averaging 26 per game. In this era of third-down sprites and short-yardage battering rams, he is a throwback.
And, naturally, he gives all the credit to his teammates.
"I've had a lot of help here," said Rice, whose 1,794 rushing yards was second only to Garrett Wolfe last season. "A lot of guys are pushing me to be successful. I can't do it all by myself.
"The offensive line, the coaches--they've all pushed me to work as hard as I can to be the best back I can be."
Originally a Syracuse commit, Rice switched to Rutgers after the Orange fired Paul Pasqualoni.
"I wanted to stay close to home where my family could see me play," said Rice, who led New Rochelle High to a state title as a junior and to the title game as a senior. "I thought that there was a chance to help build the program at Rutgers."
From the moment he stepped foot on campus, Rice was laying the foundation. He rushed for 1,120 yards and five touchdowns as the Scarlet Knights went to its first bowl game since 1978. Then last season, he churned out 138 yards per game and scored 20 touchdowns as Rutgers went 11-2 and was one triple-overtime loss away from winning the Big East title and playing in a BCS bowl game.
Being an integral part of one of the great turnarounds in recent college football history--remember, Rutgers had had 10-straight losing seasons before Rice arrived--doesn't seem to weigh too much on his mind.
"I sort of took it all in stride," said Rice. "You can pray about this kind of success happening, but when it does, you can't let it get to your head."
Rice credits the player who lined up directly in front of him the last couple years with teaching him to keep things in perspective.
"(Fullback) Brian Leonard taught me to be humble," said Rice. "He taught me that producing on the field was all that mattered."
Not having Leonard--who had an illustrious career and should be the first fullback selected in the coming NFL Draft--could make it tougher for Rice. His blocking was one of the main reasons for Rice's success the past couple seasons.
"It will be a challenge without Brian," Rice acknowledged. "He left a real legacy for this program. He really pushed me hard to play my best, but I am confident that other guys are going to step in and do well."
And if Rutgers is going to continue its success, Rice knows he is going to have to step up and be the leader that Leonard was.
"I have to be the pusher now. I have to push guys," said Rice. "I have to be more consistent as a player and set an example. Brian was great at pass protection and now more of that responsibility is on me."
Rutgers will need his leadership in the wild and wooly Big East. Long considered the weakest of the BCS leagues, it became a power conference in 2006 as West Virginia and Louisville joined the Scarlet Knights in the AP final top 12.
"The Big East is getting tough," said Rice. "There's a lot of talent in this league. Now that we've had some success, it's going to be harder for us. Every game will be a fight."
That style suits Rice just fine. His tenacious running should keep Rutgers in the mix for a conference title next year. In the meantime, his proudest moment as a Scarlet Knight was the 37-10 win over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl last December.
"Winning that game was the best feeling," said Rice. "It was great to watch the seniors go out with a win. That meant a lot to me."
Next December, if all goes right, he could conceivably catch a cab ride to another proud moment--the Heisman ceremony.
"As a kid, you grow up watching all the Heisman winners," said Rice, who finished seventh in last year's voting. "To have a chance to be mentioned in that group is a great honor."
If he keeps pushing Rutgers to new heights, Rice may end up getting more than just a mention.
He may get a trophy, too.
