LITTLE ROCK — PINE BLUFF - Arkansas-Pine Bluff sophomore tailback Mickey Dean could have wound up as one of those players with plenty of talent who never lived up to his potential after an injury.
Dean, who sat out most of 2006 with a high ankle sprain, is adamant when he says he's not one of those players.
"They call me 'Touchdown Machine,' but there was like a two-year span between my last touchdown," Dean said. "With a little work, I think I can get back to being Mickey Dean, Touchdown Machine."
Dean, who earned his nickname at Little Rock Central, was one of UAPB's most celebrated signees when he chose the Golden Lions in 2004.
Dean rushed for 3,664 career yards in high school while leading the Tigers to back-to-back state championships. He turned down an invitation to walk on at the University of Arkansas, which already had commitments from Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
"The sky is the limit for Mickey," UAPB Coach Mo Forte said before Dean's freshman year. "This young man can do it all."
Dean, who is 5-10 and runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, lived up to his lofty billing as a freshman in 2005. He was named Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year after rushing for 712 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He set a single-game school rushing record for a freshman with 237 yards and four touchdowns in a 64-36 victory at Jackson State.
"If he continues on this pace, Mickey has the tools to play on the next level," Forte said.
Dean was billed as one of the SWAC's top tailbacks going into the 2006 season. But three plays into UAPB's season opener againstMississippi Valley State, Dean felt a throbbing pain in his left ankle after he was tackled from behind while turning a corner.
"I caught a swing pass and was cutting to go upfield and something hit me in the ankle," Dean said of the deep, high ankle sprain.
Initially, the injury was thought to be mild and Dean was expected to play the following week. But the injury lingered.
"It just wasn't getting better," Dean said. "I couldn't make the cuts like I used to."
Dean missed the Golden Lions' next four games, then reaggravated the injury on his first play against Grambling State and was out for the season.
"I was really down because I wanted to play so bad," Dean said. "But there wasn't anything I could do about it."
Dean, who was granted a medical redshirt season, wore a boot for most of the off-season and reported to preseason camp this year healthy, but about 20 pounds overweight.
"Mickey's playing weight is about 220, but he came to camp at about 240," UAPB running backs coach Keith Saine said. "It was understandable because he couldn't run or really even put any weight on his left foot becauseof the boot. But at 240, he was carrying too much weight."
Dean, who has since shed most of the weight, was sluggish through the first six games, and gained only 99 yards rushing on 40 carries and no touchdowns.
Forte correctly deduced that Dean's problems weren'tphysical.
"Before the Alabama A&M game, I sat down and had a talk with Mickey," Forte said. "As a football player, there are so many things that are mental. When something happens like an injury that upsets nature, a lot of kids don't know how to handle it.
"Mickey had a tendency to overcorrect rather than doing what came naturally to him. I just wanted him to get back to what he does best, which is rely on his speed and his ability to make people miss."
Something clicked last weekagainst East Division co-leader Alabama A&M. Though UAPB lost 31-14, Dean recaptured some of his old form with a season-high 121 yards rushing on 12 carries.
More important, he scored his first touchdown since November 2005, and again had his teammates referring to him by his nickname.
"Getting that game behind me gives me a lot of my confidence back," Dean said. "I still have a ways to go but now I know I can get there with some hard work. I've got two more years of college ball left and my goal is to make it to the next level [NFL]."
Sports, Pages 30 on 10/26/2007