Hottest hand rules in UCA backfield

CONWAY — Central Arkansas football coaches say that when it comes to their running backs, they look for the man with the hot hand.

Through three games for the Bears, all played at Estes Stadium in Conway, two running backs have at least temporarily separated themselves from a group of six.

Freshman Carlos Blackman led UCA’s rushers in the first two games, with 98 yards on 15 carries in a 56-13 victory over Houston Baptist and 123 yards on 28 carries in UCA’s 35-29 loss to Samford. Although running backs coach Larry Warner said the result was unrelated to Blackman’s fumble on UCA’s first possession, senior Antwon Wells took charge with 25 carries for 129 yards in a 24-10 victory over Northwestern (La.) State on Saturday.

6 p.m. Saturday, Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro

“The reason Blackman didn’t get back in any sooner was that Antwon started rolling with the hot hand,” Warner said. “That’s the reason I rotate guys the way I do. Eventually one of them’s going to catch fire.”

“I’ve been waiting for a while to get that amount of carries,” Wells said. “It felt pretty good to get them.”

Wells played for UCA Coach Steve Campbell when both were at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and Campbell said Wells’ work ethic stood out from the start.

Wells redshirted while recovering from knee surgery through his first season at UCA after he transferred from Mississippi Gulf Coast. Last season, in a backfield dominated by seniors, Wells carried the ball once for 2 yards. He had carried 12 times for 45 yards through UCA’s first two games this season.

“He’s in the 99th percentile when it comes to hard work, passion, wanting to succeed,” Campbell said. “He’s not your average guy. He’s got something to him that’s special.”

Campbell said Wells’ attributes will serve him well throughout life.

“He’s going to be great at whatever it is he does, because he puts his heart into it,” Campbell said.

Wells’ leadership seems clear to Warner and Blackman.

“With what he does in the weight room and what he does off the field to get himself ready, I know he’s doing everything to get himself ready,” Warner said. “He’s a great kid. He pours himself into whatever he does. He kind of sets the tone for what everyone does.”

“They put me in his weightlifting group, and he pushes me,” Blackman said. “He works hard. He works extremely hard. He leads by example, and he pushes us. He’s working hard, and he wants us to work just as hard as he does.”

Blackman said he learned from his fumble against Northwestern State. Warren said coaches must learn to accept that fumbles will occur like all other forms of football imperfection, but steps must be taken to limit them. In Blackman’s case, Warren said it was a matter of holding the ball high and tight, above where tacklers most often contact runners.

“It’s just a matter of basically teaching them how to carry the ball properly,” Warner said. “Defensive guys have been taught over and over, rip the ball out, punch the ball out. It’s just habits he has to clean up as far as ball security, holding the ball close to his body, and he has improved on that tremendously.”

“Blackman has some definite raw ability,” Campbell said. “He has great leg strength. It’s hard for one guy to get him on the ground. He’s got something you can’t teach, an ability to make the first guy bounce off of him or miss.”

Campbell and Warren said they expect the other four running backs to make contributions and remain prepared for their hot-hand moments.

So far this season, Blackman leads the way with 262 rushing yards. Wells has 174, followed by Darrien Daniels with 103, Kelton Warren with 62, Jarvis Cooper with 43 and Keshawn Ledet with 28.

“There’s a good group back there, and at any point in time, any one of those guys could step forward and have a good day for us,” Campbell said. “We tell them, your number is going to get called. It will get called. Don’t get impatient, because your time is coming. Be ready when your time is there.”