Penn State running back Devyn Ford posted an 11 carry, 65 yard and one touchdown effort against Rutgers on Saturday following the death of his brother.
The sophomore back hit the field for the first time in two weeks after missing Penn State’s meeting in Ann Arbor against Michigan to be with his family after the unexpected death of his brother. Ford has four brothers and two sisters according to his university bio.
‘Him and his family made that decision, which we were totally supportive of,’ Penn State coach James Franklin said earlier in the week. ‘It was obviously important for Devyn to be able to come home, and he was able to do that last week. […] Whenever we’re dealing with any type of family emergency and a situation like that, we’re always going to be as supportive as we possibly can.’
Ford kept most of the details to himself during his postgame media session but was appreciative of the support his teammates had shown him following his return. Ford had Penn State’s only rushing touchdown of the day, a seven-yard scamper where Ford was nearly untouched en route to the end zone. He also had three different carries of more than 10 yards as Penn State went on to beat the Scarlet Nights 23-7.
‘Everyone faces adversity. You’ve just got to keep pushing,’ Ford said afterward.
It has been an emotional season for Penn State’s running back room in a variety of ways. Returning starter Journey Brown had to retire from football prior to the season following the discovery of a previously undiagnosed heart condition. No. 2 back Noah Cain also saw his season end in Week 1 following an ankle injury, Cain also had several family members battling COVID-19 over the summer – all of whom survived, but Cain became a louder advocate for social distancing and masking.
All these things, all of these real things, acting as the backdrop to a 2-5 season that started emotionally with an overtime loss and spiraled into five-straight losses before the Nittany Lions turned things around.
And turned them around together.
‘It’s just like family. They’re around me, consoling me, and giving me that love,’ Ford said. ‘It was definitely helpful to have them put their arms around me, be the players they are, the coaches and the men that they are. The coaches definitely helped me out a lot. They’re father figures, and just being around them kept my spirits up and kept my head in the game.’
Penn State may have to overcome another blow to the running back room as freshman Keyvone Lee left the game late in the fourth quarter and did not return after limping off the field.
‘Anything we do in life is about mentality,’ Ford said. ‘If you don’t have the right mentality for something, you’re not gonna be able to do it 100 percent, fully. I feel like our team finally found our mentality.’
