Nov. 22, 2003
Ten yards. It is a first down, the depth of the end zone. And it is all that separates Rashad Armstrong from rushing immortality.
Entering today's game, Armstrong needs just 10 yards to become the sixth 1,000-yard rusher in the 102-season history of Baylor history. Armstrong would become the first Bear to reach the milestone since Jerod Douglas in 1995.
"It's exciting," Armstrong said. "I wish I could have gotten it at Oklahoma. But coming home in front of our fans and in front of my family and friends, it will be exciting."
Perhaps no word better describes the senior from Miami, Fla., who stands five-foot-nine on a good day: exciting. Armstrong chooses running lanes with the best of them, often turning a no-gainer into a five-yard spurt in the blink of an eye.
Critics will say Armstrong benefits from an extra game; Baylor plays 12 games this season where the Bears played only 11 in the five other 1,000-yard seasons. However, each of those running backs (Walter Abercrombie, Douglas, Cleveland Franklin, Steve Beaird and Alfred Anderson) benefited from more tenured and developed offensive lines.
Assistant head coach Gerald Carr, who handles Baylor's running backs, said it is easier for a back like Armstrong to run behind an offensive line that is perhaps not perfectly polished.
"He has the ability to get himself out of bad situations that may be created because we're being over-powered up front," Carr said. "But he's able to handle a pounding, and that's something people don't really realize about him. He's so compactly built that he's able to deliver a blow. We've given him the ball, and most times it's been between the tackles. He's held up for 12 games in this conference."
Although Baylor's offensive line has been a patchwork quilt all season (the Bears have used three different starters at right guard and a true freshman starter at right tackle), the big guys up front can take pride in helping Armstrong reach 1,000 yards.
"They've got to get him started," head coach Guy Morriss said. "He's got a lot of yards after he's cleared the line of scrimmage, but somebody had to get him that little bit of wiggle room to get him going."
A perfect example of that was against SMU. With Baylor trailing 7-3 in the third quarter, the offensive line gave Armstrong just enough "wiggle room" for a four-yard scoring plunge that proved the difference in the Bears' 10-7 victory. Later in the game, the offensive line stood strong, getting the running game first down after first down as the Bears ran out the clock.
But the highlight drive of Armstrong's 1,000-yard journey came against Colorado. Pinned at their own 3, the Bears put together an eight-play, 97-yard drive that culminated in Armstrong's memorable 55-yard gallop down the right sideline and into the end zone. The drive broke the Buffaloes' spirits, and it all came on the ground.
While 10 yards is all Armstrong needs to reach 1,000, he eyes many more. The thought of a 200-yard game excites the former junior college all-American, knowing he needs just 197 yards to break Abercrombie's school record of 1,187 yards.
"I'm going to try for everything I can," Armstrong said. "Just go out there and play my heart out."
That is something Armstrong does every time he sets foot on the field. The size of his heart was never more apparent than against North Texas. After gaining 91 yards in the first half against UNT, Armstrong sustained bruised ribs on his first carry of the second half. He was forced to watch the rest of the game from the sideline. The frustration showed as tears welled.
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog," Carr said. "He exemplifies that more than anything. He's very small in stature. You look at him and think, 'No way.' Then you turn the film on and watch him against the talent level he's playing against and you think, 'Wow! Who is this kid?'
"That's the thing pro scouts and personnel directors are going to have to make a decision on. Where does he fit, what does he have? I'd love to see him move on (to the NFL), just because of what he can bring to a team with his work habits and ethic of being a football player. You look at him and think, 'How much can he get done?' He's getting it done in the Big 12, and a lot of these players that are being drafted are coming out of this conference."
Playing on the next level is definitely something that peaks Armstrong's interest.
"I think about it," Armstrong said. "I've got God in my life, and wherever he takes me, I'm going to go."
One way in which Armstrong has increased his stock this season has been as a receiver. After catching only eight passes last season, Armstrong has 18 snags for 187 yards and a touchdown this year. In fact, he is fourth on Baylor's receptions list for the season.
"It makes me a more durable back," Armstrong said. "It shows I can do more things, and that's what (NFL scouts) are looking for."
Armstrong came to Baylor from Mesa Community College in Arizona where he was named NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year in 2001 after rushing for 1,373 yards and 16 touchdowns. He entered last season second on Baylor's depth chart at running back and did not get a complete chance to showcase his abilities until late in the season.
When that opportunity arrived, Armstrong did not let it slip away. In his second start, Armstrong rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries against Texas Tech. Two games later, he put up 103 yards on Oklahoma, and he followed that with a 112-yard showing against Oklahoma State.
That momentum spilled over to the 2003 season, but it did not do so uninterrupted. Armstrong was forced to miss all of Baylor's spring season due to academic probation. While Armstrong got his grades in order, the Bears moved forward without him. He entered preseason drills in August third on Baylor's depth chart.
"I wouldn't have given a wooden nickel for Rashad when we got here," Carr said. "I didn't see anything on film that showed me anything about him, and then we didn't get an opportunity to practice him in the spring. So I didn't feel that strongly about him during the preseason."
But Carr said it was Armstrong's determination and work habit that propelled the back to the starting role by the season opener. Armstrong rushed for 152 yards in that game against UAB, the 20th-best single-game effort in school history.
The performance against UAB put Armstrong along side Abercrombie, Ron Francis and Darrell Bush as the only Baylor backs to ever rush for 100 yards in three consecutive games. Armstrong was poised to become the first player in Baylor history to reach the century mark in four straight, but the rib injury against North Texas ended the quest.
In his two seasons, Armstrong has amassed 1,637 rushing yards, a school record for a two-year player. But right now, it is 10 more yards that Armstrong eyes.
"It was my goal to come in and do the best I can as a running back," Armstrong said. "I never set my goals for records, but I wanted to get 1,000 yards. This season, I have an opportunity to do it."
Morriss agrees.
"It will be a challenge, but I would hope we can gain 10 yards in four quarters," Morriss said. "That's kind of a benchmark, a measuring stick. So it will be a nice honor."
