Friday Features: Shorter’s B.J. McCoy runs hard, is thankful for every snap
By Mike Perrin
It’s so commonplace these days that we almost pay no heed. Watch a football game, from the NFL to the neighborhood pee-wee league, and you are most assuredly going to see somebody crossing the goal line for a touchdown and immediately pointing skyward.
The celebratory gesturing, the players will say, is to honor their Creator or to memorialize a dearly departed relative.
Shorter University fullback
B.J. McCoy points toward the heavens before every snap, not just the nine times – so far – that he’s scored for the Hawks thus far this season. Why?
“I point to the sky before every play as a way of prayer,” he said. “I’m thanking God for the opportunity to play this sport at this level, but also to protect me and my team and also the other team on the upcoming play.”
McCoy has had a lot to be thankful for on the field this year. With 1,280 yards, he’s the top rusher in the Gulf South Conference by a long shot. Second-place
Lamonte Thompson of North Alabama has 899 yards and McCoy has just 12 more carries. The junior Hawk is fourth in all of Division II football and averages 160 yards a game. On his shoulders, Shorter’s option attack is seventh in the nation in rushing at 299.3 yards a game.
The Hawks, in just their third season in the GSC, are struggling at 2-6 overall and 1-4 in league play. McCoy and his teammates are working for more, but he is happy to be at the Rome, Ga., school.
“I chose Shorter because when I finished prep school, Shorter was the only school that continued to offer me even though I had not made my test score,” he said. “They were willing to wait until I got it. The fact that this is a Christian school is a bonus.”
McCoy came out of Atlanta Sports Academy in 2013 and his production for the Hawks has increased every season. As a freshman, he totaled 390 yards. A year ago, he was the team’s second-leading rusher with 570 yards. He’s at 2,240 yards on the ground in his career with games this weekend at home vs. North Alabama and on the road at West Georgia to close out the season.
The 5-foot-8, 215-pounder is closing in on one of his personal goals for the year. “The personal goals I have for myself are to go over the 1,500-yard mark, be all-conference and an All-American. For my team, I want us to win the conference and win a championship.”
McCoy’s goals for his team aren’t surprising to veteran head coach
Phil Jones. “He’s one of the most outstanding persons I’ve met, not only within the game of football, but outside of it,” Jones said. “He’s just a great individual.
“I’m glad to see him get an opportunity and make the most of it. He’s worked very, very hard to get where he is.”
Hard work and hard running is McCoy’s style.
“I credit all the yards I’ve got this season to my offensive line,” he said. “They truly put their all into every play in order to open up the holes for me. Over the summer I really worked on exploding through the hole by doing explosive workouts. Exploding through the hole is a big part of our offense.
“I would describe my running style as powerful. I feel I can break tackles and get extra yards, but also I can make that one cut and get down the field. I do love contact, but I try to avoid it as much as I can to save my body. When I need to deliver the blow, I do it.
“I actually try to base my running style off [Georgia Hall of Famer] Herschel Walker, but others tell me I run like [Seattle Seahawks star]
Marshawn Lynch.”
McCoy also comes by his football talent through his gene pool. Four of his cousins have college and pro experience: Rodney McCoy played at the University of Georgia, Reggie Brown played at Georgia and for the Philadelphia Eagles, Chris McCoy played at Middle Tennessee and is on the practice squad for the Pittsburgh Steelers and
LeSean McCoy is the Buffalo Bills’ leading rusher.
While the Hawks have had a disappointing season on the field, McCoy said the challenge of playing against GSC talent is exactly what he wants. “The competition in the Gulf South is not D2 talent. It’s D1 talent these are some of the best athletes I’ve ever played against and they are huge,” the diminutive runner said. “But I enjoy playing these teams. They bring it.”
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