Sep. 20—River Ford was a triple threat for Belmont on Thursday night.
The senior had a big impact in all three phases as the Cardinals stormed to a 47-0 win over Hatley. On offense, Ford rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns; on defense, he made three interceptions and 10 tackles; and on special teams, he recorded four touchbacks on kickoffs.
“He’s the kicker, the punter, he makes the defensive calls, and he can play any position in the backfield on offense,” coach Jason Coker said.
For all he did Thursday, Ford was only one of many contributors.
Belmont (2-1) racked up 380 rushing yards with its Wing-T attack. Myles Cox had 129 yards and two touchdowns, while Eli Reno had 100 yards and three TDs.
It’s the kind of performance Coker expects to see from his offense.
“You wanna spread it around like a 3-headed monster. We’ve just got to be more consistent with it, but that’s what we’re looking for,” he said.
Belmont was just 1-7 last season and didn’t get its first win until mid-October. The 2021 season began with a forfeit win over Smithville, followed by a 52-37 loss to Tishomingo County.
The Cardinals had a week off before facing Hatley (0-3).
“We put a game plan in and were able to execute it,” Coker said. “We had two weeks to prepare, and they worked pretty hard. We overcame some injuries and got some kids back from quarantine. We had some younger kids step in and fill some roles.”
Belmont returns to action next week when it visits border rival Red Bay (Ala.).