The opportunities for running back Jason Ford are few right now as he tries to establish himself as a freshman in the Illinois running game. So, the fumble he lost in the team’s second game could have been the type of play that hurt his confidence or caused coach Ron Zook to hesitate.

“Maybe one of the biggest things for a running back to understand from high school to college is there’s no get out of jail cards,” Zook said. “We can’t turn the ball over.”

Zook must believe that Ford learned the lesson because the Belleville Althoff product has been placed in some tough spots the last few weeks.

He was used in a goal-line situation at Penn State and scored his first touchdown. He scored against Michigan. He started against Minnesota last week because the Illini started their first possession at the 2-yard line. And he was in the backfield on fourth-and-goal from the half-yard line.  

“He’s a tough strong guy,” Zook said. “There are some guys you have a little feeling about, who you have confidence in. I have a lot of confidence in Jason, I really do.”

Look for Ford to show up more often in goal-line and short yardage situations.