Bucknell University Athletics
Young Overcomes High School Knee Injury to Have Productive Bison Career
11/5/2012 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2012
By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications
Well, that didn't take long.
Less than 24 hours before kickoff of last Saturday's game vs. Colgate, Bucknell senior running back Jeremiah Young stated that he would like to break his career-high rushing mark (105 yards at the time) when asked what his personal goals were the remainder of the year. The very next afternoon he took to the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium turf and piled up 131 yards on 18 carries as Bucknell registered 531 yards of total offense, one of the largest figures in program history.
Unfortunately, Young's performance, which included his sixth touchdown of the season, didn't lead to a win as the Raiders outscored the Bison 47-33. While Young was certainly happy about his individual performance, he couldn't have been too pleased with the result since last week, even before talking about his personal goals, he relayed that he wanted to win the final four games of the season.
Last Saturday did not go as planned for Bucknell, just like Young's career hasn't gone as he planned four years ago when he became Pennsylvania's all-time leading high school rusher during his days at Steelton-Highspire near Harrisburg. Young piled up an amazing 9,027 yards during his prep career, a figure that ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania and No. 9 nationally at the time of his graduation.
Big things were expected of Young, who led the Rollers to back-to-back PIAA Class A state championships.
"I went through the whole recruiting process in high school and this was a program on the rise, it was close to home and I felt I could get other athletes to come up here and we could build a dynasty," explains Young about his decision to attend Bucknell.
Young was expected to thrive in the Bison's run-based offense as a freshman in 2009, but the expectations came tumbling down when he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during the PSFCA East-West All-Star Game less than two months before the start of his first preseason practice. Interestingly, Young told a fellow all-star the night before the game that his knee didn't feel quite right.
"When the play happened I felt the pop," remembers Young nearly three-and-one-half years later. "I felt one pop and then another and once I felt the second pop I knew it was bad news. The doctor came out and did some tests and brought me back to the locker room. I started crying as soon as he told me I tore it."
Looking back on it, Young finds it a little funny that during his high school days the normal reaction from other players on the sideline when someone went down was to yell "My knee!" in a comical kind of way regardless of what the injury appeared to be.
With his knee keeping him on the sideline for the 2009 season, Young worked hard at his rehab, but says it was tough to watch his teammates on the field without him.
"I felt I was going to come in and produce right away and help the team be successful," says Young about sitting out his freshman year. "We went 4-7 that year and I feel like I could have added a spark in at least a couple of games and helped us finish with a better record."
Following the 2009 campaign, Bucknell hired Joe Susan as head coach. Young received questions from friends and family about a possible transfer, but that never crossed his mind.
"Coach Susan built relationships with everyone as soon as he was hired," mentions Young about the third-year Bison coach. "I view him as my coach and that I came here with him."
More than a year after his injury Young finally got on the field as a Bison in 2010. He was forced to wear a clunky brace that was a constant reminder of the injury and he had put on some added weight that he was not used to playing with thanks to participating in a lifting program for the first time. Those factors led to him carrying the ball just 25 times for 50 yards all season.
"I felt 60 percent when I got out there," remembers Young about his sophomore year.
With a year of wearing the Bison uniform now behind him, Young was determined to have a better junior season. The first thing he did following the 2010 campaign was evaluate his own performance and he realized he had to get in better shape. He did that and had a much-improved junior year, rushing 114 times for 464 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers would have been even better but he was hampered by a late-season concussion that forced him back to the sideline for three games.
Susan expected the running back position to be a strength of the Bison in 2012 as Bucknell returned both Young and fellow senior Tyler Smith at the position. While Young is putting together his best year yet with a career-high 482 yards on 121 carries, Smith has been hampered by an ankle injury all year and has been a shell of his former self.
"I feel kind of upset he's not out there with me," says Young. "We are a good combination and bring two different things to the table. He is more elusive and makes guys miss. I am just the big back running downhill. With him out it puts more responsibility on me. I'm willing to handle it, but it would be a lot easier if he was out there with me."
Another challenge for Young, who enters the Fordham contest four yards shy of 1,000 for his career, has been the task of running behind a youthful offensive line that features four first-time starters this year. Young used his upperclass standing and experience recently when before the mid-October Harvard game he challenged the offensive line to do a better job. The line has responded well, paving the way for Young to go over 100 yards on the ground each of the last two weeks.
As Young, who has seven siblings, looks to wrap up this season on a high note, his attention will turn to the future. Since he sat out his freshman season, he still has one more year of eligibility, which could be used if he chooses to do so. To do that he will have to enroll in a graduate program and get the appropriate approvals.
While he is leaning towards trying to continue his Bison football career next year, Young also knows he might have to enter the "real world". The political science and education major isn't sure what that will entail, but he hopes it will include giving back to the community and helping children.
Helping youngsters is already a focus for Young, who tries to act as a role model for his younger brothers that are in their early teens.
"As I have grown older I have realized I need to build a relationship with them," says Young, who will turn 22 in January. "My little brothers look up to me a lot, so I try to be the best role model possible and I think I am succeeding so far."
Young is also succeeding on the football field and he can only hope his recent high level of play will continue the remainder of his career, whether it is three games or 14.
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Football Gameday Program.
