Alabama's Ace in the Hole: Senior Running Back Roy Upchurch

Senior running back Roy Upchurch is the quintessential workman. He has a team-member mentality, brute strength, and motivation to excel beyond his natural ability. For Nick Saban, he has been and still remains, an "Ace in the Hole."

Upchurch was recruited out of Godby High School in Tallahassee by coach Bob Connley. In his senior year, the Parade All-American rushed for 2,543 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was ranked as the nation's eighth best running back and the 73rd overall best prospect by Rivals.com.

His arrival to the Alabama campus in 2005 was accompanied by fellow Floridian Glen Coffee. Along with signee Mike Ford (Sarasota), this trio of running back talent leaving the Sunshine State to attend the Capstone gave the Shula staff credibility amongst Alabama boosters that they could infuse the Crimson Tide football program with quality out of state talent.

Unfortunately, Mike Ford never made it to the campus. Grades were lower than expected and the four-star running back headed to Hargrave Military Academy. Ford later matriculated from Hargrave Academy to USF in 2007, with four years of eligibility and has had his share of success in the Bulls backfield.

Every Crimson Tide fan knows the story of Glen Coffee and the great impact he had on the gridiron. He is embedded into the lore of the successful undefeated 2008 regular season.

Upchurch, also a four-star recruit in 2005, has had a much more difficult road to success at Alabama. On arrival to the Capstone, after repeated attempts to practice on a painful ankle during fall camp, the medical staff discovered that the pain was related to a deficit in the blood supply to the bone.

Before the season started, Upchurch was given the poor prognosis without intervention, and opted for the redshirt in order to have the necessary surgery. He spent months in rehabilitation following the successful procedure and prepared to take the field in 2006.

There was promise at the start of the 2006 campaign. Upchurch played in the first four games for a total of 49 snaps. His explosive burst out of the backfield had returned to preoperative form. His breakout opportunity came against LA Monroe, carrying the ball 12 times for 37 yards, and scoring two touchdowns.

Little did anyone know, Upchurch was playing with pain and by midseason was out of the line up for the same condition, but this time, in the opposite ankle. Following the Mississippi State game on Nov. 4, Upchurch hung up his cleats in lieu of season ending ankle surgery.

Once again, Roy worked hard at rehabilitation, strength, and conditioning. In addition to the personal medical hardship, the 2006 season ended in the turmoil of a change in coaching regime from the soft spoken, kind hearted Mike Shula to the tough, hard nosed, no nonsense Nick Saban.

Saban came in with the idea that every football scholarship was up for grabs and the medical redshirts were a liability. If they could not play, they needed to give up their athletic scholarship and accept a medical hardship pathway for educational funds in order to complete their education. So was the case for Tyrone Prothro.

Upchurch worked even harder under this new, more intense pressure to pursue his dream of wearing the Crimson jersey and carrying the ball for the Tide. He worked day and night to recover his athletic prowess.

In 2007, he impressed Saban enough to not only keep his scholarship, but to take the field in 12 games as backup running back and with additional assignments on special teams. Playing behind sophomore Terry Grant and fellow classmate Glen Coffee, he began to have an impact on the success of the Alabama offensive unit.

As a redshirt sophomore, he finished third on the team in rushing with 237 yards on 50 carries and scored one touchdown. He also demonstrated good skill out of the backfield as a receiver, completing seven catches for 51 yards on the year.

In the Petro Sun Bowl, Upchurch had 12 carries for 37 yards rushing and caught two passes for 23 yards in the win over the Colorado Buffaloes. He finished his first full season without an injury since entering college.

The 2008 Crimson Tide West Division Champion Alabama team relied even more on Upchurch, despite being third in line behind the great Glen Coffee and freshman sensation Mark Ingram.

In 10 games, Upchurch rushed for a career high 350 yards on 58 carries, caught nine passes for 101 yards and scored four touchdowns on the year. He was generally a third down back because of his pass blocking skills and ability to catch the ball.

His most memorable rush came against Georgia, where he stutter stepped and blew past a UGA defender, passing him untouched and back on his heels. That play gained 29 yards and set up Alabama's final touchdown against the Bulldogs.

On special teams, he was credited with three tackles and a blocked punt. Twice on the season Upchurch was awarded the honor as offensive player of the week by the UA coaching staff (Georgia, Tennessee).

Because of his dedication to individual and team goals of the year-round strength and conditioning program, the players and coaches selected Roy Upchurch to be the 2008 recipient of the team's Iron Man Award.

Unfortunately for Mr. Upchurch, the 2008 season would come to an early end. Beginning midseason, he began to suffer from back spasm that held him out of the Mississippi game. Though he played well the next week against UT, he would miss the LSU and Mississippi State game with persistent spasms and intense pain.

He had very limited playing time against Auburn and was unable to play in the Sugar Bowl. Upon return to campus, Upchurch once again signed up for corrective surgery, this time undergoing a spinal fusion to correct the bothersome spasms.

Thus far in the 2009 season, Upchurch has carried the ball 17 times and rushed for 144 yards scoring one touchdown. He has caught nine passes for 54 yards. His skills as a pass blocker and outlet receiver have continued to improve and he is very useful in specific situations and offensive schemes.

His longest run on this season came against Virginia Tech, but unfortunately ended in a fumble inside the 10 yard line. Despite the fumble, this run gave notice that he had regained his explosive capacity and maintained his desire to run with aggression.

His most memorable play of the game came on a power run play that broke him into the open field. With the ball secure, rather than run to the edge, Upchurch instead turned to the middle of the field and attacked the lone defender.

It was a tackle that the defender would rather not have made. The Virginia Tech free safety had to sit out the next two plays in order to regain his orientation.

Despite his backup role, repeated letdowns, and personal hardships, he has remained faithful and dedicated to the Men in Crimson. He is a leader on and off the field.

In his weekly press conferences, Nick Saban almost never fails to mention Roy Upchurch when discussing the strength of the Alabama backfield.

This week, when you see No. 5 take the field, know that he has worked extremely hard to put himself in position to make a play for the Crimson Tide. His efforts are uncanny and representative of the kind of man that makes a coach and fan proud to have on your team.

Stand and applaud his courage. He has earned his way onto the field with hard work and dedication. He knows the meaning of the phrase, "suffering through adversity". He embodies the phrase. His life is a metaphor for adversity.

Even better he knows how to overcome it and excel even more.

Behind Ingram and Richardson, he is most definitely an Ace in the Hole.