Penn-Trafford grad John Gay finding his stride with Lafayette football team
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When running back John Gay started putting up big numbers at Penn-Trafford, colleges took notice. Lafayette, an FCS school in eastern Pennsylvania, was among them.
As Gay’s performances continued to surge, more colleges took notice. Bigger colleges.
Once FBS schools came knocking, Gay said, many of the smaller schools backed off.
Ultimately, Gay chose the Air Force Academy, and he spent last season at the USAFA prep school getting a taste of what academy life would be like. He decided the lifestyle was not to his liking, so he went shopping for a school and a football program again.
Lafayette still was interested, and Gay jumped at the chance to join the Leopards.
“I was lucky to have them available,” he said.
The feeling was mutual for coach John Garrett, who is in his third season with the Leopards.
“We’re really pleased with John,” Garrett said. “He’s a talented player and a joy to coach. He came in here and made a great initial impression. We put him in from the start of the season.”
Through Lafayette’s first seven games, Gay carried 53 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 10 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown.
His first collegiate touchdown came on a reception in the season opener against William & Mary.
Catching passes out of the backfield is the biggest change from what Gay did at Penn-Trafford. He caught passes in high school but said it “was mostly check-down stuff.” Now, he is responsible for running precise routes and understanding where to find soft spots in the defense.
“I’d like to think I’ve improved on that a lot,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, I couldn’t catch a cold. I worked on catching the ball, worked on my routes. I am just trying to keep confidence in that.”
Running the ball hasn’t been a problem. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, the athletic Gay had no trouble adapting to the speed and physicality of being a college runner.
But, much like his expanded pass-catching responsibilities, he found out more was going to be expected of him. Garrett knew what Gay was capable of with the ball in his hands, but he was more interested in what Gay would do without the ball.
“John has to continue to develop and learn his entire game,” Garrett said. “What I teach the running backs is to be good without the ball in their hand. That’s the harder part, which takes time, development, practice and repetition.
“(Being) a route runner, a blocker and a pass protector, once you master all that, you become a three-down back.”
Gay’s two best games through the Leopards’ first seven came in back-to-back weeks. He rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries Sept. 21 against Albany and followed that the next week with a 13-carry, 71-yard effort against Penn.
None of it, however, has been enough to help the Leopards win a game. The team was 0-7 heading into its Oct. 26 game against Patriot League foe Bucknell.
The good news? Only one of those losses was in conference, so Gay and his teammates were not ready to write off the season.
“We want to start winning games and put together a run to the Patriot League championship,” Gay said. “That’s still on the table for us this year, and it’s something we want to do in the future.”
Gay is happy to be playing Division I football and happy with how he has performed — but only to a degree. He said he knows he has a long way to go to reach his potential.
“I wouldn’t grade myself too highly. I can always get better,” he said. “I really didn’t do much to help the team with games (so far), so I have a lot to improve upon. I have to prove myself day in and day out.”