DETROIT NEWS ARTICLE
Wayne State RB Joique Bell looks to make transition to NFL Sundays
David Goricki / The Detroit News
Detroit -- Joique Bell made the catch over the middle of the field near the 30-yard line, bounced off a defender and broke two more tackles on the way to a 45-yard touchdown.
It was not just any touchdown. Bell's score was his sixth touchdown of the game, came with less than a minute remaining and enabled Wayne State to rally from a 13-point halftime deficit to upset No. 18 Ashland, 47-40, on Oct. 3 at Adams Field.
Bell got down on one knee in the end zone and pointed to the heavens to dedicate the play to his brother-in-law, who passed away in March.
"That was for him," Bell said of Paul Sorce, an FBI agent who died in an on-duty car accident in Detroit. "I took a knee and pointed to the sky. I think about him quite a bit.
"When I first came to Detroit, he was the one who brought me in. He brought me to his house, cooked dinner, taught me about school and football. That's why I'm majoring in criminal justice. I want to be in the FBI on the S.W.A.T. team."
Sorce was an All-Mid-American Conference second-team wide receiver at Western Michigan in the mid-1980s. He has been an inspiration to Bell since they met, and a reason Bell has a strong desire to succeed in everything he does.
Bell's goal is to be in the FBI, but he also dreams of playing in the NFL.
Bell, a physical running back who stands 6-foot and weighs 220 pounds, feels he has what it takes to play on Sunday afternoons in the fall. He has good speed (4.45), runs with power and has outstanding vision.
"I have no doubts I can play in the NFL," said Bell, who ran for 272 yards on 32 carries against Ashland. "I've talked to scouts. They don't talk long. They just watch a lot. I've heard where I could be picked, fourth (round) or possibly sixth or seventh. I'm just going to keep playing and see what happens. I plan to keep running until the wheels fall off."
Bell's wheels were fine his freshman year when he ran for a school-record 2,065 yards. He rushed for 1,427 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns his sophomore year.
Bell's wheels, in a way, did fall off last year when he suffered foot problems throughout the season, limiting him to 1,152 yards and 12 TDs, but the Warriors enjoyed their best record (8-3) and came up just short of making the Division II playoffs.
Bell had surgery last November and is as healthy as he has been since stepping on the Detroit campus. He already has gained 1,270 yards, has a career-high 5.9-yard average, and has scored 18 TDs in seven games.
Warriors rewarded
Bell, 23, grew up in Benton Harbor, Mich., playing baseball, basketball and football while also running track. He played on the high school's nationally ranked basketball team (No. 11) with Wilson Chandler, now with the New York Knicks.
Bell played four years of varsity baseball, but played just two years of varsity football and rotated between running back and quarterback after guiding his junior-varsity team to an unbeaten season as a quarterback his sophomore year.
"Michigan State wanted me as a running back and Michigan as a safety," Bell said of being recruited. "My grades were good, but my ACT score was low and I had to get a four-point my last semester to be eligible for a scholarship. I guess Michigan State didn't think I'd get it so they pulled it. I did get the four-point, though. Coach (Paul) Winters said he'd give me a full scholarship no matter what and I decided to take it. And, I'm glad I did. I'm very happy here."
Bell has 5,914 career rushing yards, just 646 behind Adrian Peterson (Division I-AA Georgia Southern, now with the Chicago Bears) for 10th place in all collegiate divisions.
Winters, in his sixth year as Wayne State's head coach, knows Bell has the ability to play in the NFL. Winters was an outstanding running back for Akron in the late '70s and was running backs coach at Wisconsin.
"I have no doubts," Winters said. "Put it this way, I coached at Wisconsin when Terrell Fletcher was there, and he played many years in the NFL (1995-2002 with San Diego) and Joique's a better back.
"Joique's very strong. He has quick feet in the way he changes direction. He has great acceleration and great vision. He anticipates where the hole is. He studies and understands the offense. Has great hand-eye coordination. He's the total package.
"There's usually something that holds you back, some physical or mental ability that holds you back. But, like I said before, he's the total package. He can catch and be a third-down guy or block and be the third-down guy. He can carry the ball 30 times and be an every-down back. The NFL scouts come in and say that they don't know about his burst. They come back and take multiple looks and are more impressed the more they see him. They say he needs to get to the Combine and run a fast time."
Tale of the tape
One play should tell the scouts everything there is to know about Bell. Wayne State had just scored a touchdown against Indianapolis and set up for the two-point conversion. The quarterback threw an interception and J.T. Owens grabbed the ball and sprinted downfield for a potential two-point score.
Bell, who trailed Owens by 7 yards, caught up with him, going airborne to make a dive for him from the 16, landing at the 10 and then pulling him down 2 yards short of the end zone.
"He's driven to win," Winters said of a play that helped Wayne State win, 27-23. "We've shown that to every scout that comes in. All they can say is 'Wow!'"
Bell said he received numerous compliments on the play.
"I got compliments, but I didn't do that for compliments, I do that to inspire my teammates," said Bell, whose Wayne State team (5-2, 4-2 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) hosts Ferris State (1-6, 0-6) at noon Saturday. "I know I'm a captain and I have to lead by example. That play gave my team a spark and that's what I'm supposed to do."
david.goricki@detnews.com
