Georgetown's Charlie Houghton Seeks to Shake Off Injuries

By most standards, Charlie Houghton's goal for the upcoming season seems modest. He isn't looking to rush for 1,000 yards or to score 20 touchdowns. Statistics don't concern him in the least.

What the Georgetown junior running back would like is to play from the first down to the last down and every down in between.

"Finish the year," Houghton said. "That's a great goal: finish the season."

Sounds simple enough, but for Houghton, staying healthy has been no easy feat. Since he arrived on campus, Houghton hasn't survived a season intact. He isn't the only one. Georgetown Coach Kevin Kelly, entering his fourth season, has spent more time the last few years reading medical reports than scouting reports.

The Hoyas' struggles the past few years can't be attributed entirely to injuries. But it isn't easy winning games when third- and fourth-string players are on the field in place of sidelined starters. That shouldn't be the case this year.

"We're healthier," Kelly said. "Last year, we got snakebit quite a bit."

Because Houghton has been felled by injuries the past few years, it's hard to remember he once was the Patriot League rookie of the year. As a freshman in 2006, Houghton burst onto the scene, becoming the first player in school history to win one of the league's major awards. He rushed for 403 yards on 81 carries, caught 19 passes for 225 yards and returned eight kickoffs for an average of 21.3 yards. He might have done more had he not spent half the season nursing a sports hernia that eventually required surgery.

A hyperextended left elbow slowed his sophomore campaign. The injury occurred midway through the season and forced him to play the remainder of the year with a bulky wrap on his arm that hindered his ability to carry the ball.

Houghton went for 55 more rushing yards than the previous season, but needed 28 more carries to achieve that result.

Last season started poorly for Houghton and just got worse. He suffered a turf-toe injury the first day of practice. In the Hoyas' first game, he sprained his left wrist. During a practice leading up to the third game of the season, a teammate stepped on Houghton's right foot, breaking a bone. Houghton didn't play the rest of the season and took a medical redshirt, leaving him with two years of eligibility.

Houghton is determined that the Patriot League rookie of the year award will not be the only highlight of his college career.

"I didn't want that to be the stamp," he said. "I did want to move on and define myself by getting better and contributing more, just not being able to play the last few odd seasons has been tough."

For someone who never missed a game because of an injury prior to college, Houghton has adapted to his reduced role the past couple years.

"You kind of learn a different side of the game," Houghton said. "One day, you're the starter, the star, then you [aren't]. You kind of have to be pushed into a position where you have to learn how to accept those things, but at the same time be hungry enough to come back and compete for that position and become better. Show people that I want to be here and I deserve to be here, not just because I was a star or whatever. I want to become a better player every time I step on that field."

Dassin Blackwell, the Hoyas' running backs coach, said Houghton is a different player because of his injuries.

"And that's not a bad thing," Blackwell said. "I think [the injuries were] the best thing that happened to him, because it made him a stronger individual. It opened up a personality. He got hungry."