Advertisement
During Wednesday's practice, Langford got one last bit of confirmation.
''I slipped and fell and I caught myself on my left knee,'' Langford said. ''That reassured me.''
There was no sense of panic when it happened, just further proof Langford was back where he expected to be going into the season - better than ever.
It was one small final hurdle for Langford, scheduled to make his 32nd career start, this one at right cornerback, on Saturday against Akron in the season opener at Camp Randall Stadium.
Only two teammates have started more games, right guard Kraig Urbik (this will be 40) and defensive end Matt Shaughnessy (34).
Langford has amazed coaches and teammates with his comeback from a torn ACL, suffered against Ohio State on Nov. 3. He didn't miss a single practice in camp, which was his goal.
''Allen Langford is probably practicing as well as I've seen him practice, during his entire time here,'' UW coach Bret Bielema said.
Said defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, ''Everything we've worried about in the past (with the injury), he's shown he's the same guy and better at times. He has really trained well.''
While Langford still needs to prove he can do it in a game, his return to form would be a huge boost at an otherwise unproven position heading into the season.
Redshirt freshman Mario Goins is expected to make his first start at left cornerback and the third cornerback will be sophomore Niles Brinkley, who played only briefly on defense last season.
''Allen has played more ball than almost anyone on this team,'' junior free safety Shane Carter said. ''We communicate off eye contact and hand (signals). I know we're on the same page all the time.
''I think that instills confidence in our young corners, who are going to be playing a lot. I know when they see him out there, he's always comfortable and knows what he's doing.''
Langford hopes he can be a calming influence. He recalled getting thrown into the fire in the second half of his first game as a redshirt freshman, against Bowling Green and prolific quarterback Omar Jacobs. After throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, Jacobs finished with 458 passing yards and five TDs.
''They were throwing the ball all over,'' Langford said. ''I'm thinking, 'I just do not want to get scored on,' that was the main thing. I got through it OK.''
Langford started the next week against Temple, but it wasn't until the second half of his third game, at North Carolina, that he started to relax a bit.
''I was really nervous,'' he admitted of his first two games. ''I didn't expect it. I was backpedaling a little too fast, because I was scared. I just try to tell (the young corners) to calm down, just take it easy.''
Normally rock steady throughout his career, Langford had two games last season that were out of character. He got picked on in the second game at UNLV, then was benched in the third quarter at Penn State five weeks later, after giving up a touchdown and getting flagged for pass interference in the end zone.
He felt like he was back in form against Indiana, only to get hurt the next week. During the long rehab process, Langford had twin motivators, trying to make it back for his final year and prove to everyone he's a quality player.
''People don't know, he's a quiet guy, but at the same time, he's a (heck) of a competitor,'' Carter said. ''I saw he's not taking days off, making plays, telling me what the offense is trying to, I'm like, 'I know he's back.'''
