It was just a push in the back, a little push really. In the violent sport of football, it seemed like nothing.

As he said, ''It was something freaky that could never happen to anybody else in a thousand years.''

But Delone Carter bumped into a defender, and his body tilted off-balance. His foot got stuck in the turf. Then came the explosion of pain as his hip popped out of the socket.

''I never felt anything like that in my life, and I don't think I ever will again,'' Carter said. ''I couldn't feel my leg from the hip down, but it was terrible pain. I was praying to God to stay with me and get me through it.''

Even Syracuse coach Greg Robinson seems to shudder at the memory.

''The pain he was going through, it was tough, real tough,'' Robinson said.

One moment the Orangemen's sophomore tailback was running a pass route in seven-on-seven drills at spring practice. The next moment, the career of Ohio's 2005 Mr. Football from Copley High School was in jeopardy.

That was April 14. Much has changed since. Constantly surprising his doctors and ahead of schedule at every checkpoint in his rehab, Carter has reached the jogging stage and feels he's ready to run. Although he will receive a medical redshirt and miss the 2007 season, Carter vows he'll be back.

And he won't be back just going through the motions.

''I'm going to come back better than ever,'' he said.

''When he makes a statement like that, he means it,'' Robinson said. ''When Delone talks, I listen.''

Carter was reluctant to talk until early August, when an MRI confirmed that blood was still flowing to the injured area. His injury has been compared to that of Kansas

City Royals outfielder and L.A. Raiders running back Bo Jackson, whose two-sport career was cut short when avascular necrosis set in after he dislocated his hip in a football playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

''A lot of people from the outside have been looking at it as the same injury, but it's not the same,'' Carter said. ''His hip wasn't getting the proper blood, and it kinda died. That didn't happen with me because we got (to surgery) right away.''

That's where Dan Boarman's mind leapt when he heard what had happened to Carter. Now at St. Vincent-St. Mary High, Boarman coached Carter for two years at Copley.

''The first thing that came to mind was Bo Jackson,'' Boarman said. ''But it eased my mind when they opened him up, and the blood flow to the hip was still very positive. That's where the problem lies.

''I should have known better because it's Delone. He's a freak of nature. In the two years I had him, he never missed a practice.''

Carter's hip now contains a titanium plate and six screws, reportedly also to correct a fracture in his pelvis. But he said his challenge is more mental than physical.

''I'm still a little depressed,'' he said. ''Having to watch practice, it eats you up.''

When it was suggested he has never been a cheerleader in his life, Carter said: ''I don't even like hearing you say that.''

But he doesn't want the Orangemen to hear such negativity.

''My team needs to see me strong; they don't need to see me weak,'' he said. ''I'm trying to stay strong so we can have a good season. Every day I talk to them, 'Do your thing and get to a bowl game. When I come back, we'll try to do more than that.'''

Robinson said Carter has been an inspiration.

''It was pretty gloomy back in April,'' Robinson said. ''But the way he's dealt with it and the way he's fought back . . . he's got a lot of friends on this football team, and they want to see him do well.''

Carter was just coming into his own when he was hurt. With 713 yards last season, he became the first freshman to lead Syracuse in rushing since Joe Morris in 1978. Carter averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored all four of his touchdowns in adouble-overtime victory over Wyoming. In those two overtimes, he rushed for the team's entire 50 yards and two touchdowns and was carried off the field.

''The progress I was making before I was hurt, it was like I was back in high school everything slowed down for me,'' Carter said.

Boarman said, ''I talked to an assistant coach, and they were starting to build the offense around him.''

Robinson said he could see a difference in Carter this spring. ''You could tell he was in a comfort zone,'' Robinson said. ''You could arguably say he was the most gifted player on the football team.''

Boarman, who still talks with Carter frequently and even saw him when Carter stopped by St. V's practice this month, thinks the injury will be good for Carter.

''This is the first time he's ever been injured,'' Boarman said. ''This will tell him what's so special about him and his ability and don't ever take it for granted. He'll realize one play can end your career, so you've got to go hard all the time. A year of maturity will help, and he'll get much further ahead academically.

''In the long run, this will turn out to be a positive for him.''

Carter already sounds changed. Usually reserved in an interview, his words seethe with determination.

''Seeing how easy the game was getting, that's motivation enough,'' he said. ''When I get back, it's all bad for everybody.''

His words also are loaded with a wisdom beyond his 20 years. Asked if he said ''Why me?'' when he went down, Carter replied, ''I was raised in the church to say, 'Why not me?' I had faith God was going to bring me though it, and that's what he's doing right now.'' noweb