Guts vs Glory

by Jason B. Osoff

  Chapter 55

  Finally, it was game day. I had spent a year getting ready for that moment, but it was well worth the wait. I finally made it onto a college playing field as a starting offensive lineman. The team was excited because it was the first game of the season; I was excited because it was the first day of a rewarding season. To add to my excitement, as well as wear on my nerves, I had to begin that game by watching from the sidelines since our opponent had the ball first. After a good stop from our guys, it was finally my time to shine.

  I went into the huddle as a starting tackle on the right side of the line. The play was a simple run play up the middle to test out their defense, but I knew I had the hard task of allowing my running back to get the ball safely and gain a couple of yards without being tackled in the backfield. If I let the defender through, he would get tackled, but more importantly, I would’ve failed. I wasn’t ready to do that, especially not on my first play.

  As the ball was snapped, I stood up and got ready to block. Just like in our scrimmages, there was a defender right in front of me. When I put my hands up to block, his body went down. On my first play as a starting offensive lineman at the college level, not only did I do my job correctly, but I did it well. I knocked the guy down. I didn’t knock him down every play, but not once did the defense get past me.

  As the game was moving along, I began to appreciate the difference between playing football as an offensive lineman and as a defensive lineman. As a defensive lineman, my goal was to get to the ball carrier. Although the goal never changed, the challenge was finding new ways to get into the backfield while avoiding the offensive lineman. Once in the backfield, I was rewarded with the opportunity to hit someone as hard as I could. However, as an offensive lineman, my goal was to stop the defender from getting past me. Even though the defensive line made slight adjustments for each play, my goal, again, was always the same and achieving that goal was accomplished by simply standing up and blocking. If I did a good job, I kept playing; if I did a bad job, I sat on the bench. In short, the life of an offensive lineman was boring and not very rewarding. Although it would be a psychological struggle to maintain this role all season, I found the role physically achievable and no one got past me that entire game.

  After our first win of the season, I contemplated my decision of choosing to play on the offensive line the previous season. I was clearly good at what I did, but I was almost getting bored with it. If I would’ve chosen defense my first season, I would’ve had more fun. I then remembered the big difference between having fun and being a starter. If I stayed on defense, I wouldn’t have been able to start that first season, and may not have gotten a chance to start my sophomore year. As a starting offensive lineman, however, I was given a starting role on a college football team, which gave me a much better chance of moving on to play football for a major college team. With that comparison in mind, I never regretted my decision again.

  Chapter 56

  The first day of school went by easier than the previous year. I was already comfortable in the college setting, and my grades gave me confidence to continue my hard work. My classes that semester were interesting and kept my mind active. After class, it was time to get back to work on the field.

  It would be safe to say that my career as a football player was full of up and downs. It was comparable to an intense roller coaster at one of those amusement parks. With every up, came a down. With every down, came an up. The ups and downs happened so fast that there was no time to adjust. Starting my first game as a college football player was definitely an up; what followed next was definitely a down.

  During one of our normal blocking drills in practice, something was different. When I released my block from the defender, I had an incredible amount of pain in my right thumb. I couldn’t bend my thumb without getting nauseous. I went back in for the next play, but found even more pain. I knew I couldn’t keep playing like that, but I didn’t want to forfeit my starting role over a stupid injury. I came too far to be turned away that quickly.

  After practice, I talked to the team’s doctor about my thumb. Because of the pain, I assumed I broke it and wouldn’t be able to play anymore. The doctor examined my thumb and told me he had both good news and bad news. The good was I didn’t break my thumb and would eventually be able to play. The bad news was I sprained my thumb badly and he suggested that I take a couple of games off. I knew that wasn’t even an option because any time on the bench gave someone else an opportunity to take my position. He did tell me, though, that as long as I kept my thumb taped up, I couldn’t do any more damage to it. I would, however, be in a lot of pain.

  He was right. I was able to keep my starting position during the second game. I took his advice and taped up my thumb. Even though it hurt every time I blocked someone, I was still able to block. I went the entire game in extreme pain, not letting anyone get by me. We ended up winning that game and I learned a valuable lesson; from then on, I always taped my fingers and thumbs before hitting the field.

  The injury seemed to improve as the season went on. I continued to tape my fingers before every practice and every game. Though I wasn’t playing at full capacity, it was better than not playing at all. I had really earned that spot on the starting line, and no one was going to take it from me. I knew that because I made it through that second game, I could make it through all of them. I wasn’t ready to let a minor injury end my career.

  Chapter 57

  We considered it a successful season, even though we didn’t go undefeated, after beating Faith Community College and coming close to a victory over Byron Junior College. Our record was good enough to make it to the Michigan Junior College Conference playoffs; a feat that we were unable to accomplish the previous season. As a playoff contender, we had the same chance of going to a post-season game that any other playoff team in our conference had. We had already achieved the goal our coach had set out for us a few months prior, and were two victories away from a post-season game.

  More importantly, I personally had a successful season. As an offensive lineman, I started in almost every play that our offense ran, and not once did I let a defender get past me. When our running back ran towards my side of the offensive line, he always found a safe way through. I wasn’t just part of an offensive line; I was the foundation of a successful starting line. I dare go far enough to state that if it wasn’t for the success of our line, we wouldn’t be in the playoffs. My short term goal was to continue my success for three more games. By having a flawless season, there would be no way the University of Southern Michigan would overlook me.

  Throughout that time, I was also able to maintain my good grades. During my first year of college, I was able to develop a way to balance practice, studying, and time in the weight room so that I could work on my classes while not taking time away from football. I needed to know that I had grades good enough to transfer, and definitely good enough to be a student-athlete at the University. I wanted to guarantee that my grades would not stand in the way of my dream.

  Mike was also having a successful season. He broke his personal records from the previous season, and was making a name for himself as one of the best running backs in major college football. He averaged over 2 touchdowns a game and almost 200 yards of rushing. Without Mike, they would not have an 11-win season. Sadly, his grades didn’t improve. He was staying above the required 2.0 average, but not by much. Clearly he was more dedicated to football than to school. We never started out as good students, but it was still sad to see him abandon the study habits that we had finally developed in high school.

  Chapter 58

  Even though we weren’t in the playoffs the previous season, I was still familiar with the playoff atmosphere. As predicted, the intensity rose at practice, and everybody took a more serious approach. The coaches were focused, and increased our daily huddles with lectures of encouragement. Unlike high school, we only had two games ahead of us. Although it didn’t sound like a big challenge to w
in two games, we would be playing against teams that were as committed as we were.

  We had made it in to the conference playoffs by only losing two games. One of those losses came from Whitaker Technical College. Whitaker Tech lost one more game than we did, which put them two spots below us in the conference standings - at 4th place. The 3rd place spot just below us belonged to Faith Community College. They ended their season with two losses as well, but one of those loses came from us, so it was their year to lose the tie-breaker. At the number one spot was Byron Junior College. They were used to the top spot in the playoffs as they had taken that position five seasons in a row. They finished the season undefeated. They were ranked number three in the nation, and needed to win the conference playoffs in order to have a chance at making it to the junior college title game.

  Because of our identical records, we played Faith Community in the first round, while Byron played Whitaker Tech. In our win over Faith earlier in the season, we were able to discover a couple of weaknesses. We were able to take advantage of those weaknesses in our victory during that game and when we played them again in the playoffs, those weaknesses were still there. Once again, we leveraged their weaknesses and moved on to the second round of the playoffs.

  In junior college football, there were seven post-season games. That meant 14 teams were able to play in the post-season. In correlation, there were 14 conferences in the league. Simply put, there were only enough spots in the post-season for the conference champions. To us, that meant that we weren’t in the post-season until we beat the number three team in the country. After seeing Faith beat them the previous season, we knew we had a chance.

  During the game, I continued my pattern of not letting anyone get by me. Even though Byron was the best team in our conference, their big guys up front were no match for me. They gave me a fight, but I still won every time. I was getting the hang of playing football at the college level. Unfortunately, that was the only bright spot in the game for me. We quickly discovered why Byron Junior College was ranked so high nationally; they embarrassed us. They finished our season.

  Mike had a different post-season run. With their one loss, USM wasn’t ranked high enough to make it to the championship game. Southern Michigan did, however, make it to another New Year’s Day game. That time, with Mike leading the way, they won their prestigious game, and ended up as the number two major college football team in the country.

  Chapter 59

  At the conclusion of the season, I was in limbo. I considered the season successful for our team because we made it to the playoffs. I would declare it an even more successful season for me personally as I went the entire season playing nearly every play and not letting anyone get past me. Optimistically, I checked in with the University of Southern Michigan recruiter. I learned that all I could do at that point was wait.

  I spent two seasons under the impression that I would have to stick out at Whitaker Junior College for Southern Michigan to notice me. I thought that my only chance of getting in would be to impress them enough that they would have to give me a chance on their team. The recruiter explained to me the reality of transferring to a four-year school from a junior college. As it turned out, everybody had a chance to try out for the team. In the summer time, they would hold tryouts for any football player wanting to walk onto the team. Sadly, these “walk-ons” were never rewarded with free tuition. As a matter of fact, of the over 100 players on the team, only 85 of them would receive a scholarship. He also added that, of the over 100 walk-ons trying out, typically only five of them made it to the team.

  After discussing with the recruiter why I felt I had just wasted two years at the junior college level, he countered that I didn’t waste any time. During our initial conversation, the plan was for me to play at the junior college level so that I could gain experience playing at the college football level. At the tryouts, I would have the huge advantage of experience as a college football player - something many of my competitors wouldn’t have. I would understand the intensity and drive needed to make the cut. To my benefit, the coaches also took experience and game play into account when making their decisions. The recruiter concluded that my grades were well above the 2.0 needed to transfer and, based on my incredible season as a starter, as long as I survived the try-out process, I would have nothing to worry about.

  Mike was discouraged at first to hear my news. He hadn’t understood the process either as he didn’t have to try out. As one of those 85 scholarship players, he had done enough on the high school field to impress the coaches. After hearing all of my conversation, however, he understood my optimism.

  Mike was already getting ready for his junior year. While I was waiting patiently for try-outs to begin, he was taking part in the spring practices. After winning their post-season game, USM had raised their next goal to winning the national championship. They were one win away from getting there the previous season, and they wanted to make sure that their one defeat wouldn’t happen again. At the same time, not only had he developed a target on his back due to his successful season, he also wore that target because he was a pre-season candidate for the Gilreath Honor Award.

  At the end of every major college football season, the Gilreath Award was presented on national television to the best athlete in major college football as decided by a jury of former athletes. The trophy was named after Nathan Gilreath, a player from the 1960s. In the late 60s, Gilreath, one of the best major college football players of his day, was well on his way to the professional level. However, instead of going to the pros, he enlisted as a Marine and was sent to Vietnam. After a distinguished career in the military, he returned home a highly decorated National hero. The league decided to honor him and acknowledge his career in college football by naming a trophy after him. Each year, a major college football player is honored for their individual performance at the collegiate level, while honoring Nathan Gilreath’s dedication and service to his country.

  Chapter 60

  My six months of patiently waiting was up. I was done with my sophomore year of college and ready for the next step in my career. I ended up with 60 credits from Whitaker Junior College, which was enough to transfer to any four-year program. I also ended up with a 3.8 grade point average. My parents were quite proud and took me out for a fancy dinner. Rather than enjoying the dinner as a celebration, I saw it as a transition. It marked the end of my junior college days, and the beginning of my major college days.

  Weeks later, I took the long drive to the opposite end of the state. Although Mike wouldn’t have to try out for the team, he was there to support me. The try-outs were held on the same practice field used by the football team. For the try-outs, we had the field to ourselves, which really made us feel like we were already a part of the team. When I arrived, Mike introduced me to the lineman coach as his best friend from high school and the best offensive tackle in the state of Michigan. As much as I liked the title, I wasn’t crazy about the pressure it put on me.

  Try-out week wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I was very thankful for those two years at Whitaker Junior College because they definitely prepared me for the work load that week. The first day was spent on general statistics. The coaches wanted numbers that they could use to compare us. They measured our height, weight, time it took to run 40 yards, our maximum bench press, and the time it took us to run an obstacle course (which tested our agility and quick turning). I was measured at 6’1”, and topped the scale at just over 300 pounds. Although my weight hadn’t changed much since high school, most of my weight came from muscle rather than fat. I was able to bench press 350 pounds and I ran 40 yards in just over five seconds.

  The second day, we were placed into groups based on what position we wanted to play. At USM, there was a coach for every position. That meant that my group consisted only of offensive linemen. It made it easier for the coaches to compare us, and it made it easier for me to asses my competition. Once in our groups, we ran drills that demonst
rated, according to our offensive line coach, our mental and physical capabilities. Basically, they wanted to see how much we could handle physically, and where our mental breaking point was. Due to my experience, I could handle much more than most of the others and the coaches never could find my breaking point.

  At the end of that day, our measurements were posted. Mike told me they did that so we could compare ourselves to each other. For some players, they used the comparison as motivation to get faster, bigger, or stronger. For other players, they became intimidated by their competition and would end up quitting. The coaches enjoyed the latter because they didn’t want guys on their team who became easily intimidated. Mike was impressed by my numbers. My weight was within range, but my height was about an inch short of what they wanted, which I couldn’t do anything about. My bench press was above average and my 40-yard time gave me the reputation of being the fastest for someone my size.

  As the week progressed, the number of walk-ons started dwindling. By the last day, the initial number of participants was cut from 120 to 64. The coaches brought everyone together and listed off 44 names. Those guys were in a group of players that “showed effort, but it wasn’t enough”. They were done. The remaining 20 were the guys who needed to be “reevaluated for further decision”. I felt like I was on one of those reality singing shows and I had just made it to the final round. Although I wasn’t quite on the team, my competition went from 119 to 19.