Anthony McGhee has just waken up. He rubs his eyes and begins explaining what it takes to run the football at the collegiate level for the Shenandoah Hornets.
He should be groggy. There should be a slight pause. Yet his thoughts about playing running back come like one of the Hornets' isolation plays that the two-time all-conference pick busts up the gut for a touchdown.
The words come hard and fast. They make an impact — just like McGhee with a football tucked underneath his arm.
"One of the best things about running the football is making people miss, but there's something else that comes pretty close," McGhee said. "Even though I am not a big guy, when I get the chance to run somebody over, that puts fear in a person. If you run somebody over and just physically outmuscle a person mano a mano, that's probably the greatest, if not one of the greatest, feelings in the world."
Less than 30 seconds have passed, and it's clear that the 5-foot-7, 175-pounder thinks about running the football for the Hornets in his sleep.
"Any good running back needs quick feet, good vision and a solid body that's big enough to withstand the tough blows running up the middle," he said. "But that guy also has got to be versatile. He also needs to have some speed to take the pitch outside."
He especially likes a question about the differences between a runner and a running back.
"A runner is somebody you can pitch the ball to when there's a perfect lane," McGhee said. "The play goes according to plan. There is distance between him and the defenders. Every guy is blocked and he outraces everyone to the end zone."
Anybody who has carried the football knows how often that happens.
"Those plays, those perfect plays, come about 10 times a game if you are really lucky," McGhee said. "The difference between a running back and that runner is that when a play breaks down, and they usually do, the running back finds a way to create something good out of nothing."
McGhee paints a vivid picture of a routine snap. Offensive linemen trip. A teammate fails to sustain a block. A cutback is needed to just make it to the line as a charging lineman attempts to make a superb play.
"There's no time to think anything through," McGhee said. "So you try to survive until you find daylight. You stiff-arm a guy here. You break a tackle there. Running backs have to be able to deal with changing circumstances quickly and always stay near full speed at all times."
McGhee preaches about staying low to the ground when a runner carries the ball. The smaller you make yourself out to be, the smaller the target. Durability is also a must. McGhee ran for almost 2,200 yards across three seasons with stubbed toes, busted-up elbows, numerous nicks and pains, and a pinkie that felt like it was broken for two years. He's put on more than 20 pounds since he left high school to better handle the physical style of the college game.
Shenandoah coach Paul Barnes likes that sort of toughness in his top running back.
"High school teams are full of finesse running backs," Barnes said. "A lot of players can take a toss and run a sweep to the outside. We want a guy who can take it hard right up the middle when it is third-and-1 and fourth-and-2, when they know they are going to get whacked. Anthony does that."
Better yet, McGhee prefers that route. And when a guy whose favorite NFL player was Barry Sanders says that, that's something.
"Look, I'm not the fastest guy on the team," McGhee said. "I can't outrun good college defenses for 80 yards. But if I take it hard up the middle and make a guy miss or get a great block or two, I'm set. The quickest way for a running back to the end zone is to run straight. Forget about dancing here and there. I get through the line, I am halfway to a touchdown. There's less people to beat running that way."
One more thought enters into his razor-sharp lecture. McGhee remembers something every green running back should be ready for.
"Another thing running backs have to be ready for are swollen arms after game day," McGhee said. "Defensive coaches tell their guys to always try to put their helmets on the football. Well, those players miss that ball a lot and tag your arms. That hurts."
R Contact Jeff Sentell at jsentell@ nvdaily.com
McGhee's five keys to playing running back
1. Keep your eyes open at all times.
2. Jump rope to improve agility
3. Train the lower body to gain leg strength.
4. Never be happy with your strength and speed.
5. Run low and be a small target.
2002 season recap
Passing leader: Wayne Hogwood (45 of 102, 529 yards, 3 TDs, 5 INTs)
Rushing leader: Anthony McGhee (184 carries, 818 yards, 6 TDs)
Key returners: LB Eddie Freeman, OT Eric Gaskins, WR Junior Greene, LB Jesse Hardesty, LB Matt Harrison, QB Wayne Hogwood, PK Morgan Linkenauger, RB Anthony McGhee, OG Lamont Moore, DT Valdemar Moxey, OT Karl Shackelford
Key losses: DB Gregg Anderson, DE Michael Doleman, FB Wes Karns, DT LeShawn Haley, DB Tavan Mair, DB Bryson McKenzie, FB Dennis Robart
