ESPN.com - The Comeback Kid

ESPN.com: ESPNMagazine

[Print without images]

Sunday, September 1, 2002
Updated: September 4, 10:42 AM ET
The Comeback Kid

By By Gene Wojciechowski
bmoc

20. A BMOC Soapbox Moment
There's a saying:

Those who can't, teach.

Those who can't teach, teach gym.

Those who can't teach gym, run the Mutual of Omaha claims department for catastrophic injuries.


	Neil Parry works out in a weight room at San Jose State as he prepares for his return to college football.

At least, that's they way it looked earlier last week when the insurance company tried to bogart San Jose State's Neil Parry out of his football happily-ever-after ending. Parry is the kid who had part of his right leg amputated after suffering a compound fracture during a 2000 game against Texas-El Paso. Twenty surgeries and nearly 15 prosthetic legs later, Parry slowly, steadily and remarkably positioned himself for a dab-the-tears comeback, most likely Sept. 28 at home against that same UTEP team.

But then the Mutual of Knuckleheads decided Parry's return would force the company to cancel his lifetime catastrophic injury policy. In short, if Parry was good to go for kickoff coverage, then he'd have to do it on his own dime.

Never mind that Parry's medical expenses are $400,000 and counting, or that MOO waited until season's eve to break the news. A rule's a rule, dammit.

Of course, Mutual of Omaha's decision went over like a lead Bevo. This was like telling Dorothy that her and Toto couldn't go back to Kansas -- and by the way, Auntie Em works the graveyard shift at a liquor store and sells Lotto tickets. It was a public relations mushroom cloud.

A day later Mutual of Omaha found religion. Or its conscience. Or a good PR person. Whatever happened, Parry is back where he belongs: on the practice field, and with a modified insurance policy from MOO that guarantees him lifetime coverage.

"This is an extraordinary case," said Jack Weekly, the company's chairman and CEO.

Weekly would have been hammered daily if he hadn't reversed the initial decision. Seriously: Parry has 1½ legs. He's going to have 1½ legs if he makes an inspirational appearance on San Jose State's special teams, or if he walks to the fridge for a glass of 2 percent milk. He's never going to be physically whole again -- at least, not in the conventional way -- so what difference does it make if his comeback dream includes a heartwarming few moments on the field? It's not like Parry is doing this so he can skip his senior season for the NFL draft.

In Parry's world, healed and recovered are relative terms. He has spent nearly two years chasing the comeback carrot. Without it, who knows what might have happened? The possibility of a comeback gave him hope, gave him added reason to try to turn a tragic negative into a football miracle.

Mutual of Omaha is in the business of making a profit. Fine. But Parry's case is more about common sense and compassion than a bottom line and the letter of the law. It took public outrage, media heat and the threat of a lawsuit, but Weekly and the Mutual people did the right thing.

The next right thing? Weekly ought to buy a ticket for the Sept. 28. Along with the lifetime coverage MOO is giving Parry, it will be the best money he ever spends.

19. Payback Time
Think BYU quarterback Bret Engemann enjoyed the Cougars' 42-21 toasting of visiting Syracuse? Engemann didn't do too much, other than complete 35 of 54 passes for 386 yards and 3 touchdowns, as well run for 38 yards (the second-best rushing total for BYU that night).

Engemann had a teensy-weensy bit of motivation, what with Syracuse being the team that ended his season in 2000, and essentially costing him a serious shot at the job in 2001.

Engemann began that 2000 season as the starter, dinged up his knee against Florida State, hurt his ankle against Air Force, managed to get through the Virginia game, but then suffered a shoulder injury against the Orangemen. He had surgery to repair the damage, but by the time his shoulder started to come around it was too late -- Brandon Doman was coach Gary Crowton's easy choice at QB.

Doman is gone and No. 1 national recruit Ben Olsen is cooling his cleats as a true freshman. That leaves Engemann to make up for lost time.

18. And Now The Bad News
If BYU is going to make a run at BCS glory it had better figure out who body-snatched place-kicker Matt Payne.

Payne entered the Syracuse game with a streak of 46 consecutive extra points (73 of 76 last season). Then he missed two PATs against the Orangemen and also missed two of three field goal attempts. A 1-of-5 night might be OK for the slug trying to win a $25 gift certificate during a halftime contest, but it won't work when you're trying to make BCS noise.

The Cougars also have to survive a nasty little stretch where they face Hawaii at home (Remember the Warriors' 72-45 woodshed number last season? BYU does.) and then hit the road for their next four games.

17. Media Major
Major Applewhite's pro career lasted only slighter longer than "Mutual of Omaha Appreciation Day" at the Parry household. He came, he dropped back, he quit the New England Patriots before the team Turk could tell him to stop by Coach Belichick's office -- and, by the way, bring your playbook.

So where is Applewhite now? Back at Texas, back in school (he has one semester left before completing his degree), back in Chris Simms' rearview mirror. But this time Applewhite is holding a microphone instead of a football.

Applewhite returned to Austin and does his very own one-hour sports talk radio show. His first guest: Simms, the same guy who was benched in favor of Applewhite during the Big 12 Championship defeat to Colorado and who lost his starting job altogether for the Holiday Bowl (Applewhite completed 37 of 55 passes for 473 yards and overcame a 19-point third-period deficit to Washington in the thrilling win). Not only does Applewhite have his own radio gig, but he does a weekly segment for a local Austin TV station, and is part of the Longhorns' pregame radio team.

Will Applewhite second-guess Simms? Doubtful. Simms and Applewhite got along better than anyone realized. Still do. Plus, Applewhite probably wants to be careful about being too honest. He wants to get his degree and then get a graduate assistant coaching job in Division I-A.

16. New Year, Same Story
He began the 2001 season on the medium list of Heisman Trophy candidates. He ended it with a 4-7 record and getting booed on his own home field. In between, he played with a sore shoulder, had a baby girl (but not before his pregnant girlfriend suffered a burst appendix), saw his Heisman hype go into the dumper, and endured a miserable season where his completion rate dipped to 42.8 percent and his interceptions (12) outnumbered touchdowns (8).


	UNLV QB Jason Thomas worked hard to improve in the offseason.

No wonder UNLV's Jason Thomas couldn't wait for the opener against Wisconsin. Nothing could be worse than 2001.

Except 2002.

Thomas was booed early and often in Saturday's bizarre 27-7 loss to Wisconsin at UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium -- the game was called with 7:41 left to play because of a blown transformer. He threw an interception on his second pass attempt of the season, and another one later in the first period. He added two fumbles to the first-half mess. The Rebels blew field position and scoring opportunities. Wisconsin eventually took full advantage of the gifts.

"I heard them," said Thomas later. "But it didn't affect me this time. I've been booed in the past. But I felt like I made some good throws."

Thomas' senior season was supposed to be markedly better than the last time Vegas fans saw him in 2001 home finale. That's when the Rebels were beaten by Utah. "I don't think we crossed the 40 [yard line]," said Thomas of UNLV's offense that night. "[The fans] were just tired of me. The year before I was the savior. Then they boo and I'm like, 'Damn.' I didn't know how to deal with it.

"One week you're the Heisman candidate, the next week it's, 'Who is this guy? He's a bum.'"

Who knows what it will be this week.

Thomas wasn't the only one who semi-stunk it up, but he'll catch most of the heat. It's too bad because Thomas worked hard during the offseason rehabbing his flawed throwing motion with new quarterbacks coach Vince Alcade. He got the pudge off his body. He pushed for the Rebels to become more of a family, beginning with a first-ever preseason players talent show. They even learned the UNLV fight song. "We didn't even know our fight song," he says.

Now they have to learn something else: start winning, or get used to the boos.

15. NI-Who?
Northern Illinois flies so far under the football radar screen that the program has grass stains on its wings. So what might not seem like a big deal to the rest of Division I-A -- NIU's 42-41 overtime win against Wake Forest -- is stop-the-presses stuff in DeKalb.

NIU sports information director Mike Korcek was so excited after the home opener that he woke up at 4 a.m. and watched a replay of the OT victory. It was NIU's first-ever overtime game, but it wasn't the first (or last) time a Mid-American Conference team left a bruise mark on the record of a big-time league member -- in this case, the ACC.

Wake isn't Oklahoma, but the Demon Deacons were still picked to finish in the upper half of their conference. And, yeah, they were missing their two best running backs (Tarance Williams -- recovering from foot surgery, Fred Staton -- academically ineligible), but Northern had some issues too (a new quarterback, for starters).

Because of 9/11-related rescheduling, Wake was NIU's final opponent last season and first opponent this season. Wake won a squeaker, 38-35, in 2001, but were done in this year by reserve safety Devron Francis, who made the game-saving tackle on the Deacons' 2-point try in OT.

NIU coach Joe Novak didn't know Francis had made the big hit until the postgame news conference.

"You made that tackle," he said to Francis. "Let me hug you. I'm going to give you another one tomorrow."

Novak doesn't get much pub, but he's another coaching product off the Miami of Ohio assembly line. And while he's often outmanned in non-conference games, he's rarely outcoached (ask Illinois, which barely escaped with a 17-12 win last season).

Anyway, here's to flying low.

14. Tulsa, You're On The Clock
That thump you heard was Duke tossing the weight of a 23-game losing streak off its back. The Blue Devils ended their football 0-fer Hell with a 23-16 win against East Carolina and afterward, Dookies coach Carl Franks had to be treated for smile cramps.

It was Duke's first victory since beating Wake Forest in November 1999. Equally important, it ends the NCAA record book death watch. Given their schedule, the Blue Devils could have conceivably broken the all-time D-IA consecutive loss record of 34 set by Northwestern. Now no more jokes about Franks trying to schedule Athletes in Action or Marathon Oil.

By the way, Navy and Houston, which were winless in 2001, also picked up victories. That leaves Tulsa with the nation's longest losing streak (11).

13. Co-Players Of The Week


	Quintin Griffin averaged nearly 14 yards a carry in OU's opening win.

Oklahoma RB Quentin Griffin
Griffin averaged nearly 14 yards per carry in OU's win against Tulsa. He had 155 yards by halftime and finished with 237 yards on just 17 rushes.

Did someone say OU would have trouble running the ball this year?

Florida State RB Greg Jones
Jones rushed for 173 yards and 2 TDs as FSU beat Virginia.

Did someone say FSU would have trouble running the ball this year?

Runner-ups:

Michigan's PK Philip Brabbs
He missed a 42-yarder. He missed a 36-yarder. His replacement, Troy Nienberg, missed a 27-yarder. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr sent Brabbs back onto the field with 5 seconds left on the clock and the Wolverines trailing Washington by a point. His 44-yarder cartwheeled through the middle of the uprights and Michigan had an amazing win and another unlikely hero to add to its storied football history.

Washington State DB Will Derting Derting had three interceptions (one returned for a 98-yard TD) in the win against Nevada.

BYU QB Engemann
Welcome back.

Air Force QB Chance Harridge
Now you know why Zoomie coach Fisher DeBerry wasn't overly worried about replacing Keith Boyea with Harridge. Harridge ran the option to near perfection as Air Force humbled Northwestern, 52-3. Harridge was 5 of 7 for 47 yards and one touchdown, but did most of his damage on the ground -- 16 carries, 97 yards and two scores. In all, Air Force rushed for 476 yards and scored on its first five possessions. The Zoomies only have won four of 14 games against Big Ten teams, but three of the victories are against the Wildcats. Dating back to last season, Northwestern has lost seven consecutive games and eight of nine.

Colorado State QB Bradlee Van Pelt
A modest 163 yards passing, but 80 yards rushing, including the game-winner against Colorado.

Honorable Mention:
Duke RB Alex Wade had 120 yards as the Blue Devils won their first game since November 1999. . . Mizzou's Brad Smith, the first freshman to start an MU opener, threw for 152 yards and ran for 138 yards as the Tigers beat Illinois. . . Michigan RB Chris Perry had 120 yards and 3 touchdowns. . .Florida RB Earnest Graham rushed for 182 yards on 13 carries (14 ypc) and 2 TDs.

12. Coach Of The Week

Florida's Ron Zook
The fire-and-brimstone Zook probably had the Gators thinking they were going to play Bama, not UAB. Anyway, Zook gets his first-ever victory as a head coach, which means absolutely nothing to the Florida followers still mourning Steve Spurrier's departure to the Washington Redskins. Of course, that could change if Zook can beat Miami this Saturday.

Whatever happens, odds are he won't run the table. Only one coach in SEC history has ever gone undefeated in his first season. That was Terry Bowden, who led Auburn to an 11-0 record in 1993, a mark made more remarkable by the fact that the Tigers were on probation and ineligible for postseason play.

11. Rumor Of The Week
One prominent conference commissioner says he's scared stiff about the possibility of more academic fraud throughout D I-A. Too many grey areas in the NCAA rules. Too many overzealous academic support staffers. Too many players willing to let someone else do their classwork.

10. FYI
To: Every outraged Joe Paterno honk who thinks it's a crock that Bobby Bowden's 31 wins at Howard/Samford count in his victory total.
From: BMOC
Re: Coaching immortality

The NCAA -- not me, not the media, not Bowden, not Mutual of Omaha -- is the one that decided to allow those 31 victories. According to the 2002 NCAA records book, all your wins count if you coach at least 10 years at a Division I-A school and your victories come against 4-year colleges.

Let's see. . . check, and check.

Look, everyone has some chippies on their W-L record, including JoePa. Does Bowden catch a break because of the NCAA ruling? Sure, he does. But unless the people in Indianapolis change the way they add, Bowden has 325 wins and trails his good buddy Paterno by three wins.

By the way, Bowden isn't the only coach to benefit from the NCAA accounting, just the most prominent.

9. You Heard It Here First (Or Maybe Second)
Leonard Davis. . . Mike Williams. . . Derrick Dockery?

That's the word from Texas, which seems to be producing more big-time offensive linemen than you can shake a Wonderlic test at.

Everyone knows about Davis and Williams, who were top-four picks in the 2001 and 2002 NFL drafts, respectively.

Now Texas offensive line coach Tim Nunez is sweet on Dockery, a 6-6, 345-pound right guard. Like Williams, Dockery wasn't considered a can't-miss pro prospect when he arrived in Austin. But now the Texas staff thinks Dockery can continue the chain of high Longhorn first-round O-line picks.

And you should see Texas coaches and Longhorn football officials when true freshman tailback Selvin Young walks by. You nearly have to dab the drool from their chins. Young will back up star sophomore Cedric Benson, but it's obvious Longhorn coaches want to find a way to get Young on the field. For now he'll return kicks, the occasional punt and sub for Benson every so often.

8. Quote Of The Week
"We're checking with Ohio State and Nebraska on how to do rushing notes. We don't know how to do them."

-- Florida State sports information director Rob Wilson, cracking wise after the Seminoles gained 397 rushing yards in a 40-19 win against Virginia.

7. Stat Of The Week
That must have been a fun flight back to Seattle for Washington's players and coaches. Someone on the Huskies is going to get an earhole full, thanks to a crucial illegal participation penalty call in the waning seconds of the Michigan game. In other words, the Huskies get their 11s and 12s mixed up.

The 15-yard penalty moved the ball to about the UW 27-yard-line, setting up Brabbs' 44-yard game winner. Incredibly enough, the killer call came after the Huskies used a timeout to set their defense.

In all, Washington had five penalties for 40 yards, but none more devastating than the illegal participation call.

Runner-up stat: With its win against hapless Baylor, Cal matched its victory total of a season ago -- 1.

6. It's A Cane Thing


	Walter Payton's son Jarrett talks to Emmitt Smith about once a week.

Jarrett Payton's career at Miami continues to break records for Most Luckless Seasons.

His father, the legendary Walter Payton, died during Jarrett's freshman year with the Hurricanes. Devastated by his father's death and not quite sure if he wanted to play football anymore, Payton redshirted in 2000. He cut his foot and missed spring practice in 2001. That fall he nearly was killed in a car accident. Then he suffered an ankle injury, severe headaches and was switched to fullback, where he gained a grand total of 26 yards.

This season was going to be different. He dedicated himself during the offseason and was poised to make a challenge for the starting halfback job when, ta-da, he suffered back spasms and bleeding in the major muscle of his back.

Payton missed the season opener against Florida A&M. Meanwhile, sophomore Willis McGahee is firmly entrenched as the starter and sophomore Frank Gore is supposedly moving closer to an October return after tearing his ACL during spring camp.

It isn't likely Payton would be interested in another switch to fullback and even if he was, UM coaches are high on redshirt freshman Quadtrine Hill. Hill isn't your usual beer keg-thick-necked lug. He's only 210 pounds, but he's fast, can catch and is tougher than casino buffet steak.

5. So This One Time At Band Camp
Who says you can't make it big playing the tuba?

The University of Wisconsin marching band not only made its halftime appearance at Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium, but you also could catch the Badgers playing at the Stardust. They even got their own sign off Las Vegas Boulevard, though it was smaller than the one pitching Don Rickles at the hotel's Wayne Newton Theater.

4. Cha-Ching
That was some "home" game Wyoming had against Tennessee. The Cowboys were originally scheduled to play the Vols in Laramie, but that was before the Nashville Sports Council started waving dollar bills -- 2.35 million of them, to be exact.

Wyoming took a look at its ledger and decided black was better than red. So they took the money, took a plane to Nashville, and left with a 47-7 loss and a check that won't bounce.

3. Heisman Trophy Race
Bring a coat and tie to the Heisman ceremony in New York: Oklahoma's Griffin, Florida QB Rex Grossman, Marshall QB Byron Leftwich, Miami QB Ken Dorsey, Oregon RB Onterrio Smith.
Moving up: Iowa State QB Seneca Wallace (a poor man's Mike Vick); Florida State RB Greg Jones (FSU coaches predicted a huge season for Jones -- so far, so good); Michigan State WR Charles Rogers.
Staying same: Texas QB Chris Simms, NC State QB Philip Rivers, Tennessee QB Casey Clausen, Ole Miss' Eli Manning.
Slipping: Middle Tennessee State RB Dwone Hicks (32 yards in loss vs. Bama. Needs huge bounce-back game Saturday vs. Tennessee).
Thanks for stopping by the booth: Too early to boot anyone just yet.

2. Whatever Happened To. . .
Jeremy Bloom.

Bloom is an Olympics moguls skier who got into a legal battle with the NCAA over skiing-related endorsement money. He's also a Colorado kid who always wanted to play for the CU Buffs. The courts made him choose: snow or chin straps. Bloom picked football.

Wonder if he regrets the decision. Bloom had zero catches, but two punt returns for 77 yards and one touchdown (a 75-yard score) in CU's 19-14 loss to Colorado State. How was Bloom to know that Buffs coach Gary Barnett would lose his fourth consecutive opener.

One Hack's Weekly Elite
Fiesta Bowl Matchup
Oklahoma vs. Tennessee -- Sooners prepare for home opener against Bama, while Vols won't leave the state until Oct. 12.
3. Michigan State -- Spartans feeling better about the post-T.J. Duckett Era.
4. Texas -- Horns get off week before Mack Brown returns to Carolina.
5. Georgia -- No early chippies for Dawgs. Beat Clemson, S. Carolina next.
6. Oregon -- The Quack Attack begins where Joey left off: with a win.
7. Miami -- Barely had to tape their ankles in win against Florida A&M.
8. FSU -- After near-gag-a-thon vs. Iowa State, 'Noles take care of UVa.
9. Florida -- The Ballcoach would have been proud of Zook debut.
10.Virginia Tech -- Hokies put quick end to Corso's LSU dream?
Waiting list: Michigan, Nebraska, Colorado State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Washington State.

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. He can be reached at gene.wojciechowski@espnmag.com.