Sports

Little guy, big plays

• Despite being under six-feet tall, Rams CB Terry McGhee not only is tops in the SIAC for passes defended, he’s tied for the lead nationwide.

Scott Chancey

ALBANY — Albany State players occasionally joke with Rams cornerback Terry McGhee about his size. And they don’t have to think of anything original because coach Mike White has the most clever line.

“Little-man syndrome,” White said, laughing.

Although the ideal stature for a defensive back is above 6 feet, McGhee — a Peach County High School product — is 5-10 and 162 pounds. That, however, has hardly mattered this season.

The Albany State sophomore leads the SIAC and is tied for first in NCAA Division II with Henderson State’s Divon Hughes (another 5-10 player) in passes defended. McGhee, through seven games, has broken up 12 passes and made three interceptions. His latest pick was in the end zone against No. 14 Tuskegee last Saturday, halting what could have been a touchdown drive that gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead. Albany State, instead, drove downfield after McGhee’s interception and tied the game at 7.

“I want them to throw the ball to me,” McGhee said.

Although the Rams eventually lost that game, 40-28, McGhee’s night was just another example of his big-play potential. He has 22 tackles, including one for a loss, and a 95-yard fumble return on his birthday against Benedict for a touchdown.

McGhee, coincidentally, replaced another 5-10 Rams player — Marcus Jefferson, who led the country in passes defended in 2005.

After being asked if there were any similarities between the players, White jokingly replied, “Size.”

“I think Terry will become really sharp like Marcus was,” White said. “Marcus was really hard to beat his senior year. You had to have superior size to win those battles.”

This “Little Man Syndrome,” obviously, has not hampered any the DB’s big-play abilities.

“He’s played a key role for us all year,” White said. “We didn’t have anybody after Marcus was a senior at the left-cornerback position and we needed a good player because a lot of teams have right-handed quarterbacks who throw that way.”
That’s fine with McGhee.

“I don’t want to be on the field for no reason,” McGhee said. “That helps me make myself better by them throwing at me where I can keep making plays and breaking up passes.”

The tattoo on McGhee’s left bicep, that of a joker and a motto, “Laugh now, cry later,” plays greatly into his style of play.

“Don’t let someone bring you down,” McGhee said. “Smile. Why cry about it? Something will happen that will make you feel better. Playing defensive back as an example, you can’t have a catch a wide receiver made on your mind the whole game or you’ll be messed up.

“You have to have a short memory because you can always come out there and make a play. Moping won’t make anything better.”

McGhee’s tattoo, like any other in most cases, tells a story.

“I felt the words,” McGhee said. “I wanted something on my body that I felt fit me.”

A tattoo of a Peach County helmet is on McGhee’s right bicep, a symbol of the school’s team with which he won a state championship in 2005 against Dougherty at Hugh Mills Stadium. Above his helmet and near his shoulder, is a passage that best describes McGhee’s passion for the game that earned him a college scholarship: “Football is life.”

“It’s everything to me,” McGhee said. “My mother always told me to (study), but football is right up there with it.”

There was a time, however, when McGhee’s doctor would not let him play because of asthma. He began playing organized football at 7 years old as a running back and receiver. In the eighth grade, however, he was moved to the secondary.

That was a blessing in disguise because McGhee had experience playing the same position he was supposed to defend.

“It helps me anticipate how a wide receiver will break,” McGhee said. “You guess by his footwork which way he’s going to go.”

McGhee grew up in Fort Valley, where one of Albany State’s main rivals, Fort Valley State is located, and attended the annual Columbus meeting between
the two schools: the Fountain City Classic. His cousin, Warin Major, was a Rams quarterback, and that was one of the reasons he chose the Albany school.

“I knew Albany State was a winning program,” McGhee said. “I came from a winning program, so I felt that was a good team to join. I also wanted to play at a black college.”

Now that McGhee is at Albany State, more big plays should be in his future.

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