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McCall's Motivation (Argus Story)

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  • McCall's Motivation (Argus Story)

    http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...37/1002/SPORTS


    McCall's motivation
    An '03 loss lingers in SDSU cornerback's mind



    Chris Solari
    csolari@argusleader.com

    Article Published: 10/20/05

    BROOKINGS - Hank McCall has a framed picture that he looks at every day before heading off to South Dakota State football practice.

    It may seem like ages ago, that 2003 game against the University of North Dakota, but the senior cornerback still remembers the bitter feeling of standing in the end zone as the Fighting Sioux celebrated the score and eventual victory.

    When called upon in a similar situation against Cal Davis on Oct. 8, McCall knocked away the pass to preserve SDSU's 16-14 victory. He earned Great West Conference player of the week, having also had an interception and 11 tackles, while coming full circle from that feeling of desolation against the Sioux.
     
    "It's a great feeling, euphoric, just knowing you got the job done and made the play for your teammates, your fans and your coaches," McCall said. "It was just doing what I was brought here to do."

    That play helped SDSU end a three-game losing streak that included two other close games. McCall, who leads the Jackrabbit defense with 45 tackles, will play his final homecoming game Saturday against Missouri-Rolla at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

    UND's 2003 touchdown catch by Jesse Ahlers, with two seconds left in the game, put the Sioux within a point after SDSU had led 24-10 to start the final quarter. A tipped-but-completed two-point conversion pass moments later left the Jackrabbits stunned with a 25-24 loss.

    To this day, McCall turns his eyes to the photo of that play for motivation.

    "We're both going up for the ball, and he just got done pushing me in the back, and I'm stretched out while he's coming down with it," said McCall, who was a sophomore at the time. "Underneath, I have a caption that says, 'Failure is not an option.'

    "It's been a driving force ever since, to not let that stuff happen."

    Move to Oct. 8 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls - a similar scenario, as SDSU led Cal Davis 16-0 heading into the fourth quarter. McCall had his interception to set up the Jacks' only touchdown in the first quarter.

    But Aggies quarterback Jon Grant threw a TD, then completed the two-point conversion pass to receiver Blaise Smith on a slant in front of McCall with about nine minutes remaining. With 2:05 left, Grant threw another scoring pass to make it 16-14. A two-point conversion would tie the game.

    McCall anticipated a running play, but the ball again came his way. Grant took a short drop and lobbed his pass into the right corner of the end zone for Smith.

    As the 6-foot-2 receiver soared above the 5-11 McCall, the play was eerily reminiscent of the one in the UND game. Only this time, McCall slapped the ball out of Smith's hands.

    "I saw him go up, and I saw the ball in his hands. I was like, 'Oh no, I better do something,'" said McCall. "I just reacted."

    McCall, an only child whose uncles made him a goal post in his backyard, came to SDSU from Bishop Garrigan High in Algona, Iowa. He started out as a wide receiver, but that lasted about a week before the coaches moved him to cornerback.

    Once on the defensive side of the ball, he shifted between cornerback and safety for two years before settling in as the starter last year on the right corner. McCall has since become one of the least thrown-at defensive backs in the league, thanks to his ability to cover receivers and deliver punishing hits, but his tackle numbers are up because of his ability to also defend screen passes and the run.

    "He is definitely self-motivated, and it comes from inside," Coach John Stiegelmeier said of McCall, who was named a second-team All-Great West Conference cornerback in 2004. "As coaches, you are always trying to figure out ways to motivate your guys. You don't have to do that with Hank."

    McCall relishes those win-or-lose kind of situations. Last year, he picked off a pass with 20 seconds left to seal the Jackrabbits' thrilling win over North Dakota State, then held current San Diego Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson to two catches until Northern Colorado's final drive in a 14-7 victory.

    "When we do get in those situations, I just ask the guys in the huddle, 'Who wants to make a play? Who's going to make the play?'" McCall said. "When your number's called, you've got to make the play."




    Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.


  • #2
    Re: McCall's Motivation (Argus Story)

    Good article on a great kid and an excellent football player..........These are the kind of players we need on our team






    Go Jacks !!!!!!
    http://members.cox.net/geauxcolonels...t/SDSU_bar.png

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    • #3
      Re: McCall's Motivation (Argus Story)

      I couldn't agree more.

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