Motte paves way for Eagle backs

STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern's offensive guard Chad Motte says he's just a big kid at heart. At 6-foot-4, 303 pounds, he means that literally and figuratively.

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He's a kid who loves cartoons, video games and knockdown blocks, not necessarily in that order.

And he's a kid who can't get enough fantasy. This year he's been to Disneyland in California twice and Disney World in Orlando, Fla., once.

Favorite character? Dumbo.

"He's a fat guy who can fly," Motte said. "It's just a dream. You can't beat that."

Not many defenders are beating Motte these days. He squats 575 pounds and benches 325.

But he also plays with flexibility. He's the biggest athlete on the team but can touch his toes and has a vertical jump of 29.5 inches.

"Chad isn't the strongest guy on the line but he bends his knees and plays low," Georgia Southern offensive line coach Brent Davis said.

Playing low has Motte among the top guards in Division I-AA. He earned first-team All-America honors from The Sports Network and second-team accolades from The Associated Press a year ago.

The Eagles have won the Division I-AA team rushing title during all three of Motte's years.

And they're off to a good start this season. Georgia Southern piled up 474 rushing yards in the opener against Northeastern. A lot of it came on the inside. Fullback Jermaine Austin had 199 yards and a touchdown and earned the Southern Conference's Offensive Player of the Week.

"(Motte) came off the point rather well, particularly in tight situations," Georgia Southern coach Mike Sewak. "It was one of his better games."

Motte finished with a team-high 12 knockdown blocks against the Huskies and currently holds the team's knockdown title belt.

"It's a big, gold belt, something the coaches put together, and we're having a lot of fun with it," he said.

Football wasn't always a barrel of laughs for Motte. He played for Arab (Ala.) High, which posted a 2-8 record during his freshman season, then went downhill. Arab lost 30 consecutive games during his last three years.

"The only reason why people came to our games was because it was a social event," Motte said. "The band was good. They won a lot of awards while I was there.''

So Motte learned a lot about humility.

A year later, he said his life turned into a fairy tale.

He earned a scholarship to Georgia Southern after Eagles coaches saw him knocking down one defender after another during a passing drill in an Eagles youth summer football camp held in Statesboro.

"It's a great story," Davis said. "Here's a guy who didn't win in high school and now he's at one of the best college programs. He knows both sides of winning and losing."

Motte also knows about perseverance. During his sophomore year at Georgia Southern, he considered quitting. Even had the car packed and pointed out of Statesboro.

He thought he had good reasons. A hairline fracture in his foot turned the 2002 season into a struggle. Then his uncle, a father-figure in his life, died.

"I was getting down on myself," Motte said. "Things seemed to be going wrong all around me. I couldn't do anything right. But then it hit me (my teammates) were my brothers."