'Tough guy' McNeil ready to start 31st consecutive game

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Mangled fingers, trick knees and a steady stream of bumps, bruises and welts all come with the job for an offensive lineman.

For Tennessee center Josh McNeil, it's all those things and more.

At 280 pounds, the Mississippi native routinely gives up 25 pounds to an opposing defensive tackle. Despite his size, McNeil has managed to shrug off all the bumps, bruises and off-season surgeries.

"I've always thought it's important to be a tough guy, per se," McNeil said, "and to make sure I go out there and get as much work as everybody else."

When No. 2 Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) arrives for Saturday's 7:45 p.m. kickoff (TV: ESPN) in Neyland Stadium, McNeil will start his 31st consecutive game for the Vols (3-4, 1-3).

Ramon Foster will start his 22nd consecutive game on UT's offensive line, as will fellow tackle Chris Scott.

But almost no one in the SEC has to do what McNeil does on weekly basis.

"Josh as a player has a whole different mindset than anybody else on the line," says guard Jacques McClendon, who weighs 320 and set UT's bench press record with a 645-pound lift over the summer. "He's a warrior. He's really hurting right now, and he's putting it all on the line for his team. He's not a selfish guy."

This week, however, he is a bit lucky.

Terrence Cody, Alabama's massive nose tackle, won't play because of a knee injury suffered in the Crimson Tide's victory over against Ole Miss last week.

Even Cody's replacement, 305-pound redshirt freshman Josh Chapman, acknowledged that McNeil and the rest of UT's line dodged a 365-pound bullet.

"I think any opponent would be glad to see me instead of Cody," said Chapman, one of the Hoover (Ala.) High School players featured on the MTV show Two-A-Days and one of Alabama's strongest players. "That's a whole big load."

It's nothing new for McNeil.

Over the course of his 30-game streak, he's faced off twice against former LSU tackle and 2007 Outland Trophy winner Glenn Dorsey and plenty of other future NFL players in his two-plus seasons as a starter.

And he's been smaller than nearly every one he's faced.

"Most of the time (centers) are the smallest linemen," McNeil said. "I guess being a little smaller, all the physical stuff takes a little bit more of a toll on you, but I think there's a lot of advantages to being quick just like there's a lot of advantages to being big, too."

Even at 280 pounds, McNeil is significantly heavier this year than he was as a sophomore in 2007.

McNeil started small last season after a preseason illness caused him to lose weight. The rigors of a 14-game season didn't help him add any pounds, and he finished the year weighing less than 270.

"I'm not going to say the exact weight," McNeil says now, "but I was a little bit lighter than that."

In terms of toughness, though, teammates and coaches say McNeil is a heavyweight. And a smart one at that.

"He's a tough guy," quarterback Nick Stephens said. "He's smart. He knows where to be and what angles to take, and that helps him a lot more at his size."

UT coach Phillip Fulmer called McNeil "a technician."

"He's a tough guy, certainly," Fulmer said. "He's really matured in the position. The pass protection, from a scheme standpoint, he could coach it."

Maybe that's because McNeil has missed only a handful of fall practices during his streak. That's not to say he hasn't been banged up along the way.

This year he missed all of spring practice - when coordinator Dave Clawson installed a new offense and line scheme - after having knee surgery in January. He had offseason knee surgery in 2007 as well, but an ankle injury forced him to miss part of spring drills.

After signing with UT in 2005 as the top-rated center prospect in the nation, he was forced to redshirt after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He bounced back in 2006 and earned Freshman All-SEC honors after taking over the starting job five games into the season.

Since then, he's been an iron man.

"Football is so important to him," Clawson said. "I really think that he's a great team guy, a very smart football player. There's times he may be giving up some pounds and some weight, but the kid's just a battler."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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