25-year-old Blaine pursues a dream after a stint in the Army.

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Posted 9:56PM on Thursday, October 20, 2005

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) Anthony Blaine plays the interception over and over. It's easy to do. Press a button. He has it saved on his computer. The defining moment of his brief collegiate career came almost three weeks ago with Georgia Southern safely ahead of Elon 49-7 early in the fourth quarter. That's when opportunity came his way. For a split second, he seemed out of the picture. A perfect spiral darted toward an open receiver at the Eagles' goal line. Blaine, a freshman cornerback, took off, then dived for the ball. Next thing he knew teammates mobbed him. ``I really don't know what to say,'' Blaine said. ``I still can't believe it.'' He says a lot through the beaming smile on his face. He had a lot of ground to make up the moment he stepped on the GSU campus. That happens when you make the decision to go to college and you're 25 years old, typically an age for students who are at the end of their college tenure. ``Anthony came to us as a walk-on,'' Eagles coach Mike Sewak said. ``He had already been in school a year and had met some of the players. He stopped by the coaches' office and asked, 'What do I need to do?' `` That's not the normal route for a player to join a team. Usually coaches seek out the athlete. But collegiate recruiters weren't beating a path to Willacoochee to see a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder who played defensive end and outside linebacker for Class A Atkinson County High School. ``I always had the will to play football beyond high school. It just didn't happen like that,'' Blaine said. So the son of a pastor formed a new plan, maybe after seeing a poster that read, ``Uncle Sam wants you.'' During three years in the Army, Blaine earned an E-4 rank as a specialist, fueling mainly helicopters. ``I don't even remember the names of some of the places I've been,'' Blaine said. ``I was in Egypt for a while, mostly doing peacekeeping stuff.'' Peace time also became family time. In 2001, his son Jakari was born. But peace time for all military personnel changed after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001. Blaine opted to leave the army on his Sept. 17 discharge date, because he didn't want to go to war and leave his 2-month-old son. That left Blaine in another dilemma. Now what? He drove trucks and did other menial jobs to make ends meet for three years. Then he decided to go to college. ``I really wanted to be a teacher and a coach, but you can't really do that with a military background,'' Blaine said. Last year, Blaine enrolled at Georgia Southern. He had a class with Eagles quarterback Jayson Foster and sometimes hung out with other football players. During the summer, he impressed some of the players during informal workouts. They told the coaches. ``It's hard to serve your time and not come out with a pretty strong character,'' Eagles defensive backs coach Scot Sloan said. ``Those guys go through a lot harder things (in the military) than everyday life. He came highly recommended but we didn't know what he might be capable of. I told him, 'All we can do is give you a helmet and shoulder pads. The rest is up to you.' `` The process of joining the football team is a little more complicated. After school officials made a background check, Blaine's didn't even matter. ``Your (eligibility) clock doesn't start until you enroll full time in college,'' Eagles compliance director Tim Metcalf said. In accordance with NCAA rules, Blaine was eligible to play football by passing at least 24 hours of classes (18 during the fall and spring) during the 2003-2004 school year. He's taking courses in English and education. ``I guess I learned discipline and responsibility more than anything else,'' Blaine said of his stint in the Army. ``I think if I had gone to college right out of high school, I would have flunked out.'' Blaine has played in three games this season. He had a tackle during a 48-10 win over Chattanooga. With two senior cornerbacks finishing their eligibility this season, Blaine's experience could bode well for the future. ``We like his attitude,'' Sloan said. ``He's just trying to get a college education and do what teenagers dream about and that's play college football.'' Information from: Savannah Morning News, http://www.savannahnow.com/ (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)