Going deep with Fred Amey

Image: Going deep with Fred Amey:Fred Amey is a fifth year senior at Sac State pursuing a degree in computer science. He already owns the Hornet career record for receiving yards and is just the fifth player in Div. I-AA football history to compile 3000 career yards. Amey is a Walter Pay:

State Hornet Staff

The week of practice was the same as any other week.

The fun didn�t start until we boarded the plane. After we were all on they told us that 10 people needed to move to the front in order for us to take off. They told us that the weight of the cargo and passengers was unbalanced. I immediately tried to go to sleep so that I didn�t have to be awake for the takeoff. When I woke up about an hour or so had passed.

There was some minor turbulence but not too much.

After we checked into the hotel we went to Montana�s Washington-Grizzly Stadium. We practiced for a little in the cold weather and went back to the hotel.

The game started at noon but we did not show up mentally until around one o�clock. At the end of the first quarter Montana already had 28 points. In the second half we played extremely better.

It was ridiculously cold on the sideline. We rented two heaters but one of them started smoking in third quarter. The final score was 52-21. I ended up with 8 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown but felt like I did not do enough. Somebody told me that I broke a record but I did not (and still do not) know what for.

After getting beat like that all I wanted to do was come back to Sacramento. Sounded like a plan until we all had to get searched, bags and all, right outside of the plane. It was supposed to be a chartered flight with nothing like that happening.

I used Monday as a day off to rest and relax my body. I knew we were playing a physical team and I was probably going to get hit a lot, so I needed all the rest I could get.

Tuesday‘s practice was long and drawn out. The time change affected everything. Halfway through practice we had to go from the practice field to the stadium to use the lights. It was boring practice in the sense that we do the same thing every Tuesday.

Wednesday‘s practice was one of the best practices we have had all season. The grass was still muddy from earlier precipitation, but nobody really cared. During the special teams part of practice one player slipped and fell flat on his back while chasing someone. Nobody was talking much on Wednesday. The mood was kind of somber in frustration from losing more than we expected to.

Thursday was a never-ending marathon that I needed. There were some routes and defensive schemes that I was a little uncertain about. The entire practice is a review session, but in full speed. It seems like we practiced for five hours but it was only about two. At the end of that practice I knew exactly what I had and needed to do for the game.

Friday was just meetings, meetings and more meetings. We ate at the University Union and went back for more meetings. They show us on film what formations and plays we are running against the defense the opposing team will be playing.

GAME DAY! This was the most relaxed, other than Weber State, everyone has been before a game. We had the same pre-game meal of pasta, dry chicken, and last year’s Thanksgiving rolls. In the locker room players we were kicking back watching television or sleeping. Things were different for me too. I was finally dressed and ready to go when the first group was called out to stretch. By the time the game started I was nice and loose.

During warm-ups I was harassed by a friend of mine who coaches for Montana State.

“You better not get shut down Fred, ” he was yelling while I just laughed.

“Y’all gone need two or three people on me for that to happen,” I hollered back with a Kool-Aid smile on my face.

Things did not start out as planned for us. Montana State drove down on us and scored right away. We answered back with 21 straight points. At half time #91 Roger Cooper of Montana State (a friend of mine) told me to help his team out by dropping a couple of passes. Towards the end of the fourth quarter I began to grow nervous fearing a comeback. When they spiked the ball down by ten with two seconds left, I knew we had one. For about two minutes I could not control myself.

November 8, 2004

Past Mondays: All days off. I go to school early then lift weights. I usually do hang cleans, some squats, my abs and my arms. I�ll go watch a little film on the upcoming opponent to prepare myself for Saturday.

Past Tuesdays: Hardest day of the week. We are in full gear and everything is intense, especially when you have not won a game in a while. We go through our usual stretch routine and warm-up. Practice goes by smoothly. The entire time, though, I am wondering if the team is going to play good (together) this particular weekend.

Past Wednesdays: Pretty much the same as Tuesday. We are in full gear and practice is long. On some Wednesdays there may be an NFL scout there watching practice. I know he is there to watch me practice but I convince myself that he is not. He can�t possibly be there watching me! I tell myself he is there to see Ramon Payne or Ryan Leadingham or someone else. After practice I try to do a little extra but I do not have a ton of time. If I need treatment for my bumps and bruises I have to go to the training room. We also have �Training Table� where the players eat together after practice. By the time I get home it is usually around eight or a little after. Try doing homework after you have been in school all day then doing football related stuff from 1:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Past Thursdays: I call this a review while running day. We review mistakes from earlier in the week and go over plays we will be running during the game. Practice on Thursday starts at 4:15 p.m. but we are out there at 3:30 p.m. having a �pre-practice.�

Past Fridays: Either we are traveling for an away game or having 7:00 a.m. practice if it is a home game. The hardest thing about Fridays is just getting up.

Last Week: I was quiet and frustrated all week. I was mad, but I did not exactly know at whom. Sometimes I am mad at other players for acting childish or for not playing to their potential. Sometimes I am angry with coaches � I think the play calling should be different or things in general should be different. Most of the time I am mad at myself for my mistakes. I am my toughest critic! If I catch ten passes for 200 yards and drop one ball, all I can think about is that one drop. It nags me for weeks at a time. The good thing is that I do not hold back. If I have a problem I tell the person I have the problem with. I can go talk to Coach Moose about anything, and the players are like brothers to me. Sometimes they do not like what I say but they accept it.

On Friday, we left the school at 7:00 a.m. to go to the airport. We had a lay-over in Portland before arriving in Spokane. We ate and had our meetings as usual.

On Saturday, game day, we showed up to the stadium ready to go (I wasn�t). I felt really bad. I had been fighting a cold for the past few weeks. I have also been fighting a sprained wrist that sends a shock through my hand every time I catch the ball. Prior to the game I rubbed some Vick�s on my chest and put a Breathe-Right strip on my nose � I even took a cough drop.

During warm-ups I felt great but thought I would have no catches because of the strong wind. The football would change paths in mid-flight making things difficult for anyone trying to catch it. During the game things started to happen. I began coughing uncontrollably on the sidelines and could only think about lying down in my bed at the hotel. While I was on the field I tried to make the most of the day. I ended up with 15 catches but remember only a few of them. What I really remember is seeing Eastern Washington celebrate after their victory � that is all that really matters. After the game I was sore in many places, especially my knees for whatever reason. I iced them down and got on the bus.

When we got back to the hotel everyone was pretty drained but it was only 7 p.m. � We had to do something. There was an indoor water park at the Ramada. About half of us went. There was a big winding slide in there, a wading pool, a Jacuzzi and a regular pool. We used beach balls to hit each the person that was coming down the slide. All of us did not bring shorts though � some had on just their boxers or underwear. The one female lifeguard that was there looked extremely happy the entire time we were there. After that we called it a night, because we had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to go to the airport.

Sunday, September 12: The day after we were humiliated by Nevada we watched film on the game and made corrections then lifted weights afterwards. We had a short practice reviewing our mishaps and missed opportunities.

Monday, September 13: Usually our day off, but a lot of us came in to lift on our own.

Tuesday/Wednesday, September 14-15: These are the two days each week that we’re in full pads. These were the best two, “full gear” practices I have been a part of at Sac State. Everybody put aside the woes of last week and came to work.

Everyone was excited and practicing at game-tempo. We have a period on Tuesday and Wednesday in which we, “go live” (like a real game) and anything goes. The offense talks mess to the defense and vice-versa, but the offense usually gets the better of the defense.

Thursday/Friday, September 16-17: Both of these are review days in which we go over plays that we might be running during the game. Also, everyday during the football season, we have to be on campus no later than 7:00 a.m.

Saturday, September 18: Sac State versus Southern Utah. We could not wait for this game! A chance to show doubting students and a doubting community what we were really all about. We were all ready to go for this one.

We got out to a fast start with a 17-3 lead. After I scored my second touchdown to give us the lead I put on my wrestling belt on the sideline. It makes me feel like a champion and when teammates see me they chant, “The champ is here!” Later in the game I was reminded of old Hornet days when we let Southern Utah back in the game but I knew all along we wouldn’t lose this one.

Late in the fourth quarter they put me in on punt team. As I ran down field I was double teamed and put on my behind. As I watched their return man making his way to our end-zone I got up, chased him down and tackled him. Everything ended up working out because our defense forced a fumble a few plays later, giving us the win! After the game we did a, “Soul Train” line in the locker room. Coach “Moose” was in the middle of it but he wasn’t dancing, I don’t think he can!

Sunday, September 19: Another review practice in which we watched film and lifted weights. Then it started pouring down rain and hail. In the midst of the downpour we got Travis “Fortyhands” Johnson to run a lap around the track and Muhammad “Mo” Warrad to run and hydroplane across the grass with no shirt on. It took some people while to leave because their cars were surrounded by too much water in the student parking lot by the field house.