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Added Incentive for Brown |
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Wednesday, 07 November 2007 |
 Bill Simmonds/For the SDN By TRAVIS DOWNEY
Starkville Daily News
Titus Brown has always played the game of football with a chip on his shoulder.
Since first arriving at Mississippi State , the Tuscaloosa , Ala. , native has taken the field with a ‘Me against the world’ type of attitude, an inner fire whose coals never cool.
“Every player has their own drive for a game,” said Brown.
Saturday when Mississippi State (5-4, 2-3 SEC) hosts No. 21 Alabama (6-3, 4-2 SEC), the root of that burning sensation will be directly across the field wearing crimson headgear.
“I’m going to try to treat this game as I do all the other games,” said Brown. “Every game is important, but there is a little bit of added interest to it. I am from Tuscaloosa and this game is one of those games you remember for the rest of your life.”
As a senior at Hillcrest High School, Brown recorded 90 tackles and 10 quarterback sacks in guiding his team to the Alabama Class 6A quarterfinals, a fine season, no doubt.
But not good enough for the school down the road.
National Signing Day came and went with Brown receiving several scholarship offers, none of which came from the Capstone.
“That was the plan,” said Brown of his hopes of playing at Alabama.
Spurned by the hometown Tide, Brown, who grew up five minutes from the heart of the University of Alabama campus, ended up in Starkville and has since used the perceived slight as added motivation.
A 2006 All-SEC selection a year ago, Brown enters this week’s contest once again near the top of the SEC’s sack list, ranking second in the conference with seven.
“Titus is playing very well for us,” said Bulldogs’ coach Sylvester Croom. “The thing that I’m pleased with is not just his production on the field, but Titus has given us a lot of leadership. He’s played with some injuries and he’s made some big plays for us.”
”Titus is very very consistent,” added Croom.
He is also very very focused.
Asked if Saturday’s game against the Tide would be any different for him than the Bulldogs’ last game – a victory over then No.14 Kentucky – or any other, Brown answered, ‘No’, then hesitated.
“It’s personal,” said Brown. “I have my own reasons for that.”
Brown admitted one of those reasons to lie in the lack of interest by the Tide four years ago.
“Oh yea,” said Brown. “Everybody has their own drive, mine is family. That’s in the back of my mind.”
As the Bulldogs look to step closer to the six-win plateau that would all but guarantee Mississippi State its first bowl-berth since 2000, Brown said accomplishing the feat at the expense of Alabama would only sweeten the Bulldogs’ accomplishment.
“It would be real good,” said Brown. “Hopefully we’ll do that. That would be big.”
As for trading in his hopes of one day wearing crimson for the maroon and white, Brown said he would not have it any other way.
Everything worked out for the best,” said Brown. “If I had to go back and do the same thing over, I would do it the same way.”
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 November 2007 )
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