CORVALLIS — Considering that he’s a civil engineering major, you would expect Micah Hannam to provide a logical, cut-to-the-chase, no-frills answer to the question.
“It feels amazing,” the Washington State offensive tackle said. “There’s no other word for it.”
Oh, if only such brevity could describe what happened Saturday at Reser Stadium. If only such conciseness could explain the emotion emanating from the Cougars.
Because after 16 straight Pac-10 losses, after four wins in their previous 35 games, after nearly four years without a road victory, the Cougars buried Oregon State, 31-14.
And with that, they provided a lesson in perseverance.
“It starts with faith in our players and their belief in each other,” coach Paul Wulff said. “They’ve all been working so hard. They’ve never let down, and wanted to win for each other.”
Coach-speak, sure. But it takes on a human face when you consider the travails of Hannam.
Because Saturday was the 47th start of Hannam’s career at right tackle. He started 43 straight games since his freshman year, missed one four weeks ago with a concussion, and has been in the lineup ever since.
That’s 47 starts that now include 10 wins, seemingly a lifetime of throwing his 283-pound body into bodies that are often bigger and stronger and faster.
“Mental toughness,” he said. “You just have to put the bad stuff away.”
Even when you’re staring at it week after week after week.
Hannam, who arrived at Washington State out of Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, has challenged the limits of what the less-enlightened might consider futility. And he’s a better man for it.
“It’s been a long one, full of ups and downs,” he said. “It’s made me a better person, and it’s going to make me a better husband and a better father someday.
“Somebody who has gone to a more storied program, maybe played in four bowl games, they maybe haven’t been through the hard times.”
Hannam has. All the Cougars have. And the fact that they were able to come in to Corvallis, looking like a bowl team despite playing for the 11th straight week, says much about depth of their character.
Hannam is an example. He might or might not have a professional football career in his future, so he has spent his time compiling a grade-point average somewhere to the north of 3.5, twice earning academic all-Pac-10 honors.
He’s considering graduate school, considering entering the job market, viewing football as part of the journey and not the destination.
And that, when you cut past the hype, is what college athletics are all about. We hear so much about rankings and bowl games and Heisman candidates that we often overlook the fact that there are more Micah Hannams in the world than there are Cam Newtons.
The news of the past week has been filled with allegations and accusations surrounding the Auburn quarterback, with speculation and conjecture about what it all means to the Heisman race and the national-championship quest.
All of that is interesting. But it ignores the real value of athletics.
For on a rainy November Saturday in Corvallis, Hannam represented the true face of college football. Along with his teammates, he threw off the shackles of an almost unfathomable losing streak, demonstrating that good things can, indeed, happen if you work hard enough.
Now, isn’t that what college sports are all about?
“I have no idea,” Hannam said. “That’s a little existential for me. I’m an engineer.”
Trust us on this one, Micah. It is.
Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
