zipper Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Anyone catch the nice article on Charlie in the USA today? Good pic, too. Frye next in line for MAC success story By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY Charlie Frye was not exactly a hot commodity when he was a senior at Willard High School in his hometown of Willard, Ohio. Charlie Frye is third in passing yards in MAC history (11,049), trailing Ben Roethlisberger and Chad Pennington. By Robert Caplin, AP Despite a record-setting career as a quarterback, only a handful of schools recruited him, and none would ever be mistaken as a national contender. How times have changed. After choosing to play for Akron of the suddenly prized Mid-American Conference, Frye is viewed by many NFL teams as the top passing prospect in the April 23-24 draft. He credits his rocketing fortunes to the way big-name programs once snubbed him. "I've had a little chip on my shoulder ever since then," he said in a phone interview from Mobile, Ala., where he is preparing for Saturday's Senior Bowl. Frye selected Akron over Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), and Can't State because he was convinced he would have an excellent opportunity to play after a redshirt year. He made that perception a reality and finished with 54 school records, including career marks for passing yards (11,049), total offense (11,478) and completion percentage (63.6). Mention that success to him, and he insists that it was driven, in part, by all of those college coaches who looked elsewhere for someone to lead their offense. "The way I looked at it, I would have to work harder and put in more time just to get my name brought up with guys from the Big Ten," he said. "To me, it was a motivational thing." The 6-4, 228-pounder ranks third in Mid-American Conference history in passing yards, behind Ben Roethlisberger of Miami (Ohio) and Chad Pennington (Marshall). Draft talent hopes to be seen What: The 56th annual Senior Bowl, a showcase of top senior NFL draft prospects. When: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET. Where: Mobile, Ala., Ladd-Peebles Stadium (40,646). TV: ESPN2. Also, ESPN will televise one-hour shows (2 p.m. ET) from Senior Bowl practices today and Thursday. Tickets: None available. Game is sold out for 11th consecutive year. Last year: North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 213 yards and two TD passes and was named MVP after leading the South to a 28-10 victory. Series: South leads North in all-time series 27-22, with three ties. Three games (1991-93) did not feature the North-South team format. He trails only Marshall's Byron Leftwich in total offense. The company that Frye keeps says plenty about him and the MAC. Roethlisberger emerged as the NFL's offensive rookie of the year in leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC Championship Game. Pennington and Leftwich are well established with the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively. There was a time when owners, general managers and scouts viewed MAC prospects with a high degree of skepticism because the level of competition was thought to be suspect. According to Eric Metz, Frye's agent, that is no longer the case. "That concern has never been voiced by anyone," Metz said. "It's like, 'Boy, we've got to get these guys.' " Frye does not think it is any coincidence that the MAC has become such fertile ground for quarterbacks. A number of programs have become pass-oriented, and top high school prospects are recruited with the promise of early playing opportunities, something big-name schools cannot typically offer. "You can't underestimate experience," Frye said. "You make your mistakes when you're young, so by the time you become a junior and senior everything is an easier process." He was so driven to excel at Akron that he played the final nine games of 2002 with a broken right thumb, endured a hip pointer for four games in 2003 and played the final eight games of last season with a dislocated pinkie on his throwing hand. He never missed a game, never missed a beat. "The thing about Charlie is he has a smile on his face all the time," Metz said. "He loves football and everything about it. You've got too many kids who are worried about what kind of car they can get or what loan they can get. He's not worried about ancillary things." Frye's mind is on following in the footsteps of Roethlisberger, Pennington and Leftwich. "It's very encouraging," Frye said of their success. "The bar has been set for future guys coming out." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 I think the article has a statistic wrong. Charlie had around 12,500 career yards.....but I'm not certain. Does anyone know exactly how many he threw for in 2004? I have a press guide and I can figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnhouse Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=102203 this lists all 2001-2004 stats for chalie and seem to match all stats sen elsewhere. 11049 is the correct total.... unless i am mistaken as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 I just took out my press guide. 11,049 is probably correct. He had 2,053 in 2001, 2,824 in 2002 and 3,549 in 2003. Total = 8,426. He certainl didn't have enough in 2004 to get to 12,500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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