By Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor

Ryan Terry had been hearing for years he was too heavy, but he seemed to be coping, so he didn't listen. The defensive tackle had been able to play in all 34 of the Miami RedHawks' games in his first three seasons after being redshirted in 1998. He had started the majority of them and, using his impressive mobility, he put up some impressive statistics.

Among them were a career-high 11 tackles and seven solo stops against Ohio State as a sophomore, a season in which he also compiled a team-leading 11 tackles for loss and a linemen-leading 68 tackles while being named second-team All-Mid-American Conference by The Sporting News.

But Terry got the message this season after reporting for summer camp in August.

"When I came in this season, I was 360 (pounds)," the 6-foot-2, fifth-year senior said. "My mother got on me. The coaches got on me, but it didn't hit me until I didn't pass my conditioning test. That made it clear to me that this is my senior year, and you never know how many games you have left."

Since then, Terry has lost 40 pounds, getting down to 320. That's still big enough to make him an effective force against sizable lines such as Toledo's, which he dominated Saturday while recording six tackles - two for losses, including a sack - and recovering a Rocket fumble that led to Miami's first score in the RedHawks ' 27-13 win.

Terry was named the MAC East Division player of the week.

"We'd been hearing about their line all week," Terry said about the Rockets, whose offensive line averaged 320 pounds. "All we heard was that they were big and physical. We weren't getting any respect. We wanted to be known as physical. That was extra incentive."

"He's been playing better," MU coach Terry Hoeppner said of Terry. "He's taken to heart the challenge of getting to a more desirable level, weight-wise. He's even walking around with his shirt off and flexing for people. He found out that 320 is better than three-plenty. I think we're going to have to have his jersey taken in a little. It's getting a little baggy."

"Ryan has done the things we've asked him to do," second-year defensive line coach Brian George said. "Obviously, as his career has gone on, his weight went up. He needed to shed a few pounds. I think that's had a really positive impact on the way he's been playing this season. He developed more maturity and leadership skills. He's always been vocal, but he's turned his efforts positively to being a leader and doing a great job this year."

Terry credited an improved diet with his weight loss. "It was mostly will power," he said. "I stayed away from snacks and late eating, and I stayed away from high-fat foods.

"I feel like I'm one of the most athletic guys on the defensive line. I think I have gotten a little faster out there."

Terry's weight loss also has enhanced his agility. Even at 360, Terry's agility was catching the eyes of coaches and NFL scouts, but recent plays are even more extraordinary. The play that stands out in George's memory was Terry's first sack of the season, when he snared Akron's elusive quarterback, Charlie Frye, and forced and recovered a fumble in the Zips' end zone for the touchdown that gave Miami the lead for good in the RedHawks' 48-31 win Sept.28.

"Every guy who comes in to watch him, the first thing they notice is his agility," George said. "We do lot of agility-type drills with our defensive linemen here, and there's no doubt that he's one of the quickest defensive linemen we have here, even at 300-plus."

"When you see him on Sunday (in practice), it's truly amazing to see him run like that," Hoeppner said. "When he comes off the ball, he can hurt you."

Terry also adds good ball-handling skills to the package. He plays near the front of the kickoff return team and has proven that he can handle bloop or onside kicks. Those talents are left over from his days of playing tight end Florissant (Mo.) Hazelwood Central High School.

NFL scouts have noticed.

"That was a real big incentive," said Terry, who will join linebacker Matt Robillard and cornerback Milt Bowen on the Midwest team of college all-stars against the West team in the second annual Paradise Bowl Jan.25. "I want to play at the next level, and to eat my way out of getting that chance was ridiculous. When the scouts tell you that you'd be better off at 320, you're not hearing it from just anybody."