Oct. 28, 2004

Charleston, SC - How short is Citadel running back Montrell Lee?

"He could probably run under this table," Bulldogs coach John Zernhelt said as he ate lunch at his weekly news conference Monday.

The Citadel's roster lists Lee, the freshman who cracked the 100-yard mark against No. 2 Georgia Southern last week, at 5-8 and 182 pounds. Lee himself confesses to being more like 5-6.

"I come from a short family," Lee says.

Put it this way -- if Lee were any taller, he probably wouldn't be at The Citadel. The knob from Snowhill, N.C., was on his way to the Air Force Academy before a last-minute change of heart, and considered walking on at East Carolina before landing at The Citadel.

Citadel coaches are glad that he did. Lee won the Southern Conference freshman of the week award for his 21-carry, 123-yard performance in last week's 42-7 loss to Georgia Southern, and the blooming partnership between Lee and freshman quarterback Duran Lawson looks like it will be productive in seasons to come. Junior fullback Porter Johnson blocked for Lee against GSU.

"It's kind of funny," Johnson said. "When he's running, nobody can really see him. The defense can't see him going through the hole, and he uses that as a weapon."

Said Zernhelt, "He runs low and hits on the rise, using his leverage. He can evade or put a pad low and to get underneath you and get yards that way. I think we're going to see a lot of him in years to come."

And maybe in the weeks to come, as well. Lee's work against Georgia Southern -- he gained 111 yards in the second half -- will likely earn him more carries as the backup to senior Nehemiah Broughton. "Nemo" has gained 433 yards on 102 carries this season, but had just 71 yards on 24 carries in the last two games against GSU and Furman.

"We're going to roll Montrell in there and see what happens," Zernhelt said.

The Citadel did not recruit Lee out of Greene Central High School, where he rushed for 1,956 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior.

"We didn't know about him," Zernhelt did.

But Air Force did, and offered him a scholarship. Lee committed, but on his official visit to Colorado Springs, his mother got sick. Lee also began rethink the five-year military commitment required of Air Force graduates.

"My mom got altitude sickness while we were there, and I was in and out of the hotel the whole time, taking care of her," Lee said. "I think it was a sign from God, I don't know."

So Lee returned to Snowhill, a tiny town not far from Myrtle Beach across the North Carolina border. By May, he still didn't know where he was going to college.

Meanwhile, Zernhelt had not signed a tailback-type in his first recruiting class, and The Citadel was looking.

"I had told our coaches, when you are calling around looking for juniors, see if there is anybody who didn't sign who is a quality player," Zernhelt said. "At the I-AA level, it's advisable sometimes not to use all your scholarships, because there might be somebody out there who makes up his mind later."

Offensive line coach John Patterson made the fateful call to Lee's high school coach, and Lee signed last May, three months after signing day.

"I was recruited by a lot of people, but when they came to see me they all said they were looking for someone a little taller," Lee said. "I guess a 5-6 guy doesn't appeal to most people. But my mom always said, use your height as a sword to chop people down. And that's what I try to do."