COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NO ACL? NO WORRY FOR INDIANS' PUNTER

Jason Witczak didn't move all the way from Huntington, W.Va., to Cape Girardeau to let something like a bum knee keep him from competing -- even if it is the kind of injury that normally ends a football player's season.

Witczak, a Southeast Missouri State University junior, has established himself as one of the nation's premier NCAA Division I-AA punters, averaging 43.5 yards per kick to rank ninth in the country.

And the transfer from Marshall has been performing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left (non-kicking) knee that he suffered while attempting a long field goal in warmups during the season opener at -- ironically -- Marshall.

"I worked too hard over the summer to let something like this keep me out," said Witczak.

But at first, he didn't know if he would have a choice.

"When I found out the results of the MRI, I thought it was all over," he said. "It probably took a full week to get out of depression mode. I worked so hard to come here and I thought my season had ended."

But, while most people who suffer a torn ACL require fairly immediate surgery, a select few can get by without it, at least for a while.

"Sometimes, if a person's leg is really strong, if the secondary structure of the knee is tight, there is no real need to jump into surgery," explained Southeast trainer Lance McNamara. "It's unusual, but there are people out there with no ACL who play."

Witczak, in fact, had to look no further than Southeast head coach Tim Billings as an example of somebody who continued to participate in sports in college after suffering a torn ACL.

Billings said he tore his ACL as a freshman in college, but he didn't even know it until he was about 30. Billings still hasn't had surgery, although he acknowledged he will likely have to be operated on somewhere down the line.

"Most people with a torn ACL can't function unless they have great leg strength, and Jason definitely has great leg strength," said Billings. "That gives him good stability in the knee."

Witczak knew something was wrong immediately after kicking that long field goal before the Marshall game. But his competitive nature kept him from saying anything.

"I was coming through and my leg just snapped, but I didn't say anything because I wanted to play against my old team. I fell on every kick," he recalled with a laugh. "That was probably the most disappointing thing, to go to Marshall and not be 100 percent."

Witczak punted the entire first half, but it was obvious to the Southeast coaching staff that things were not right and he was held out of the second half.

After deciding not to have surgery, Witczak made the commitment to play, with the aid of a brace on his left knee.

"Coach Billings really helped me out. He gave me an example of what happened to him, so I decided to go ahead and play," Witczak said. "Lance (McNamara) and Dr. (team physician William) Thorpe said my leg was unique, that the muscles around my knee were so strong.

"In my mind, I just believe my knee is fine. That's the way I have to look at things. I pretend like it never happened."

But that's hard to do, admitted Witczak, for the couple of days following a game, when he is in plenty of pain.

"After every game, I've come to realize that swelling will occur and I'll be in some pain," he said. "It's just something I have to work through. And it's feeling better all the time. In general, this past weekend (at Eastern Kentucky) was probably the best it's felt."

After sitting out the second half of the Marshall game, Witczak also missed the next contest, against Southern Illinois. But he returned the following week and helped lead a big upset of nationally-ranked Illinois State, punting 10 times for a 42-yard average and dropping several deep inside ISU territory. For his performance, he was named I-AA national special teams player of the week.

Witczak also had strong performances the last two games, against Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky, even though the Indians lost both. But his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

"Jason has really helped our kicking game," said Billings. "He's punting great, and as his leg strengthens, he'll be kicking off for us soon. He's got a special leg. When he kicks it, it goes."

Billings and Witczak have a special bond. Southeast's first-year head coach recruited the Wisconsin native to Marshall when he was an assistant with the Thundering Herd. And Witczak is basically in Cape Girardeau because of Billings.

"Coach has been one guy who has stuck with me through the thick and thin," said Witczak. "He's been with me through my worst times at Marshall."

The easy-going, personable Witczak said his two years at Marshall were not all that great, but part of it was his own fault.

"We had three kickers. Two were on scholarship, but I wasn't. I was basically a recruited walk-on," he explained. "I feel like they got more of a chance than I did, but I was also inconsistent."

Witczak had his moments at Marshall, booting one field goal and kicking off some, although he never did punt. But he wanted a chance to kick on a regular basis, which is why he knew he would be following Billings to Southeast shortly after the coach was hired in December.

"I enjoyed it at Marshall. I got to play on two great teams," he said. "But I knew I wanted to come here and be able to kick. It was a chance of a lifetime for me."

While Witczak hasn't been able to kick off because of his injury, he's recently gotten back into field-goal kicking and he booted a 41-yarder that had plenty of distance during last Saturday's loss at Eastern Kentucky.

"It felt great, to go out and drill that one through the middle," he said. "And I hope to get back to kicking off soon."

Witczak, who also played golf at Marshall he said he's undecided if he'll join the Southeast golf squad is a kicking perfectionist. That's why he's not all that impressed by being the nation's ninth-ranked punter.

"I guess ninth is pretty good, but my goal is to be the best in the nation," he said. "I want to be at the top."