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No matter how many times a player says the right thing when logic calls for brutal honesty and no matter how many times an athlete puts on a good face when they’ve been stripped of playing time, you know deep down they are burning inside.
Top-notch athletes want to play. TCU wide receiver Ryan Christian is no different in this regard. But during a season in which his playing time has decreased and his opportunities limited, Christian, a senior facing the final two months of his career, has remained a team player to his core.Christian and the rest of his senior teammates will play their second-to-last home game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, when the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs (9-0, 5-0 Mountain West Conference) take on No. 16 Utah (8-1, 5-0) at Amon G. Carter Stadium.After being an integral part of the offense in 2008 when he was third in all-purpose yardage, Christian has often found himself on the sidelines this year, watching as a younger crop of receivers and running backs have become the focus of the Frogs’ offense. But he hasn’t just been on the sideline. He’s been a vociferous cheerleader for his teammates.Before Christian led the Frogs with 106 yards receiving and two touchdowns against San Diego State last week, he had almost been an afterthought in the midst of TCU’s record-breaking year offensively.He came into last week’s game with nine catches for 57 yards and 69 yards rushing on 13 carries. A far cry from last year when after eight games he had rushed 67 times for 302 yards — including three touchdowns — and caught 10 passes for 95 yards.After his big day in San Diego, where he caught touchdowns of 44 and 29 yards, he was gracious about his role on the team. He said the right things. And with Christian, you believe it."It felt good to finally get back and get a touchdown again, but I have to give all the credit to the line," Christian said after the game Saturday. "If they don’t do their job, the running backs don’t do their job and Andy [Dalton] doesn’t do his job, I don’t get the ball. It’s a combination of everybody on the team."There was no "it’s about time" attitude from Christian after the game. He was matter of fact and just happy to be part of a win. Christian showed the class and team-first ethic, something this Frogs team has in spades. "No one is selfish," Christian said. "Everyone wants to do their part, and it doesn’t matter who gets the ball more. I think that’s what’s got us this far and everyone is looking out for everyone else, not themselves."Such players include Jimmy Young, who led the team in receiving last season but has seen his touches diminish as Dalton has spread the ball around. Senior running back Joseph Turner has split time with two freshmen in the backfield all season but has encouraged them to excel.It’s cliche, but true: These players put the team before themselves. And no one personifies this more than Christian, who looks and sounds like Matthew McConaughey’s character Wooderson in the movie Dazed and Confused. He likes to skateboard to class and wears a pink wristband for breast cancer awareness. He’s laid-back, confident and cool. He grew up loving rocks, so he majors in geology.
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