'Mighty Mouse' leading SCSU

David Erby could see it coming.

Sitting in his stance, pre-play, the diminutive linebacker (he claims 5-10, 225) sniffed the play out, and on the snap, sprinted toward a Norfolk State receiver.

He got there when the ball did, dropping the Spartan with a whack that drew an audible reaction from the home stands at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium not once, but twice, the second time coming when the play was shown on the stadium's video board.

"I love it," Erby said. "You have to give the fans something to watch."

Erby, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, has given Bulldogs fans plenty to watch this season, recording 92 tackles and 5.5 sacks. A former safety and tailback at Rock Hill High School, Erby doesn't exactly match up physically next to fellow Bulldogs linebackers Marshall McFadden (6-2, 235) and Julius Wilkerson (6-4, 225). But Erby makes up for his non-prototypical size with a "Mighty Mouse" style of play, taking on whatever comes his way.

"I just get to the ball as fast as I can," Erby said. "I want to get the running back down any way I can. I put my body on the line a lot.

"I get nicked up, but that's part of the game. We all get nicked up."

Heading into today's 2 p.m. FCS playoff game at Georgia Southern, the senior said he is feeling just fine.

"We are going to face a triple-option team for the third time," he said. "We have some experience with it. We just have to go out, play our position, do what we have to do."

For Erby, the hope is that, in his final season in Orangeburg, the Bulldogs can step up to the next level. Failing to do so could very well mean the end of his playing career.

Erby is aware and focused.

"I've thought about it," he said. "It's tough. I'm going out there to play every game like it's my last. We all have to go out, play our best and hope we come out on top. I was really a blessing for us to get in.

"Now, we just have to get to the next level and play every down like it is our last. We have to play hard."