Senior Feature -- Zach Ville
10/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 6, 2004
Editor's Note: This feature ran in the Oct. 2 edition of the Mizzou football gameday program.
by Cory Walton
It was one of the most memorable plays from one of the most memorable seasons in recent Tiger history. With the Tigers holding onto a 10-point lead over Nebraska and just over five minutes left to play, the call came for a zone blitz. Then-junior defensive lineman Zach Ville dropped back into coverage and watched Husker quarterback Jaamal Lord. When Lord released the ball, Ville broke on it and came up with an interception that not only gave Mizzou the ball deep in enemy territory, but also sealed the Tigers' first win over Nebraska in 25 years.
"That was one of the best feelings of my life because I didn't know that Mizzou hadn't beaten Nebraska in so long. I was just glad that I was able to contribute to that win," Ville, now a senior, says.
The funny thing is, that play would never have been possible if the Tigers' coaching staff hadn't been interested in one of Ville's teammates at West Hills (Calif.) Junior College in 2001.
"The reason I ended up here was recruiting. They came out to see somebody else, but they saw me. They liked what they saw, so they came and talked to me," Ville says.
After one junior college season, in which he tallied 46 tackles and five sacks en route to earning first-team all-conference and team MVP honors, the 6-2, 275-pound Miami native couldn't pass up the opportunity to play major college football.
"It was the Big XII, and nobody that attended my high school down in Miami had ever played in the Big XII. I wanted to be the first," he says.
That opportunity however, was delayed by a factor unforeseen by anyone in the Tiger football program. Ville developed appendicitis not long after arriving on the Missouri campus and was forced to miss the entire 2002 campaign despite being cleared to practice late in the year.
"I thought my football career was over. I was ready to go home and just leave football alone," Ville says.
"If it weren't for the players up here that came and talked to me and kept my head up, I would probably be in Miami right now doing nothing."
In 2003, Ville finally stepped onto the field for the Tigers and immediately showed to rest of the world what his teammates already knew when they made the effort to keep him in the program.
He started 11 games on the year, recording 50 tackles, including a career-high seven stops in the season-opening win over Illinois. Ville's 11 tackles for loss, bolstered by a career-best three in the Texas A&M game alone, ranked him third on the team, while his seven quarterback hurries were good for second on the squad. He also notched two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and of course, one very large interception.
"It felt great to get back out there playing, especially after taking a year off. That's all I can say, it just felt really good," he says.
Despite those large numbers, Ville, who is a noted run stopper, is quick to note that the biggest asset he brings to the Missouri team can't be measured by stopwatches or statistics.
"It's definitely my love of the game. I love to play football, and that's an advantage on the field. You can see it when someone has a love for the game by the way they play," he says.
In his second year as a starter for the Tigers, Ville will look to translate that love for the game into another strong season on the field. In the 2004 Black and Gold spring game, he recorded a tackle for loss, picking up right where he left off in 2003.
"I want to contribute to this defense and this team. It's time for us to step up and play like we know we can."
Ville however, like many of his teammates and Tiger fans around the country, has his sights set higher than just "another strong season." As he enters his senior season, there is one place, and one place alone, that Ville sees the Tigers going at the end of the year: the top.
"I want to be remembered as one of the guys who contributed to Mizzou when they rose to the national championship. There's nothing better than that national championship."
With such a combination of determination and physical skill, it's doubtless the Missouri Tiger coaching staff picked the right man for their team that day three years ago at West Hills Junior College.
