08/20/2008

By MIKE DeARMOND  / Associated Press

There Beau Brinkley sat, ready to enjoy a pregame meal prior to Kearney High School's game against Ruskin. Then his throat constricted. His gut clenched. His heart began to pound.

"Our coach (Greg Jones) said, 'Coach Hill's coming to talk to you,'" Brinkley remembered. "Right there, I was nervous. I felt like I needed perfect everything. I needed to give all out, 210 percent."

Nervous? Brinkley was lucky he didn't hike the football over the Kearney punter's head. But then, Kearney didn't have to punt much that September evening last season. Kearney beat Ruskin 56-3.

And coach Andy Hill of Missouri, the Tigers' prime recruiter in northwest Missouri, liked what he saw out of Brinkley.

Quickly, Brinkley had an offer as a preferred walk-on. And now Brinkley has the inside track to the starting job as Missouri's deep snapper.

That Hill was at Kearney that night had a lot to do with a former Bulldog, wide receiver Tommy Saunders, who has gone from walk-on to one of Missouri's four captains for his senior season as a Tiger.

"I was in Coach (Dave) Yost's ear," Saunders said of the Missouri recruiting coordinator, "Coach Hill's ear, all summer (in 2007). We've got to get him into two-a-days.

"They trust my word, I guess."

There's another Kearney connection. Until Brinkley's elevation to the top spot, another Kearney grad — linebacker Brock Christopher — looked to be the prime candidate for the snapping job on punts and field goals.

The thing is, Christopher, as a senior, would only hold that position one season. Brinkley, as a true freshman, could be the answer for four seasons.

He certainly doesn't lack confidence.

"I haven't had one bad snap my high school career," Brinkley said before amending that slightly.

"Well, there was one, my junior year."

Brinkley has looked solid all of August and seems certain to handle deep snapping duties in Missouri's season opener against Illinois on Aug. 30.

Now the only thing left to do is figure out how much of a finder's fee Saunders deserves.

"I owe him," Brinkley said. "I owe him everything."

Said Saunders: "He's going to take me out to dinner right now. As much as I can get these free meals out of him, I'm going to do it."

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com