Mychal Savage has been in the national spotlight and has tasted the worst of times during his Youngstown State football career.  In 2007, Savage was named to the first team of the All-Missouri Valley Conference as he racked up 43 tackles (five for loss), five sacks, and three hurries.  Savage also received All-American accolades in his magical 2007 season.  In 2008, he was hurt in the Ohio State game and missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.  A medical redshirt opened the door for Savage to return to the trenches. 

Having watched this guy play, believe me when I tell you even if he is not making the tackle, he is disrupting the flow of a play in some way.  The most impressive thing about Savage is that he does not take plays off.  He is a leader both on and off the field, and I recently had the privelage of talking with him.

Paneech: Explain what it felt like to miss the 2008 season and watch your team suffer without you.

Savage: It was tough to watch.  Anytime I have ever had to watch, it is tough because I always want to be a part of it.  The biggest hurt from last year was watching and not being able to do anything about it. 

Paneech: Are there any lingering effects from the injury or are you playing at 100% right now?

Savage: I am going one hundred plus right now.  I’m ready to go!

Paneech: Comment on why it feels like this can shape up to be a special year.

Savage: I think the chemistry builds up every week.  As far as the defense goes, I feel we have the opportunity to do something spectacular.  The whole team itself can be absolutely fantastic and off of the charts.  If we do what we have to do I don’t think there is any other team, besides us, who can stop us. 

Paneech: Being one of 12 seniors, how do the underclassmen respond to you?

Savage: I guess they respond fairly well.  We have not had too many issues with the younger kids, I think they do a good job following everyone else.  I feel like the kids that have been here a little longer have a decent amount of respect for all of the seniors that have been here and that makes it easier.

Paneech: Tell me the differences between Youngstown and New York.

Savage: New York’s a lot bigger (laughs).  New York is more culture dependant on where you go and that is pretty much the major difference.

Paneech: What is it like going to a military academy and how did you end up there at Hargrave?

Savage: I wasn’t really scouted very highly out of high school, so I thought Hargrave gave me the best chance of getting more football exposure.  To this day, I still don’t know how I ended up at Hargrave on August 13th pulling into that campus and checking in with Sgt. Major Payne.

Paneech: You are majoring in biology.  How did you pick Biology as a major?

Savage: It’s going well and I am almost done with my classes.  I picked Biology because I have always been fascinated with science and getting to know how different things worked.  Biology has led me to learn more about living things and how they work.

Paneech: What have you learned about yourself since arriving in Youngstown?

Savage: I’ve learned about myself.  I have learned that I can pretty much give myself up to anybody that needs my help.  If someone asks for help, and I see they actually need it, I will do all I can to help that person.

Paneech: Have you worn #96 since high school?  Why #96?

Savage: It’s been my number since I got to Youngstown.  I wore #74 and #73 in high school and #68 at Hargrave.  When I got here, #73 was taken, I didn’t really care for #74 anymore, and #96 was open so I chose it.

Paneech: Who is your favorite NFL team and player?

Savage: Julius Peppers is my favorite athlete and my favorite team is the New York Jets.

Paneech: When can we expect this year’s YSU team to be ranked in the Top-25?

Savage: Soon.

One Word Answers

Favorite NBA Team?  New York Knicks.

Toppings You Get On A Pizza?  Pepperoni and Sausage.

Favorite Video Game Of All-Time?  Metal Gear Solid.

Worst Class Taken At YSU?  Plant Diversity.

Favorite Season?  Winter.

Best Friend On The Team:  Lenny Wicks  (Wicks was standing next to Savage when he answered).

Was It Funner To Dissect A Frog or a Fetal Pig?  Fetal Pig.

Biggest Regret In Life?  Diving to the ground at Ohio State.

Dream Car: A fast one!

Favorite Area Restaurant: Belleria Pizza in Struthers.