Catching up with ... Dustin Massey Former Geraldine standout eyes playoff berth

Massey had 125 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one forced fumble while leading the Bulldogs to a 6-5 record and their first playoff berth in six years during his senior season in 2007. He was a Class 3A honorable-mention all-state pick that same year.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Massey is now preparing for his senior season as a Birmingham-Southern College linebacker, where he hopes to lead the Panthers into the NCAA Division III playoffs.

This season, BSC will be eligible to compete for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship for the first time since reinstating its football program in 2007.

Massey finished with 65 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery as the Panthers posted a 6-4 record in 2010. He was the second-leading tackler for BSC and earned second team All-SCAC honors.

"I think we have a good chance this year at the playoffs and winning the conference," Massey said. "In D-III, if you win your conference you get an automatic bid, and that's the goal."

The Panthers closed 3-4 in the SCAC standings in 2010. DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., won the 2010 SCAC Championship.

Birmingham-Southern will begin preseason practice Aug. 12. The Panthers will kick off the season by traveling to LaGrange (Ga.) College on Sept. 3 at noon.

"I play outside linebacker, and I play middle linebacker in our dime package, like in passing situations when we get five DBs (defensive backs) in and that kind of thing," Massey said.

BSC head coach Eddie Garfinkel serves as Massey's position coach.

"Last year, I had the privilege of being coached by Ronald McKinnon, who was a D-II Heisman winner," Massey said. "I learned so much from him, but he left and went to Miles College."

McKinnon, a former NFL linebacker, won the Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman, at North Alabama.

Massey started on special teams as a freshman and sophomore while also seeing action at linebacker. He became a starter at linebacker last season.

"The only two games I haven't played in were the first two games of my sophomore year because I broke my leg in the summer," Massey said. "Otherwise, I'm normally up there in the number of snaps played for the team."

Massey said it took some time for him to adjust to playing college football.

"It was definitely different coming from small town Geraldine, where I played every single snap except when we kicked field goals," he said.

"When I got down to Birmingham-Southern, I got in shape so I could go all out every single play. At Geraldine, we had no depth so I couldn't come out, but Birmingham-Southern has a decent amount of depth.

"It was a major change getting used to playing one way. You go full speed because you don't want to let your teammates down."

Massey said it's fun living his dream of playing college football.

"It's awesome," he said. "We don't have 110,000 fans in our stadium like Alabama, but if you're strapping on the helmet past high school, you're getting to live a dream."

Massey shared a few favorite memories from his BSC career.

"My freshman year we drove to Campbell University," he recalled. "I started on special teams, and the very first play I was in I recovered a blocked punt. That was pretty cool.

"My sophomore year we got destroyed by Huntingdon (College). My junior year we went to their place for the Wesley Cup, and it was one of our best games as a team [the Panthers won 35-20].

"Huntingdon is our rival. We're the only two Division III schools in Alabama and we play for the Wesley Cup. It was big.

"Millsaps was No. 4 in the nation my sophomore year, and I hit their quarterback so hard he came out of the game. That was a fun time to remember."

Massey is a business administration major and photography minor. He is the son of Bruce and Kathy Massey, of Geraldine.

- The Times-Journal's Lew Gilliland contributed to this report.