By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer
(@MickOnTheMesa)
Parker Houston has a tattoo stretching the length of his right forearm, one as curious as it is revealing.
In a decorative font, it simply reads, "Houston."
"That's just in case I hit somebody too hard and our trainers have to come onto the field," he joked. "All they'll have to do is look at my jersey and look at my arm and they'll know who I am."
As if they need a clue.
Houston, a junior tight end, is the very definition of San Diego State's maul-ball offense, a player with a bone to pick, one whose approach to the game is about as subtle as a sledgehammer and only slightly less lethal.
Sporting flowing locks and a beard apropos of a Viking warrior in a cast-iron helmet, he even looks the part.
But don't be deceived. If Houston is Aztec tough, he's no less bright. Twice selected to the Mountain West Fall All-Academic team, he will graduate next spring, needing only three years to complete a bachelor's degree in criminal justice before pursuing a master's in homeland security. He's entertaining thoughts of a career in law enforcement.
In the interim, he's perfectly content laying down the law on the field.
"He has more personality than any player I've ever seen," said associate head coach/offensive coordinator Jeff Horton. "He's the first one on the field, always having fun, always talking smack. He loves to practice, loves to compete. He's been in more fights around here than Manny Pacquiao during practice. But that's a good thing, because he's practicing hard. He doesn't go easy on people, he challenges them. And that's what makes our program better. I love the guy."
A sentiment apparently not shared by the University of Nevada, which had every opportunity to sign Houston. A native of Sparks, Nev., located less than five miles from Reno, Houston had been a standout at Reed High, catching 82 passes for 902 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Yet, whatever Horton saw in Houston, then-Nevada head coach Brian Polian did not, informing Houston that he was too short to play tight end for the Wolf Pack. Houston is 6-3. Trae Carter-Wells, a high school teammate of Houston's and Nevada's starting tight end, is 6-1.
On Saturday, Houston will return home to face the Wolf Pack, a team SDSU has beaten three consecutive times, while winning seven of the last eight meetings.
And while Houston won't disclose what he said to Polian (now the special teams coach at Notre Dame) following the Aztecs' 46-16 romp over Nevada during his freshman year in 2016, rest assured it didn't come with an over abundance of niceties.
"I use it as motivation all the time," said Houston, who has contributed eight catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a season in which the Aztecs are bidding for their seventh straight win. "I had an offer from San Diego State, which was cool, because a lot of kids don't get offers and they end up going to a (junior college) or trying to walk on somewhere.
"So, I had (the offer from SDSU) going for me, but not getting an offer from your hometown school, from a coaching staff that has seen you play in several games in all kinds of situations, it was kind of like an insult. I take it out to the field with me every time I play. It's always in the back of my mind. It was a lot more personal for me when the previous staff was there. Now it's just a game for me where I get to go home and play in front of a lot of family and friends."
An assembly Houston approximates at 200 people, including an uncle, Jason Houston, a former sports information director at Nevada who now serves as a volunteer on the Wolf Pack stat crew.
Said Houston: "To know that I'll have friends supporting me who I don't regularly get to see, hanging out with my family all day at the tailgate on Saturday, that's pretty cool to know."
For Horton, it's pretty cool to know that he'll still have another year with Houston. Horton, a 1981 graduate of Nevada with 34 years of coaching experience, had three different coaching stints with the Wolf Pack, the last as head coach in 1993. He took his first coaching job while working as a student teacher at Houston's alma mater of Reed High.
In Houston, who also occasionally serves as the team's short snapper on PATs and field goals, he saw a player who was the perfect fit for SDSU's run-heavy offense.
"He didn't have a lot to show for his senior year, but I saw him play a couple games," Horton said. "You always saw that toughness, that tenacity, just a guy who loves to play the game. I saw him against Bishop Gorman (10 state titles since 2004) in the state championship game. Gorman was beating them pretty good like they do everybody else, but here's this one guy out there, still blocking guys until the whistle, still fighting to the end. That's the kind of player he is."
"He had to come in as a true freshman to be our long snapper at UNLV (due to an injury to Turner Bernard)," Horton continued. "Then we had an injury where he came in and played H-back. He's a jack-of-all-trades. He's a really smart guy, too, just a fun guy to be around who will do anything you ask to the best of his ability.
"I know he sometimes feels like he gets a bum rap, because he's not that deep route runner like (Aztecs junior tight end) Kahale (Warring) is. He's our dirty guy, our underneath guy. But those kinds of guys have been a big reason for our success over the years. He plays so hard that officials are always warning him during games. I have to remind him not take it too far and go over the edge. It's something we always laugh about."
And something Houston is working on.
"It's the nature of the way I play the game," he said. "I'm very aggressive; I don't like taking crap from anybody. I've got a chip on my shoulder. That's the way I play and that's how I'll always play. Coach Horton really likes that about me. He's talked to me at times about when I need to dial it down and keep myself under control. I've taken that to heart and worked on it. I think I've got it pretty well controlled, but when I'm on the field I'm a totally different person. You have to have that switch where you're able to turn it off and turn it on, but when I'm on the field, it's always on."
In SDSU's last visit to Reno, Horton had a touchdown play drawn up for Houston that broke down when quarterback Christian Chapman was sacked. Might another such play be in the works?
"If he has something for me," said Houston, "I'm sure he's going to hide it until the last minute."
If it works, there'll be no mistaking the receiver. Just check his jersey and his arm.
McGrane: Rejection Fuels Parker Houston’s Motivation
