It’s one of the oldest clichés in sports, but it is often said that watching a game is a chance to witness something that has never been done before. Most contests have compelling game storylines, and standout performances. However, it’s very rare that a game will present a performance that could withstand the test of time. It’s even more unlikely that a player will have such a special moment in a football game where their team loses 52-7.
However, that’s exactly what happened with the Fordham Rams, and linebacker Ryan Greenhagen. While his efforts did not reflect on the final score, the senior recorded an other worldly 31 tackles last week in the program’s defeat at the hands of the University of Nebraska. He brought down a ballcarrier on his own 14 times, and assisted on 17 other tackles during the course of the game. Greenhagen’s 31 tackles are the gold standard against an FBS opponent since this metric started being tracker.
Greenhagen’s iconic day was not lost on the Cornhuskers, who greatly respected what he brought to the field.
“He’s a guy…that kid came over and got (Logan Smothers) pretty good, I had to dodge out of the way to avoid getting hit,” Nebraska head coach Scott Frost commented. “I heard he got 31 tackles, including one on me.” Via Saturdaytradition.com
“47, he made every tackle. He’s nice for real,” said Nebraska running back Markese Stepp. “30?! Wow, 30 tackles, that’s a lot, he’s a monster, not gonna lie.” Via Saturdaytradition.com
Granted, the Cornhuskers had 86 plays on offense where a ballcarrier could have been tackled, which speaks to their level of dominance in the matchup. However, to have one player amass that many stops, which accounted for nearly a third of his team’s stops, is pretty amazing.
Greenhagen has been a machine for the Rams defense throughout his college career, and his display last weekend likely got the attention of a few scouts at the next level.
