Adversity is old news for QB

Maybe that's why the prospect of playing top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday doesn't faze the Toledo Rockets' record-setting quarterback.

"I like to defeat the odds," Wallace said yesterday. "I've defeated the odds all my life. I've had no choice."

Wallace was born with club feet, a deformity that turns his feet toward each other. His feet also were green because blood never reached them. Doctors told his parents not to hold out much hope of seeing their son walk.

Doctors broke the bones in his feet and put them in casts the day after he was born. Braces came next. But his mother, Reda, didn't give up, taking off the braces and massaging his feet, hoping for a miracle.

It came when Wallace was nine months old. He got up and started to run. It took many more years of therapy before he could trade in his orthopedic shoes for tennis shoes, but he hasn't stopped running since.

"My parents were great," he said. "I didn't know what faith was at that age. I didn't know what confidence was. They instilled that in me."

His confidence and leadership has shown on the field. Wallace had a record year for the Rockets and was the Mid-American Conference's top quarterback last season. He set a school record with 27 touchdown passes, including five in a game against Bowling Green.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior threw for 2,955 yards and rushed for 232 more in his first season as a starter. He's also the guy the offense turns to when the game is on the line.

"He's one of the best leaders I've been around," Toledo coach Gary Pinkel said. "I would bottle him and take him the rest of my career."

Wallace credits his outlook to his early years.

"That experience kept me humble and helped me understand people," he said. "It kept me open-minded, and I know anything can happen."

Wallace will lead the Rockets (1-0) into Ohio Stadium for the first time in school history. The Buckeyes are coming off a 34-17 victory at West Virginia in their opener.

One of Wallace's best friends will be on the other side of the field, Ohio State's starting wide receiver Dee Miller. They were an unstoppable combination at Springfield South High School. Growing up two houses apart, they also were nearly inseparable.

"I could look out the front door and talk to him," Wallace said with a smile. They still talk on a weekly basis, but their conversations have avoided this week's showdown.

Miller still takes inspiration from the hardships Wallace faced in school and the difficult time he had with the braces in school. With each step, there was a clank and a thump. The other kids stared, not knowing what to think. It wasn't until the third grade that he got rid of those clunky shoes.

"He used to come to school with these braces on his legs and real hard shoes on his feet, "Miller recalled. "Being kids, we didn't know what it was about back then. But now, it's something I thank the Lord that he got over."

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