At 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, Sam Ruhe is bigger than many people he meets. At times, however, children can seem more ferocious.

Ruhe, a redshirt junior on the Penn State football team, has had a tough time since coming to the Nittany Lions from Aurora, Ohio in 2000. Between position changes and injuries, the defensive end has had a difficult time finding his niche on coach Joe Paterno's roster.

Gerry Rardin, his high school football coach at Walsh Jesuit, said the naturally humble Ruhe is equally troubled when talking about his accomplishments. That includes Ruhe's discussions with children at a football camp Rardin runs during the summer.

"He's one of the most humble kids," Rardin said. "He'll just kind of hang his head. I never knew Courtney Brown, but he was a quiet guy. When he came up for his recruiting visit, they kind of hit it off."

On the field, Ruhe hasn't quite distinguished himself as Brown did when he earned first-team All-America honors as a defensive end in 1999 and was subsequently selected No. 1 in the 2000 NFL Draft.

But, as injuries have afflicted Brown in his three pro seasons, so did a neck injury claim the 2002 season for Ruhe. After playing in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2000 and starting for the first time in 2001, Ruhe's preseason neck injury never fully healed. He was awarded a medical redshirt that preserved a year of eligibility, but missed the Lions' first bowl trip in two years.

Now, with the Lions sitting at 2-7 and winless in five Big Ten games, Ruhe's postseason will again be spent at home. It must seem like a foreign concept to a player who went to the state semifinals in three of his four high school seasons.

Ruhe's senior season finished with a win in the state finals one year after Walsh Jesuit finished its season with a loss in the title game. However, Rardin said it would be a play Ruhe made in his sophomore season that distinguished him the most.

Playing against Massillon, one of Ohio's premier scholastic football teams, Ruhe took the field with the kickoff team. For a player whose "motor never stops" according to Rardin, it was the perfect chance for an important play.

"He came from the backside of the play and stopped [the returner] on the 10-yard line," Rardin said. "When people see him, he combines effort and hustle and ability."

With an unsure situation on defense, Penn State coaches said that athleticism might be better applied elsewhere and switched Ruhe from defensive end to middle linebacker before the 2002 season. Some people lauded him as the most natural athlete at the position, but the neck injury stopped Ruhe before he could get enough practice in the spot.

Back at his more natural defensive end position this season, Ruhe has recorded eight tackles, six of which came against Ohio State last Saturday. The 21-20 loss to the Buckeyes will make for a tough time at home, Ruhe said.

"I'll go back home now and know that they got it done this year," Ruhe said. "I'll hear it from my buddies. If there's a game I definitely would have wanted for me personally, this would have been it."

The loss officially eliminated the Lions from bowl contention. With just three games remaining this year, there is the potential for Penn State to give up on the season.

Not so, according to Ruhe. While the seniors are playing their final games, the underclassmen have the opportunity to play for positions on next year's team.

"That some of the coaches are ... giving me an opportunity to do what I can do, it's definitely a big confidence builder," Ruhe said.

Even if that confidence level doesn't translate into ferocity off the field.