Byron McNair understands the sizable task he and his Kansas Wesleyan teammates will face when they play Dickinson State on Saturday in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
"We're the sleeper," said McNair, the Coyotes' sophomore quarterback. "It's David and Goliath, and David took down the giant. Any team that we face is going to be the giant to us."
McNair speaks from experience, considering the personal challenges he has overcome this season. Shoulder and clavicle injuries, coupled with a midseason coaching change, have steeled his resolve and mental toughness, which will be sorely tested in the 2 p.m. game in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Wesleyan is 7-4 and seeded 19th, while DSU is 9-1 and the No. 14 seed. The Blue Hawks won the North Star Athletic Association title with an 8-0 record and have won seven in a row. Their defense allows just under 70 yards rushing per game, which is the strength of the KWU offense.
Don't expect McNair to flinch, though.
"Like I tell my team all the time, they put their pads on just like you do," he said. "We're all human, we all bleed, cry and sweat. When it comes to out on the field, who has the bigger heart?"
Heart is something McNair has plenty of, as he has demonstrated this season. Playing rival Bethany in the second game of the season, he was hurt on the opening drive - the first step of a painful journey.
"I dropped my shoulder and (the defender) made me fumble," he said. "I was like, 'OK, my shoulder feels a little iffy,' but me being the person I am, I pushed through the rest of the game and went to go get it checked out that Monday. They said it was just a minor sprain in my AC joint."
Things got much worse a week later against Southwestern.
"I got it landed on again and was like, 'Something's a little off, so let me go ahead walk off this field,'" he said. "When I got to the sideline, I wanted to go back in. (The trainer) had me throw a little bit, and I told myself, 'Nah, me going out there would be a liability rather than the asset,' and I didn't want to do that for my team.'"
He knew the injury could be serious.
"I sat down and some tears came out, and I'm a man who usually doesn't cry," he said.
Inspiration arrived in the form of defensive teammate Jordan Diggins.
"He said, 'We need you, you're that person for it, we can't have you over here crying like this,'" he said. "As soon as he said that, I wiped my face, got up immediately and knew that my guys needed me. No matter what I was going through, I knew I had to be there for my guys."
McNair went back in and was on the field the following week against Friends when he suffered the clavicle injury. Combined, they were more than he could overcome, and he missed the Coyotes' games against Bethel and McPherson, which preceded the bye week.
Rehab was an arduous task.
"It was trouble sleeping, trouble putting on and taking off shirts," he said. "It was hard to move around, eat, shower, all your daily, easy things. Everything was bad because both shoulder mobilities were off. We had faced adversity already, so I knew what it took - just keep pushing."
The bye was much-needed.
McNair returned for the Avila game, with co-coaches Chris Snyder and David Leonard, the first after the break, and shared duties with senior Richard Lara as his health improved. He assumed the full-time role last Saturday against Sterling in the regular-season finale.
"When we played Avila, there was one time I could have gone out of bounds, and I purposely stayed in and got tackled to see how it felt," he said. "Once I felt that weight on me, it was, 'OK, this doesn't hurt,' and I knew I was good."
KWU has won all five of its games since the bye. McNair has completed 51.4 percent of his passes for 760 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in nine games.
"We didn't break down as a team when so many of us could have broken down and given up," he said. "We stayed consistent, showed up for each other every single day, and we pushed forward. I just love the guys for that and appreciate them."
McNair has a special appreciation for Lara.
"There's no selfishness or animosity or anything like that," he said. "Every single day, we're helping each other, picking each other up. Quarterback is the most important position, so if they see us being compatible and working together when it's a one-man job, then everybody is following us."
McNair has impressed the coaches.
"Byron's greatest attributes don't necessarily come from his arm, in my opinion," Leonard said. "He's a natural leader, and he's not afraid of failure. He's going to put himself out there, regardless of if it puts him in a situation to fail or succeed."
"He's mature beyond his years, we saw that from day one," Snyder said. "He walked into the camp last year, and everybody was like, 'This kid's going to be it for us.' It took him a couple weeks, but he got a shot and ran with it. It's just that maturity as a freshman and the competitiveness, that's why you feel like you have a chance on every snap.
"He's played only maybe 10 games in his career because of injuries and starting halfway during last year. You can't really gauge a quarterback on those few games."
Teamwork is a must Saturday, according to McNair.