Now, Albert McClellan knows how "The Terminator" felt.

Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger (the actor, not the politician), Marshall's star defensive end vowed, "I'll be back" after suffering a season-ending knee injury early during the 2007 preseason camp.

McClellan kept his promise.

He is back.

Back wreaking havoc. Back creating mayhem. Back lifting the entire Marshall team.

Just ask his teammates.

"Having him back helps me sleep at night sometimes," said Maurice Kitchens.

If MU's starting middle linebacker is snoozing better, imagine how the Herd's head coach feels.

"It feels really good to have him back out there," said Mark Snyder, who watched McClellan win the 2006 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award. "It helps everybody. Having him out there gives a lift to the entire team.

"He went full-blast today (Monday) with no problem."

Indeed, he did. Right, C.J. Wood?

"He is a very aggressive player," said Wood, a red-shirt freshman offensive tackle, who had the dubious honor of going head-to-head with McClellan during a pass-blocking drill Monday morning.

"It's a very different experience."

It's called the "Phat Albert Experience." And it is alive and not limping after a one-year hiatus.

"It's great," said McClellan. "I waited over a year for this. And it feels as good as I thought it would."

After a year of wearing a somber look as an umbrella, the smile finally has returned to McClellan's face.

"Yeah, I'm smiling again," said the junior with a grin. "I'm thankful for being able to get back out there. It feels good."

Good? I bet it feels like being delivered from pigskin purgatory.

"It was pretty tough going a whole year without football," admitted McClellan. "But it was just something that I had to go through."

Easier said than done. Especially considering he hadn't gone without football for 10 years.

"It was third or fourth grade," said McClellan. "That was a long time ago."

Yet, some how, some way McClellan persevered.

"I just realized the facts," he said matter-of-factly. "I was hurt, injured and I couldn't go. I took it as it was."

That doesn't mean he kicked back and accepted his fate. Instead, McClellan became a weight-room warrior, adding 15 pounds of impressive muscle to his physique.

"Yes, I spent a lot of time in the weight room," said McClellan, who is now 6-foot-2, 255 pounds. "I kind of got my bench press up a little bit."

A little bit? That's a heavy understatement. Phat Albert is benching an eye-brow raising 460 pounds with arms that could pass for pythons.

But his arms aren't the issue. The health of McClellan's left anterior cruciate ligament is the question.

"I feel a little something here and there," he said, "but other than that it's good. It gets a little tight, that's all.

"The main thing is I just have to trust my knee and trust my brace. Every once in a while when I get into a certain move, I have to realize that my knee brace is there. But once I get out of that, I should be OK."

In the meantime, his signature first step remains a work in progress.

"I've got a little work to do on that," admitted McClellan. "But it's more technique than anything."

That is merely fine-tuning. The big picture is Phat Albert will be coming to a wide screen near you soon.

"The Terminator" of C-USA is back.

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

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