To witness a University of Toledo practice, you'd think one particular assistant coach is the nastiest son of a gun around and that one particular player is the biggest waste of a scholarship in college football history.

And you'd be wrong on both counts. Way wrong.

The player is Chris Hopkins and, in the words yesterday of Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit, whose team will try to stop the Rockets' touchdown machine this Saturday, Hopkins is "a great player, one of the top tight ends in the country."

The assistant coach is Chris Hedden, no shrinking violet on the practice field, who feels his responsibility extends well beyond the sidelines.

Last Thursday, at Iowa State, Hopkins caught 13 passes, three of them for touchdowns. He has six TD receptions in UT's last three games.

So, did Hedden, Toledo's tight ends coach, cut his favorite whipping boy a little slack during Sunday's practice?

"Nah, he was on me even harder," Hopkins said.

"You have a game like that, the expectations are higher and it's my job to raise the bar higher," Hedden said. "What got you there? What do you have to do to get back there? I can't allow Hop a comfort zone."

Never has, never will.

The story began in the fall of 2003, when Hopkins came to UT from Chicago but had to sit out his freshman season due to NCAA academic requirements.

He couldn't play, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn. And it was a real eye-opener.

"I never really had a male figure in my life growing up," said Hopkins, who was raised by his mother. "Coach Hedden was the first."

That's quite a responsibility - coach and father figure.

"I knew Hop's situation from Day One," Hedden said. "He was a good kid, but he needed a lot of guidance. That first year, he was in my office twice a week and I got on his butt for the smallest things. We had to establish discipline and accountability. He had to learn what it took to be in this program and what it took to be a man. I was very tough on him and, truthfully, there were times he didn't know how to react. It was tough love.

"That's part of my job, part of the responsibility of the profession. It's not all about football. But you can learn a lot through football - how to be successful in the classroom and the community, how to deal with all aspects of life."

Hopkins became eligible to play in 2004 and appeared in all 13 games, but was used primarily as a blocker and caught just three passes. A year ago, he was the No. 2 receiver on the team with 31 catches and was voted second team All-MAC.

His touchdown streak began in UT's game at Bowling Green last November, when he caught the pass that tied the game with 1:43 left in regulation and the one that won it in double overtime. That propelled Toledo into the GMAC Bowl, where he caught another TD pass in a 45-13 rout of Texas-El Paso.

His three touchdown receptions in UT's 45-43, triple-OT loss at Iowa State accounted for 50 of his 139 yards through the air. The 13 passes were the most ever caught in one game by a Rocket tight end.

"Chris has all the tools," said UT quarterback Clint Cochran. "He's big enough to block and has great hands. He may not be a burner, but on inside routes he has more than enough speed to run against linebackers, and the size to put them on his hip, shield them and keep them off the ball. It makes him a great target."

Hopkins, who is 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, said the game plan for all of UT's tight ends is "to get a bigger body on a smaller body and create mismatches. We spread the offense and I'm going out against linebackers and safeties and that's to my advantage.

"One of the reasons I came to Toledo was because they use tight ends in ways a lot of schools do not, creating one-on-one situations in the passing game."

Last year against Western Michigan, Hopkins had his career-best game with six catches for 83 yards. Thursday's performance at Iowa State made those numbers look paltry.

"There's no doubt he's one of the best tight ends in the conference and, after a night like that, Chris proved he has the potential to be one of the best in the country," said UT coach Tom Amstutz. "I'm real proud of him because the way he plays is the way he practices.

"But it's only one game, which I'm sure coach Hedden will be reminding him. He's got a real meanie for a coach."

Yes and no.

"Hey, I'm not like that all the time," Hedden said, smiling. "I can be tough on all my guys, but I hope they know I sincerely care, that I want them to be successful in all areas of life."

Hopkins knows.

"Coach's expectations are so high," Hopkins said. "And when you meet them, they get higher. But I take it for what it is - tough love. He's tough, but I needed that from the start. He sees my potential. On and off the field, good times and bad, he's looking out for me. I know he's in my corner all the way."

Contact Dave Hackenberg at:

dhack@theblade.com

or 419-724-6398.

First Published September 5, 2006, 10:43 a.m.