Rickey Smith admits it's a touchy story, but he tells it matter-of-factly for a big, strong football player talking about how he broke down and cried.

The tears showed how badly Smith wanted to play for A&M Consolidated, how sad he was in Mississippi. Maybe telling the story shows how glad he is to be a Tiger.

Smith spent three years in College Station while his father, Melvin, served as an assistant football coach at Texas A&M under Dennis Franchione. Melvin Smith accepted an offer to return to coach at Mississippi State prior to Rickey's freshman year, which he spent in Starkville, Miss.

Although he spent much of his young life in Starkville, it wasn't a happy return for Smith. He missed the friends he made at A&M Consolidated Middle School. He longed for high school football, Texas-style.

"My dad thought I was upset because it was my first year and that I would get used to it," Rickey said. "I must have asked him 100 times if me and my mom could move back to College Station. I asked him again at a restaurant, and when he told me no I just burst into tears where everybody could see. My dad was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe it, because I'm not a person who cries on a regular basis.

"I also told him about a pretty bad situation at school, threats against my life. That really opened his eyes."

Coach Smith allowed Rickey to return to College Station with his mother before his sophomore year. Now, the wide receiver will enter his senior season as one of the keys to Consol's offense.

If the season goes the way Smith and his coaches hope, defensive coordinators around District 12-5A might feel like crying.

"Rickey is, without a doubt, one of the high-quality athletes that we have had come out of our program," Consol coach Jim Slaughter said. "He's one of those kids that can go on and play major-college ball."

Smith had a chance to make the Consol varsity as a sophomore. Wanting more playing time, he chose to spend that season on Consol's junior varsity. Last year Smith played a backup role, but he filled in for an injured starter and led the Tigers with four catches and a touchdown against Bryan.

The Crosstown Showdown also proved to be the coming-out party for former Consol receiver Detron Lewis, now a Biletnikof Award candidate for Texas Tech. Although Smith's career totals of six receptions for 60 yards are modest, he shares other similarities with Lewis.

"He is like Detron was," Slaughter said. "He's sitting right there on the edge of accomplishing that. You don't want to put that pressure on him, but there's a lot of kids here to help him out. There's more than one major-college prospect on this team."

Smith has not met Lewis, who was a senior during Smith's year in Starkville. He has seen Lewis play on television, and he understands the significance of being compared with Consol's career receiving leader.

"When I moved back from Mississippi, we started two-a-days and the coaches saw me make a catch and started calling me Little Detron," Smith said. "I think that's a pretty big compliment.

"There is definitely pressure that comes with that, but I like that. The game I always refer back to when it comes to pressure is the Bryan game last year. I feel like when the pressure's on, I rise to the occasion."

Smith, 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, will enter his senior season without the pressure of needing to prove himself as a college prospect. Smith already has a scholarship offer from Mississippi State, while Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi and Kentucky have shown strong interest.

"I still feel like I've got to come out and do my best, but once you get that first offer, you feel like a ton has been lifted off your shoulders," Smith said. "You can enjoy football a whole lot more."