Hayden Lane was a little surprised when the interview request came.

Injured offensive linemen who have played their last college football game don't usually garner much ink. But this 6-foot-6, 275-pound senior tackle for the University of Kentucky shouldn't be allowed to fade into Wildcats history just yet.

Though Lane is right at home in a history book.

Understatement of the year candidate: It's a rare starting offensive lineman in the Southeastern Conference who can pick up a copy of Virgil's "Aeneid" and read it in its original Latin.

Lane can.

"You could say I'm different," Lane said.

He finished his degree in anthropology and classics in 3½ years with a 3.95 grade-point average. While he was a sophomore on the football field, starting all 11 games in 2004, he was a senior in the classroom. He averaged about five hours of sleep a night that year while completing his senior project, he said. He started work on his master's in history last year. An example of that workload: One class he's taking now -- just one -- has 16 required texts.

He's writing his master's thesis on the elements of religion, magic and prophecy in Lucan's epic poem "Pharsalia."

When's the last time they talked about that on "SportsCenter"?
Blocks and books

Coaches got used to bloodshot eyes from Lane. They also got used to all-out effort. His list of honor societies reads like the Greek alphabet. He's a first-team academic All-American. But he also started 24 straight games as an SEC lineman, which makes him a lot more than just a pretty GPA.

"He doesn't say a lot," said teammate Jacob Tamme, another of the five current Wildcats who graduated in 3½ years. "But you know the guy is brilliant. He's a guy who, ever since I've been here, coaches have been able to point to and say, 'Do it like him.' "

At one point,Lane wanted to be a real-life Indiana Jones, even if he was playing for Kentucky. He studied some biblical archaeology, but now says he wants to get his doctorate and settle down at a university, where he can teach and continue his research and studying.

"To achieve what he's achieved (in football) at the college level, and perform at the academic level in a difficult curriculum like he has, is almost unheard of," UK coach Rich Brooks said. "It's in the top three to five percent in the nation, what he has been able to achieve, in my mind."
'The right way'

You'd like to see a Rudy-esque ending on Lane's football story, but those don't happen often. Lane lost his starting job at tackle after this season's opener and didn't start again until the ninth game because of injuries to other linemen. He played well at guard in the biggest win of his career, the Wildcats' upset of Georgia. But two minutes before halftime in the next game, while blocking for a field goal against Vanderbilt, Lane suffered a dislocated wrist. He has undergone surgery, but it's unlikely he'll return, even for a bowl game.

"I'd have taken it better if it had been on an offensive play and not a field goal," Lane said. "But my attitude was that I went down playing as hard as I could. That's all you can do."

Still, Lane not only got to study history, but to be a part of some with UK's bowl run this season. A guy this smart has to have something to teach the rest of us. I asked him for his parting advice:

"You don't have to be a genius to read and study and do what you're supposed to do," he said. "Do what people ask, whether it's running 10 sprints or getting to class on time. Do it the right way, to the best of your ability."