The boundary cornerback is the loneliest player on the football field.He’s out on an island in
the secondary, usually matched against the opposition’s top receiver.While some would shy away from the
stress, Cameron Truss thrives on the demands of the position.Truss is a fifth-year senior for the
Bowling Green State University football team who has made 42 starts in his Falcon career.‘‘There is a
lot of pressure being there, but it’s a challenge and I love competing,’’ Truss said. ‘‘I love being
there on the island, and knowing that the coaches have faith in you.’’Dave Clawson, BG’s head coach, has
seen Truss develop into a confident player.‘‘He was a guy, who probably three years ago, was out there
playing before he was ready, and he did not have a lot of success early,’’ Clawson said. ‘‘He just
continued to work and has made himself a better player every single year … I’m really proud of him,
and how far he has come along.’’Fellow fifth-year senior Paul Swan, a linebacker, was confident Truss
would develop into a solid player.‘‘Ever since I first saw him play, I knew he was going to be a great
player,’’ Swan said. ‘‘He’s smart, he’s quick, he’s physical. He’s in watching film when he needs to. He
knows the defense. The guy just loves football; he loves to make himself better.’’Before moving to
middle linebacker this season, Swan was the boundary linebacker, and Truss was behind him.‘‘He was
always my cornerback into the boundary, so I always felt very comfortable having him there,’’ Swan said.
‘‘He was kind of a safety blanket. I always knew that if something happened, he was always going to have
my back.’’The cornerback must have a short memory. If he is beaten on a pass play, he has to immediately
put that out of his mind, and be ready for the next play.‘‘‘Sometimes you are going to make plays, and
sometimes you’re not going to make plays,’’ Truss said. ‘‘You just have to bounce back and continue to
progress.’’Clawson knows that cornerback is a tough position.‘‘If you do the things that we do on
defense at some point, you’re probably going to get run by, and you hope that it’s overthrown or
underthrown,’’ Clawson said. ‘‘But if they’re on the money, you have to come back and do it again.‘‘That
where I think Cam has improved — in his mental toughness,’’ Clawson continued. ‘‘Earlier in his career,
if somebody would get behind him, it would effect his confidence, and he might be on shaky ground the
rest of the game.‘‘Now he has enough confidence in himself, that if he gives up a play he’s going to
come back and play the next play, and play with the same confidence.’’A third-team All-Mid-American
Conference performer last season, Truss is currently second on the team with 39 solo tackles.‘‘Cameron’s
development kind of mirrors the defensive development, and our whole program’s development,’’ Clawson
added.For his career, Truss has been in on 210 tackles, including 163 unassisted tackles, tops among
active Falcons. He also has 25 career pass breakups, also most among active players.‘‘It’s just awesome
having a cornerback with that much experience, knowing that I can really put my trust in him,’’ Swan
said.Truss got his first interception of the season and fourth in his career against Buffalo last
Friday. His last interception had been on Sept. 1, 2011 in BG’s season-opener at Idaho.‘‘It felt good,’’
Truss said. ‘‘It was a ball thrown short. I saw the double-move and I stayed on top of the receiver, I
looked back for the ball and just came back to it.’’Now the Falcons must contend with undefeated
Northern Illinois in the MAC championship game Friday at Ford Field.‘‘At the beginning of the season,
this was one of our goals. Now all we have to do is come out and finish it,’’ Truss said about the title
game. ‘‘The most important thing is that we just stick to our game plan, and be disciplined, and I think
everything will work out.’’Truss will graduate in December with a degree in human development and family
studies. A native of Warren, Ohio, Truss plans to work with kids as a juvenile probation counselor.