Indiana University Athletics
Quotes from Big Ten Media Day
7/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 25, 2003
Fifth-year senior running back Brian Lewis
Commenting on the low number of seniors and senior leadership:
I came in with (a recruiting class of ) 25 and now there are only four left. You have to take into consideration the more the better. The more seniors you have on the team the better leadership you are going to have. Just being the four of us, it is kind of hard because there are not that many (seniors). The young guys coming in have their own minds on what they want to do and how they are going to do it. It is not like that, you have to be more of a team player. It is hard trying to get the young guys to understand what it takes to win. We just have to stay focused and keep the team on one goal.
Commenting on things being different from when he came in as a freshman and now:
I don't think anything is different. When we came in we had high hopes for the team. The bar has actually been raised. That is a good thing because Indiana has a great tradition in football and we have to get it back to where it's been. I think DiNardo had done an excellent job of getting the team to stay focused and take the task at hand.
Commenting shouldering more of the load with the team not having the maximum number of scholarships:
I am a team player, if that is what it takes to win then I am all for it. It takes a team to win and one person can't win a football game. If the load is going to be on my shoulders then I want to take it all. I am not scared at all because that is what football is all about. You go out there and play game by game. If the load is on your shoulders then take it and run with it.
Commenting on how he notices the reduced scholarship players:
You start to notice when the season gets to the end and guys start getting banged up and injured. You can see it out there on the field. It is not fun, but you take pride in it because there are not many of you out there and you know how each other feels getting banged up. Now, we understand what it takes to go out there and win, and how important it is to stay healthy to be successful.
Commenting on looking around and seeing the low numbers:
That is part of football. Everyone is not made for the game of football, only the strong survive. That is what we have to stick in our minds; the harder we work the better off things are going to be.
Commenting on trying to stay healthy this season:
I have been working really hard this summer to try to stay healthy during the fall. I think if I can stay healthy that would be a big plus for the team. As a team, we all have to stay healthy because we were pretty banged up last year. It hurts the team when you are low on numbers and banged up at the same time. Staying focused and staying healthy are our main objectives for the fall.
Fifth-year senior safety Joe Gonzalez
Commenting on the new turf:
They put in the grass my first year, so I never played on the old turf. I came to a game when I was in high school and I walked on it, it was pretty bad. I have seen the new turf, and AstroPlay is so practical in today's day and age. It is an easy surface to play on, and it is basically fake grass. It is a couple inches long and you can wear cleats or turf shoes on it. You hear everyone complaining about how hard turf is, but this is not. They put a lot of rubber underneath it. You can slide up and down it and not get turf burns.
Commenting on actually testing the turf:
I haven't actually tested it, but they have actually started laying out the pieces and I have walked on it. They have all different kinds of sections on trucks and you can go up and feel everything. It is the same thing that Illinois has. I think it is a great surface. Ten years from now, I think half or more than half will go to this surface.
Commenting on player concerns of the turf:
The only thing is that it comes with this little rubber substance; it is like real little black pellets. The only nagging thing is you have to get up and brush off the black pellets. That is really the only thing I hear guys complain about.
Commenting on how quick the new turf is:
It is not as quick as the old Astroturf because Astroturf is basically a rug you are playing on. It is a little bit long so naturally it is going to slow you down a little bit, but it is just like playing on a grass field.
Commenting on his younger brother, Tony, playing at Ohio State:
We are your typical brothers that would fight and wrestle every day. We still share the same room, so that got us into some heated debates and rivalries. But I have never been more proud of anyone in my life than having my brother getting a scholarship to Ohio State because I have always seen him as my little brother. He has always been a little kid to me and the fact that he will be playing at Ohio State in the Big Ten, just playing major college football is awesome. I think it is a perfect fit for him. We already have like a 100 family members coming to the game. We were always four years apart, so in high school when I was a senior, he was in eighth grade. We never got to play and I never got a chance to watch him play. Now that I actually get a chance to look across the field and see my little brother over there is going to be really special. It is going to be really wild getting to play against him.
Commenting on senior leadership:
Not only are we the motivational guys, being the guys that always do the right thing, but our roll kind of changes. We are such a young team not only are we the spiritual and motivational leaders, but we have to kind of take on a coaching role. We have so many young guys that don't understand or know the defensive scheme and offensive system. So in a way, myself, Brian (Lewis) and the two other seniors, Duane Stone and Glenn Johnson, we have to be just as much coaches, getting guys lined up, than being the leaders of the team. So our roll kind of changes a little bit.
Commenting on the expectations for this season:
We were so thin last year and had so many holes to fill. I think we have done a good job of filling those holes. The guys are going to be young, and we are going to need them to step up, but I really believe we are going to be successful this year. I think we are going to surprise some people. If any team on our schedule looks past us and thinks we are going to be an easy game, they are going to be mistaken once they play us. I think it is a variety of things. We have Matt LoVecchio playing quarter back, and I think he is going to be a great player for us. He is my roommate, and he talks at length about how much he loves the offense and how it is perfectly suited to him. I think a lot of teams might over look us, but we can use that to our advantage.
