University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Getting To Know Your Golden Eagles
9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Getting To Know Your Golden Eagles
Dustin Almond |
Terrance Ford |
Luke Johnson |
Throughout the 2005 Golden Eagle football season, a player from the offense, defense and special teams will sit down for an interview with Southern Miss Athletics Media Relations Graduate Assistant Joe Trahan and Athletics Media Relations intern Mallory Haynes on what you need to know about Southern Miss football.
This week?s spotlight focuses on quarterback Dustin Almond, defensive lineman Terrance Ford and punter Luke Johnson.
Downright Offensive with Dustin Almond
What one word best describes your duties when you were the holder for place kicker Darren McCaleb?
?Assistant.?
Would you say that it?s a tough job?
?Yes. It?s real tough.?
You have more pressure on you to (A) don?t botch the hold or (B) complete a third-down pass?
?B.?
Since you are the starting quarterback and could enhance the team?s chances for a successful two-point conversion, do you find the opposing team sometimes focuses more on you on an extra point try than the kicker?
?Yes.?
Who is your football idol?
?Troy Aikman and Brett Favre.?
People compare your style of play to?
?Brett Favre.?
You compare your style of play to?
?Myself.?
If you weren?t playing football, you?d be?
?Probably fishing.?
Many athletes use music as inspiration before an event. So what would you play for your opponent to crush their morale?
?Probably some of (rapper) DMX.?
If you had one song request for the Pride of
?Keep playing the fight song.?
Your one request to the Southern Miss fans this season is?
?Wear gold; nothing but gold. They could even paint themselves gold.?
You are known for your deep passes. So if you threw one into the stands, how high (or what fans) would it reach?
?The fans on the upper deck.?
Who do you think is Southern Miss? biggest rival?
?Probably
If you could play defense for a day, would you sympathize with the opposing quarterback and take it easy on him, or would you relish in the opportunity of giving rather than taking the hit?
?I would give the hit.?
The biggest advice you could give to a high school senior quarterback in preparation for playing quarterback in college would be?
?Never give up.?
What is something you want to be remembered by during your time as a Golden Eagle?
?My toughness.?
Getting Defensive with Terrance Ford
You have been billed as the ?team?s strongest player.? How much weight do you actually have to lift in order to earn this title?
?Bench 525 pounds.?
Already the ?team?s strongest player?, how well do you think you would fare in the World?s Strongest Man Competition?
?Not too good. Those guys are something else out there. They?re on a whole different level than I am, or anyone in college football.?
If you were in the competition, do you think you would be able to pull a truck along?
?I think so, though it would probably take a little while. It would be longer than what it takes for the other guys that do it.?
Last season you returned your first career interception 31 yards against
?I think so. I?ve got to just do a lot of negotiations with him.?
If you had scored on that interception, would you have celebrated with an end zone dance similar to that of Warren Sapp?s infamous dance?
?Oh no, I was pretty winded. After the interception, I just gave the ball back to the official and went back to the sideline. I was just really winded.?
If it were to happen again, would you have something choreographed?
?Yes. Nothing too elaborate, but I think I could put something together.?
The ideal defensive tackle: quick and light, or big and strong?
?Big and strong. You?ve got to be able to hold your post.?
You are obviously known for you size and strength, but is there anything in your style of play that surprises your opponents, teammates and coaches?
?I think that would be my foot speed. I think some people don?t think that I have enough foot speed, but I can move.?
The player you model you style of play after is?
?I would say Kris Jenkins of the Carolina Panthers.?
Southern Miss has always been well known for their defense. What does it mean to you to be a part of this tradition?
?It?s an honor and a blessing. I feel privileged to be a part of this program in general.?
What does it take to be a leader on this team?
?Just going out and working hard every day. You have to understand your role and doing what you?ve got to do to help the team win a championship.?
You are very vocal on the field during games and at practices with your teammates. What is it that gets you and your teammates fired up?
?I think that enthusiasm is contagious. So if somebody makes a play it creates a positive atmosphere and everybody feeds off of that.?
Describe what your pregame ritual consists of.
?Spaghetti, chicken and a fruit like bananas for the potassium.?
Describe what your postgame ritual consists of.
?Probably just a good ole? ham sandwich.?
The greatest thing about being featured in a video game is?
?Just the whole thought of it. Growing up you play video games, and now you?re in them and you?re still playing them.?
Do you think that your video game image looks somewhat like your real image?
?Yes, it actually really does.?
What team are you looking forward to playing the most this season?
?Tulane. It?s a rival. Tulane by far.?
What can fans, teammates and opponents expect out of Terrance Ford this season?
?A leader and competitor. Somebody that?s not going to give up and is going to go out and play hard every game and give it his all every game.?
Special Delivery with Luke Johnson
What would you say are facts and myths about being a kicker/punter?
?The myths are that we don?t ever do anything. Punting and kicking is probably one of the most time-consuming technique learning processes on the field. A lot of people think that we just kick a ball, but it takes a long time (to master the technique). It took me probably two and a half years to be able to punt the way that I do now. The facts are that there are no second downs. You get one shot and you better do your job when you have to do it. So we try to be perfect.?
After booting a kick downfield, what goes through your mind if you find yourself eye-to-eye with the returner?
?Well hopefully the guys (on special teams) tackle him so I?m not eye-to-eye with him. But if it is a good kick you look at it a long time. If it?s a bad kick you kind of just find where the ball went. But we (kickers) just try to push our guys to the sideline. And if he breaks through you try to throw your weight into him to maybe mess him up a little bit.?
Known for not shying away from making a hit, are your opponents surprised when they get taken down by the punter?
?I got a personal foul called on me last year for a helmet to helmet hit. So hopefully they are. Hopefully they?ll try to lower their head and try to run over you and then you get to hit them. If it comes down to it and you get to make a big hit, it not only gets yourself fired up but it gets your teammates get fired up and they?re like, ?Dude the punter just waylaid somebody!?
Do you consider it an insult or a compliment when players are ridiculed for being tackled by the punter?
?You?re not going to get a compliment anyway. From our guys you will, but not from the opposing team. If it is a big hit, then maybe they won?t come back for another one.?
If you weren?t playing punter, the position you?d like to play is?
?I played quarterback in high school, but I?m no Dustin Almond. I don?t know. I guess I?d just be a cheerleader or something.?
Since you played quarterback in high school, do you think Coach Bower would ever consider putting you in at quarterback for a series or two?
?I asked him that this past spring. I said, ?So coach are you going to let me play something in the spring?? And he asked what I wanted to play and I said quarterback and he started laughing. So I said, ?You know Ray Guy was the emergency quarterback for the Raiders.? And he said, ?Well yes, but Ray Guy was an athlete.?
Along with football, you also lettered in baseball and soccer. If Southern Miss had a men?s soccer team, could you see yourself on it?
?I played soccer for 15 years. It was the sport I played longer than anything else. I would love to play it here if they had a team.?
What is the best technique for the ?perfect punt??
?Walk in a straight line. Swing your leg in a straight line and then watching the ball come off of your foot. So you drop your body and your feet and your leg have to be in a straight line. And if you do that, the ball will go.?
The team?s slogan this year is ?Practice like a champ. Live like a champ.? What does this slogan mean to you?
?Our goal every year is to win a championship, and there?s no way we can win a championship unless we win games. There?s no way we can win games unless we practice hard. And there?s no way we can practice hard unless we live right. We stress what we do off the field more than what we do on the field. If we do the stuff off the field right, we?ll carry those habits on the field. If we live like a champ, under that is practicing like a champ. If we practice like a champ we?ll win ball games. So all we can do is go out there and do our best and hopefully everything goes right and we?ll win a championship.?
While we?re talking about champions, if Wheaties is the breakfast of champions, what is the lunch and dinner of champions?
?Probably the lunch of champions, for me, would probably be some boiled crawfish some potatoes and corn. The dinner of champions would have to be my mom?s home cooking of fried catfish, okra, sweet tea and corn bread.?
Southern Miss has a good reputation of developing some pretty good punters (i.e. Ray Guy). So how does it feel to continue the tradition?
?It feels great. If you look back we?ve had not only the greatest punter ever in Ray Guy, but other guys like Eric Estes, Jamie Purser and the guy that taught me everything, Mark Haulman. Haulman and Purser taught me a lot, and I try to pass it down to (Britt) Barefoot and whoever is going to be after him and continue to build the tradition. But Ray Guy and Jerrel Wilson started the tradition. The two greatest punters in NFL history (Guy and Wilson) played at Southern Miss and it?s cool to be able to pass on the tradition.?
What is the most pressuring situation to be in as a punter?
?The most pressure I felt was against
Would you say that your teammate and fellow kicker, Britt Barefoot, has one of the best football names of all time?
?Oh yes. Darren (McCaleb) told him yesterday that he was born to be a kicker. That?s the coolest name for a kicker all-time in Barefoot. We tease him about it, but he?s good and has tremendous potential to be another good kicker in the tradition for Southern Miss.?
Complete this phrase: Offense wins games. Defense wins championships. Special teams?
?Well Coach Bower says ?Offense sells tickets. Defense wins games. Special Teams wins championships.?
