Eric Wood Speaks, Listen Up

A big likeable player who commands the respect of his teammates and the opposition, Eric Wood will start his 41st consecutive game at center when the University of Louisville football team lines up against Memphis on Friday.

Wood has the nastiness needed to play the center position, being named to the Rimingtom and Outland Trophy watch lists the last two seasons. But what sets Wood apart are his leadership and optimism. He leads by example, making his teammates play better. And when he talks, as he did during this week’s media session, people listen:

On Memphis: “They’re multiple in their alignments  and stunts, they play a lot of guys so they’re always fresh. It puts the pressure on us to stay focused. It will be interesting for the younger guys to get acclimated to a team like this and helpful for future Big East teams.”

On Playing In Memphis: “I’m going to tell the younger players to watch your backs because you’re going to have things thrown at you. Last time we played there (in 2004), I was on the sidelines having ice and batteries, nickels and dimes thrown at me.”

On First Road Game:  “It’s kinda crazy. We haven’t had to use our silent cadence or anything like that. It will help prepare us for other road games.”

On the loss to UConn: “That one hurt. People have been little on edge in practice the last week. The season’s definitely not over; we’ve still got a lot to play for. We want to get back on the field.

On the Offensive Line:  “Josh Bryon and Greg Tomsyk played great in filling in for two injured players, probably two sure starters next season. Coming into the season, we didn’t know what kind of backup support we had. Now we know we have late-game players who can come in and do a good job for us.”

Big East Race: “On any given day, anybody can beat anybody in the Big East. It comes down to whoever has prepared and wants it the most is going to take it.”

Scott Long’s Return to Wide Receiver:  “Any time you bring back a 6-foot-3 receiver who runs a 4.3 forty, it obviously helps your offense and puts another bigtime playmaker on the field.”