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Show Fight for your rights PW 3 Recent legislation restricting protests in residential areas has brought on a lawsuit from the Anti-Hunger Action Committee. — Football Season Preview ,~w* ~— _, Hsolatt T-storms Monday, nnonaay, July juiy 30, iv, 2007 zu DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE T h e www.dailyutahchronicle.com U n i v e r s i t y o fU t a h ' s I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t Voice S i n c e 1 8 9 0 Vol. 117 1 No. 22 I ©2007 L l I C OI 01*13X1! in the pressure cooker Cody Brunner ASST. SPORTS EDITOR : Picture yourself as a 17-yearold freshman quarterback at the U. Your football team is in the middle of the greatest season in school history and you're coming in to preserve yet another victory. Grown men are flying through the line wanting to tear you to pieces, but your job, as quarterback, is to remain vigilant and poised. Football is an intense, pressurepacked sport. Anybody who has ever sat down to watch a game or thrown on the shoulder pads knows that. But no other position in football, carries more responsibility than the quarterback. For Utah junior Brian Johnson, that pressure has always been his companion. Whether it was on the high school football field in Baytown, Texas, where he started his first varsity game at the ripe age of 14. or trying to fill the void left by Heisman finalist Alex Smith in 2005, Johnson has always / thrived on carrying .,_•' the burden. .V^V*'.-.Now it's The Chronicle's turn to carry the burden of keeping up with one of the highest-profile athletes at the U to find out what it's like in the "Life of Brian." Chronicle: If you don't mind, tell us what it was like for you to come onto the collegiate level at the age of 17 and get playing time on one of the best teams in the nation. Chronicle: So, how is the offseason going for you and the rest of the guys? Johnson: It was a really exciting experience. I remember when I first came in during the Texas A&M game—it . was Brian Johnson: It's been going well. We've had IOO percent attendance this summer and that's crucial to our success this season. We're able to work out together and be around each other and I think that's .*£..•'" critical. crazy. I had never played in front of that many people. It was nuts. That's something that I've grown to appreciate and be very appreciative of over the years, Chronicle: Obviously there's a • lot of pressure and responsibility in being the quarterback at this level. How do you handle that pressure? .:•._ .... '•-•3 r . v ", . (continued below) 2007 Schedule vs Thursday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m. PT Corvallis, Ore. Reser Stadium Utah VS Saturday, Sept. 8,4 p.m. MT Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium Air Force VS UCLA Saturday, Sept. 15,3 p.m. MT Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium Utah Saturday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. PT Las Vegas, Nev. Sam Boyd Stadium VS UNLV VS Saturday, Sept. 29,1 p.m. MT Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium Utah State Utah VS Friday, Utah Johnson: You just have to be responsible about it and realize the situation you're in and how truly blessed you are. You just gotta be yourself and everything will be OK. Johnson: I don't think it will take long. We're basically playing football yearround with spring ball, winter and summer workouts now, so I don't think it will take that long before I get going. • "' Chronicle: Do you think there was added pressure because you were the heir apparent to one of Utah's best quarterbacks? Chronicle: What*s your favorite part of being the quarterback at a D-I college such as Utah? The legion of adoring fans? Or is it the flocks of women after you? Johnson: From the outside perspective, there was definitely some added pressure. But internally, the pressure is just how much you put on yourself. If you let it get to you, then it will. Oct. 5,8 p.m. ET Louisville, Ky. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville VS San Diego Saturday, Oct. 13,1 p.m.MT Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium Utah VS Utah Thursday, . Oct. 18,7 p.m. CT Fort Worth, Texas Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU VS Utah Saturday, Oct. 27,3:30 p.m.MT Fort Collins, Colo. Hughes Stadium Colorado State Wyoming Saturday, Nov. 10,1:30 p.m.MT Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium New Mexico Saturday, Nov. 17,3:30 p.m. MT Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium VS Utah VS Utah VS Utah Saturday, Nov. 24, Noon MT Provo Lavell Edwards Stadium BYU Chronicle: What's the biggest difference between freshman "BJ" coming in to relieve Alex Smith and junior "BJ" hoping to lead the Utes to a MWC title? Johnson: The biggest difference is maturity. I've grown as a quarterback, I've grown as a player, not only physically, but mentally as well. When I first came in, I was really young and didn't know too much about football. But now, I'm more of a student of the game than I ever was before. _,.•-. "r :• Chronicle Ifs been one-and-a-half years since you've taken a snap in a game. How long do you think it will take to get back into the groove of things? Johnson: (laughing) It's not as glamorous as people think it may be. I just really enjoy it. I love the game and it just gives you a chance to build relationships that you'll have for the rest of your life. Chronicle: What's the worst part of being the quarterback? Johnson: Well, sometimes you get a little too much exposure. Sometimes you want to lay low, but you've got to realize that it kind of comes along with the territory. Chronicle: We're helping out a lot with that, aren't we? Johnson: (laughing) It's all right. It just gets kind of tedious. Chronicle: Has there ever been any point in your career where you wanted to say, "Thisjucks, I'm trying out at wide receiver?**^, Johnson: Oh, no. I'm a quarterback ;.' ; and always have been. I wouldn't even-. • know how to play wide receiver. Nope, always have been a quarterback and will always be a quarterback., y • •?*'$,).' _;J Chronicle: What moment in your ca- 0\ reer did you realize you were pretty good j^i at what you do? . ; s*i Johnson: I realized I had a'cnaiice to ' ;^j be pretty good at football when I was fj& younger. I actually got to start on my var- sg sity team at the age of 14, and that's ^ I realized I might be able to be pretty good at football^ ^ Chronicle: A lot of fans think you're one of the only guys that can revive football back to the national leveL What are your thoughts on that? ., ,; J^,.^ m Johnson: I think this season is our biggest opportunity to make a run and do that. With the caliber of schedule we >$ have, playing four of the top 15 teams in ^ the country, I think we could do it. I thinfcfi| ;vf>- we're more than capable of it and ^ we have more than enough talent,;^ and I think the experience factor ^ will definitely give us a^chance toS.get back to that national level, ffl c.brunner@y£ |