Some may wonder what it’s like to be inside the mind of a college football player. Protected by a thick uniform and shoulder pads that would make the 80’s show “Dynasty” look amateurish, the guy could seem unapproachable. But in this Q&A, the Spectator finds out what it takes to score that touchdown by talking to Adam Masters (Whitman ’08) about playing at the Division I University of Connecticut:
Spectator: What was it like to go to a bowl game your sophomore year?
Adam Masters: It’s a lot of fun. Bowl games are kind of like a bonding experience with your team. [Bowl games] are team events.We go out with the other teams to like they’ll set up events like we went bowling with South Carolina this year just to have fun. Its really about having fun with the team.
Spec: How did you and your team prepare for the bowl game?
AM: We were still on a normal schedule even in SC. Practice, meetings, more meetings. They had us busy all the time. We got there five days before the game.
Spec: How did you feel during the game? Were you nervous?
AM: No, not at all. I’m always confident in our team and how we perform.
AM: I kind of prepared myself. I have a lot of older friends that had gone through the transition before me so they were able to prepare me mentally for what I was about to get myself into. It really wasn’t that hard of a transition itsjust all about having the mentality and the heart when you get out there on the field. As long as you give it all on every play, it’s not that much different.
Spec: What is your role as a redshirted player? How did your role transition from your freshman year to this past year?
AM: As a freshman I was more of a scout team player which means that I would take the role of the team that we were playing to give our defensea look at what they were going to go up against on game day. That was definitely tougher because I would be going up against the starter players who are in the NFL now. I was a small freshman, just trying to get used to things, going up against huge people who are now starters in the NFL. This year I’m going up against those freshmen on the scout team, and I’m kind of the one dominating instead of getting dominated.
Spec: What’s different about the high school game and college game?
AM: College game is a lot more physical. It is a lot faster, a lot faster.
Spec: Do you think you will be competing next year for a starting position?
AM: Yeah.The person in front of me graduated so I’m starting going into spring right now. Right now I’m playing right tackle.
Spec: I’m sorry to hear about cornerback Jasper Howard’s death this past October. What did it mean to win the game for someone as special to the team as Jasper?
AM: That was definitely an extremely emotional game with all the close losses we had during the season and just basically fighting to get a win for Jazz after he passed. To take a team like Notre Dame into double overtime and beat them was probably the most emotional experience I’ve been through as far as football goes. As soon as he had passed, the rest of our season was dedicated to him. I mean everything we do is dedicated to him. When you lose someone on your team as a college player it’s like losing a brother. In honor of him we have the JH, his initials, on the back of our helmets, we carry his jersey and helmet out every game when we left the tunnel and we would hang it up on the sidelines so it was like he was right there with us.
Spec: What advice do you have for other Whitman players dreaming to one day win a bowl game in college?
AM: There is no substitute for hard work. You got to have the mentality. You got to have the heart. You got to have the work ethic. And I’d say that’s about it.
