Lance Mitchell Online Journal No. 3

NORMAN, Okla. -- OU senior linebacker Lance Mitchell scripts his own online journal at SoonerSports.com for the 2004 season. Mitchell shares his experiences with Sooner fans as he anchors the middle of the Sooner defense.

This is the third installment of his online journal. Submit your own questions to Lance by clicking the link at the end of this journal entry.

Lance Mitchell
Journal Entry No. 3 (Sept. 29, 2004)
Back to do my journal here before the Texas Tech game this weekend. We had last Saturday off so we're ready to get back into things.

First, I've looked through all the questions sent to me here at SoonerSports.com and I want to respond to some people. To Mike Andreacchi and Kevin Zouzounis (they played with me back in San Francisco) -- I just want to say what's up to those guys. How's everything going with you? Everything's good for me out here at OU.

Lance, if you were healthy throughout last year, would you have entered the NFL Draft?
- Reggie from Los Banos, Calif.

Yes, if I would have stayed healthy last year I would have had no choice but to enter the draft. My eligibility would have been up!

I have watched you play football since you were a little boy. What have you learned about yourself by playing the game?
- Rochelle from Los Banos, Calif.

I have learned to stay focused and to never take a day lightly. And, thank you for your replies to my emails Ms. Creighton.

Does Clint Ingram hit hard? I watched him closely in the Oregon game and he was in on most tackles popping people.
- George from Omaha, Neb.

Yes, Clint is a very hard hitter. I'd say he's probably one of the hardest hitters on this team.

Lance, what was playing high school football like for you?
- Blake from Idabel, Okla.

Playing high school ball, I think I was just a lot bigger than everyone else. I also played running back, so with my size, I was kind of tough to tackle. It wasn't so much that I worked harder, it was just that I was a little more talented than some players. In California, the divisions go one, two, three and four -- with one as the biggest. Now, Los Banos is division one but while I was there -- we were division two which is about 2,000 kids in your school.

Who was your favorite player to watch while you were growing up?
- Darren from Muskogee, Okla.

My favorite player to watch was Jerry Rice. I'm a big San Francisco 49ers fan, baby. Now they're killing my heart!

Lance, one of the best defensive plays I've seen recently was you sniffing out the shovel pass against Oregon. Was that something you schemed earlier in the week?
- Wade from El Reno, Okla.

It was just something we prepared for and I saw it. I ended up breaking up the running back screen. We had seen that every time he stepped a certain way, it was going to be a running back screen.

Didn't you also recover a fumble?

Yeah (laughs). I had to dig for that one. A big boy from Oregon pretty much fell on it and had his hands on it but I luckily I had some of my body on it and he couldn't fight me off.

Is there any particular reason you wear No. 10?
- Cindy from Mt. Pleasant, Texas

No, that's just the number they gave me when I got here. But it's a good, solid number. I like it now -- I appreciate that number. I had never worn No. 10 before.

In high school, I wore No. 2. I was No. 27 and No. 58 at City College. I had to wear those numbers. I've never really had any preference -- although I thought about my high school number when I got here but I couldn't wear No.2. Derrick Strait had it.

Thanks again for all your questions. Keep them coming by clicking the link below. Hope to see everyone out for our Big 12 opener against Texas Tech on Saturday. Be loud!
Lance Mitchell Signature

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