Davin Joseph Online Journal No. 2

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma's Davin Joseph will interact with Sooner fans over the next year in his online journal at SoonerSports.com.

Joseph, a senior from Hallandale, Fla., has 27 career starts on the offensive line for OU. A stalwart at right guard for the Sooners for the past two seasons, Joseph shifted to left tackle this spring.

Davin Joseph
Online Journal No. 2
I was realistic coming into college. I didn't want to redshirt -- I don't think anyone really wants to redshirt. I just thought it would take a while to get a starting role, earn players' respect and coaches' trust. It was not something that was going to happen overnight. Athletes like Tommie Harris and Adrian Peterson are rare.

I had a positive attitude towards learning and working hard every day. Once I got my chance to split a little time with Mike Skinner at right guard during the 2002 season, I took it very seriously. I got my twenty to thirty plays per game before I got my first starting opportunity in the Big 12 Championship game against Colorado. I was just trying to play the hardest I could play with whatever Coach Wilson gave me.

We were playing on TV, and my friends and family were seeing me and calling. Every Saturday I knew I had to look good because so many people were watching. I knew if I messed up I was going to get a phone call from Coach Pearson or Coach Wood or my family. Someone would tell me that I messed up.

We beat Texas 35-24 in my first OU-Texas game. It was pretty exciting and one of those things you always hear about. It's in the middle of the Texas State Fair and I never knew how big it was. We were in the hotel the night before getting prank calls. We had to take the phones off the hook.

We got on the bus the next morning to go to the game and it was dead quiet. You might have heard people's headphones but no one was saying a word. Everyone was focused. I was like a deer in the headlights.

2005 Oklahoma Spring Football Central

I could see out the windows and more and more fans were on the streets as you got closer to the stadium. It just got loud and obnoxious. You could hear people screaming outside. You could see all the OU people pointing No. 1 and all the Texas fans giving their hook'em Horns.

It got louder as you got to the stadium. The bus started shaking, there were police everywhere trying to maintain some order in the chaos. Getting off the bus was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. Everyone was dressed up and screaming and yelling.

We walked into the stadium and it was just jam-packed. One side's orange, one side's crimson and everyone was yelling. The intensity was just jumping inside the stadium. It's not a huge stadium but people were just jammed in there. Big-name guys all over the sidelines. It was great.

We won all our games and OU was ranked No. 1 going to Texas A&M. I remember that last drive at College Station. We were down, 30-26, and we were trying to put something together. It got so loud, I couldn't hear myself talking to the person right next to me out on the field. We ended up losing that one.

My parents came up for their first game in Norman when we played Texas Tech. We handled them pretty well. It was for the Big 12 South Championship. By then, Brad Davis had been hurt at A&M and I was getting a bigger role in the line. My parents didn't expect to come out to see me play my first year because they didn't think I was going to be in there. I'd say about 10 people in my family came from Florida for that game. We were just on that game -- every guy played amazing. The defense was flying around.

Then, we had that OSU game up in Stillwater. It was like a scene from a movie -- just something where you felt like you couldn't do anything about it. They were playing so well that game, and we weren't playing to that level. I give them all the credit because they were amazing that game. You know, I don't like them, but they played hard that game.

The biggest game of my career up to that point was the 2002 Big 12 Championship game. It was the first game I played in that something was really on the line. In high school, we played big rivalry games and got to the playoffs but never any championship games. Getting my first starting role at Oklahoma in a championship game was something I never dreamed of.

I was very nervous. But we lined up with Quentin Griffin in the backfield and all I had to do was get my hands on someone and he would make something happen. I played fairly well -- everyone played well.

It was a big deal to play in Houston. One of my buddies from Hallandale, Kentavious Jones, was there in the stands because he was playing at Texas Southern. Coach Pearson was there too. For me, it was very overwhelming. Here I was playing in Reliant Stadium -- an NFL stadium -- and I was just 18 years old. I just had never even imagined something like that. It was a long way from Hallandale.

We went to the Rose Bowl that year. It was hard to believe I was going to start in a BCS bowl game on national TV. That stadium was so big -- it made the field seem bigger than it was.

I had some stiff competition on the other side of the line. Everyone thinks bowl games are just about glamour and everything. But, the teams that make it to the BCS games are very good teams. I lined up against Rien Long from Washington State -- the Outland Trophy winner.

So here I was, a true freshman, going up against the Outland Trophy winner. It was harder then I ever thought it would be. But I had Vince Carter and Jammal Brown next to me. I don't think he had a sack in the game. But, it was tough in the trenches with that guy.

We played well. The defense really stepped it up. We were all over their quarterback, Jason Gesser. Our defense put some licks on him!

We'll move on and talk about the 2003 season in my next entry. Thanks for all your questions and I'll try to answer as many as possible...

Who is the best defensive lineman you ever played against and why? - Kendall from Wichita, Kan.

Tommie Harris. That guy had strength, speed and he was a smart player. Going against that guy was the best training you're going to get. He was the total package.

Some people in the stands maybe didn't appreciate what he meant to the defense. People fail to realize that the game is set up so that defensive tackles don't make a lot of plays. They're the first guys to get blocked every play. The focus of the offensive line isn't to block linebackers. It really isn't to block the defensive ends. You have to take care of the tackles first.

Those linebackers wouldn't be making all those plays if the defensive tackles hadn't opened it up for them. I don't think our defense could be as dominant without Tommie in there. He attracted so much attention and loosened things up so Teddy Lehman and Lance Mitchell could make plays. If you have a great defensive tackle, it's going to make your defense so much better vs. just having a star linebacker.

Davin, since you have played both guard and tackle, please explain to me the major differences between the positions in terms of blocking and down field responsibilities. - Stew from Wimberley, Texas

In high school, I started at defensive tackle, then played offensive guard and then tackle. Now, I'm doing exactly the same thing here. Moving from right to left, you have a different stance. Plus, guards and tackles have different stances.

You have to flip everything you're doing on the right side and think about it totally opposite on the left side. It's just like putting the playbook in reverse. After running plays to the right for three years, it became natural. Now, on the reverse side, you have to think a little about the play and then your responsibilities.

Switching from guard to tackle is totally different. Just getting accustomed to it all will take a little time. I learn better through practice. I can see myself make mistakes on film and I can fix my technique. But actually running the play full speed and not hesitating and thinking so much is a whole different thing. For me, about 75% is practice and 25% is film.

Left tackle is protecting the quarterback's blind side. Left tackle is more finesse. The defense usually lines up its best pass rusher on the left tackle. They're about 250 but their fast. Your feet are real important.

What is the biggest difference between practice and game time? - Allen from Daphne, Ala.

The speed of the game. Things go so much quicker in games because everyone is playing so hard. Plus, you don't want to make mistakes. In practice, you get yelled at and have to run it again. You only get one shot in a game.

What is your academic major and what do you want to do? - Bob from Tulsa, Okla.

My major is special education and eventually I want to teach alternative kids. I want to teach at an alternative school. I want to be able to work with inner city kids. These kids don't really have anyone to look up to. It's so easy to be bad and so hard to be good.

I'd like to give them someone to look up to, someone that believes in them that could change their lives. I want to eventually get my graduate degree and go on to be a principle. Those kids really need extra attention. Especially the ones who don't know there's any other way. You see so much bad, it turns in to what's normal to do. They just don't have any other way to express how they feel but anger. They're just kids.

People don't like to hear it -- they just want a quick fix. But, it's not going to be a quick fix. I don't expect to change every kid I come into contact with. But if there's just that one, it's worth the effort to me.

Who do you live with and how did you come about on choosing your roommates? - Jenna from Tuttle, Okla.

I lived with Donte Nicholson and Willie Roberts. Willie was from Miami and Donte and I had always lived together since I moved out of the dorms. When Donte left for the pros, Akim Millington moved in. That combination is crazy. It's chaos. But we just laugh and hand out all day. We play video games all the time. Then go to class and go to practice and get yelled at.

I heard you were great wrestler in high school.do you think that helped you in anyway become a better lineman by having good balance and footwork? - Rob from Enid, Okla.

I got into wrestling in high school because they just told me to. They just threw me in the water. When I started, I was like 300 pounds so I had to lose weight to wrestle. There were a lot of studs my freshman year in heavyweight. I got folded up!

But then, by my sophomore year, I started liking it. I started getting better. I went undefeated and won state and nationals my junior year. My senior year, I went undefeated and won state but lost at nationals.

I think it helps me a lot with football considering balance and coordination. Even overall body strength. It gets you in outstanding shape. It helped me in playing strength, with my feet and hands. I recommend it for any kid that wants to play line in college.

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Sooner fans can submit their own questions to Davin Joseph by clicking the link below. We'll select the best each week and Davin will respond in his next journal entry. Boomer Sooner!

Ask Davin a Question | Sooner Online Journals

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