---

Laughing good-naturedly at this latest misfortune --the star of our show, Lobo tight end Lucas Reed, describes his reaction that day in the parking lot. "Yeah...after the day that I had just totally experienced, it was like, 'okay...whatever!' I guess in a way, it was actually a good thing though, as it gave me the incentive to get it fixed so that I could start using it again."

I am guessing that it must be pretty easy bumming rides to school and practice with your friends.

"For sure," confirms Lucas. I've got all of my roommates as well as my lawnmower."

Somewhat stunned, I stammered, Are you serious? You actually ride a lawnmower to practice? (This causes Lucas to burst out laughing)

Trying to speak in between fits of laughter, Lucas finally manages to say, "No, I didn't say lawnmower! I said my long board!"

Now it was my turn to laugh, telling him that I was actually kind of disappointed, as that would have made one hell of an addition to his story: "All-American Drives to Practice on a Riding Lawnmower."

Playing along, Lucas says, "Yeah, you could just say that I was like that Billy Madison character from the movie. No, wait --it wasn't that one, it was Adam Sandler in 'The Waterboy.'"

Some 755 miles away --at almost exactly the same time that Lucas' car was being towed, another Reed family member was experiencing car woes. Brooks Reed, the older brother to Lucas and the recent 2nd round draft pick of the Houston Texans, had taken his truck to a local garage for mostly routine maintenance. Feeling that his vehicle would be safe in the garage, he had left his laptop in the backseat. But that was nothing [cue the music from Jaws]. He had also left something that was perhaps the most important thing in the world to a young NFL player. A secretive thing, whispered about in hushed tones among locker rooms throughout the league. Usually guarded like Fort Knox, you might think that I am talking about the loot that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were rumored to have left buried down in South America. But no, this was much more valuable than that. What he actually left there, was the complete and unabridged edition of the 2011 Houston Texans defensive playbook. Lord, take me now.

Lucas Reed would totally 'get' what his brother was talking about, even if the path to his current destination had contained more twists and turns and ups and downs than an angry bronc at the OK Corral. Still --by 2011, his former coaches in Pop Warner and at Sabino High School would be hard pressed to recognize the man and outstanding athlete he had become. As would all of his past teachers be equally surprised at the dedicated student which they would find. Even his own father, Bob Reed, probably has to adjust his eyes every now and then, whenever he compares this confident and overachieving young man with the little boy who had once clung to his departing mother for dear life, or even to the teenager he had left behind at some distant schoolhouse on a mesa, almost four years ago. The momentum that had brought him to this point, as crazy and bewildering as it often seemed, was certainly nothing less than remarkable.

Lucas had indeed come of age, but there was a whole other backdrop to the earlier parts of this story, which he had never gotten the chance to comment on. Blame it all on me, as it is particularly difficult putting together multiple interviews with five different people in a timely and cohesive manner, especially when the interviews took place in three different time zones. Never mind the fact that all five of those people are fighting, thriving, scratching and biting to carve out their own piece the American Dream. A dream that has recently become somewhat more exclusive rather than inclusive, by the way. On the other hand, I could simply tell you that I admire this family and the way that they have each others backs--yet, remain totally independent. Kind of like the original thirteen colonies.

So Lucas, what exactly is it about your family--those four people sharing the same lifeboat?

"It's not really something that I can put my thumb on," states Lucas. "My mom is in Oregon now and my sister was in San Diego for a while. Brooks is in Houston and I am out here. I was actually the first one to leave, but we could always depend on each other and I could always count on my dad. We are just a close family. If I didn't have them, I would probably be working in a gas station right now. Maybe working at a Chippendales or something like that (laughs)."

So what is this stuff that Katie said about you being the family enforcer back in your youth? Was that true?

Laughing, Lucas replies. "Yeah, I was kind of the protector guy. I remember this one time when my brother got into this scuffle with two other kids, and he got bit on the arm. My brother came running home, and he had this bite mark on his arm with blood and everything! Well, my eyes got all big and I said, 'who did that?' He told me and he told my mom, who was already outside lecturing the kid, so I ran out as fast as I could and kicked the guy in the shins and pushed him down, without saying a word. Then I ran back home just as fast (laughs).

So, she wasn't exaggerating then. She also said that you would simply not tolerate other boys talking about her in school.

"Yeah, that is pretty much true," Lucas admits. "Because of her scholastic achievements, she got bumped up to high school faster than me. Everyone already knew who Brooks was, and so she gained notoriety immediately. Once I got there, I tried to jump on their wagon, and so the potential suitors started bugging me. I mean, besides getting all of Brooks' hand-me-downs', I would get all of that stuff too. And I got really protective. I would just tell people, 'no, she'll never go out with the likes of you' and then I would remind them of who her big brother [Brooks] was. That was really the fear part of it. I was just the more vocal part of it. I mean, nobody wanted to tangle with him! Brooks was pretty much the boogie man behind the curtain, and I was maybe just the spokesperson. Nobody really wanted to be around Brooks to talk to him about asking her out, as they all thought he was going to get mad and beat them up--something like that (laughs)."

So they were genuinely scared of him?

"Oh, for sure," Lucas laughs. "He wouldn't comb his hair and pretty much looked like an animal. He was the biggest kid on campus pretty much, and didn't talk to anyone hardly at all, unless it was during football practice. So, there was definitely this dangerous aura that surrounded him."

That is truly great stuff. So about your earliest football years, were you just pretty much following in his footsteps, if I may be so bold?

"A lot of that is true," replies Lucas. "Our family was so proud of him, and we [sister Katie and himself] wanted to bask in some of that glory. It seemed like at the time I was just a scrub. Running in the plays and then running off. It certainly wasn't good, and whenever Brooks would do something, it would just become that much more competitive with me. He really was the leader of our family....sort of the trendsetter in those ways He would get a yo-yo, and of course I would have to get a yo-yo. His was always better than mine, of course. He got the Bumblebee and I got the Butterfly (laughs).

Honestly, the hardest part for me growing up, was my lack of success. I had trouble in academics where my sister succeeded and I had trouble in athletics where my brother excelled. I really felt like the black sheep of the family, to tell the truth. I knew that I needed to be good at something other than video games (laughs)."

So when did you catch that train? By that I mean, when did you first realize that you could become whomever and whatever you wanted to be?

"When I was first growing up," Lucas says, "from the time I was eight until maybe I was thirteen, it was all nothing but a game to me. I really wasn't taking anything seriously, other than trying to compete with my brother in anything that he did. He would be like at 200lbs or 215, and I would be like at 140. Just like when he used to beat me up with those boxing gloves, it never really was all that serious to me. I think the bell finally went off during my sophomore year in high school. That year really got on my nerves, as it was the only year my brother was there with me. He was a star on the team...I mean like, he was huge! Nobody called me by my name, I was simply known as Brooks' brother."

I think your sister Katie knew exactly how you felt.

"Yeah. She got some of that too," Lucas agrees. But back then, it was like I was his little shadow. Well, maybe not so much a little shadow. I did get taller than him in high school, and I was very proud of that moment. I called him a couple of names, told him that he was the little brother now. He didn't like that very much, so he pushed me over (laughs). That year [his sophomore] I started taking my diet and lifting more seriously, and I got up to 185 lbs. In my mind, I was done just being his shadow. I had finally started to believe that I might someday pass him in something athletically, and that all began during my sophomore year."

---

Shifting gears, I just had to ask his bigger brother (although not necessarily taller brother), exactly what it was like having his little bro always tagging along and trying to emulate everything that he did.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't like it," Brooks admits. "I didn't like that someone was copying me all of the time, which is pretty much what I think any other older brother would feel under the same set of circumstances. It seemed like I was just always leading the way for him in whatever I did. I don't know why that made me angry back then, but it did."

While he might have seemed like a little pest, did you just throw up your arms every now and then, and say 'Oh, what the heck,' and decide to help him out?

"Probably," Brooks says with a shrug. "We really didn't fight all that much. All of us kids got along for the most part. Really, we were a pretty happy family. So yeah, I probably did try to help him get better in my own way, despite the aggravation."

You know, he still calls you his idol. Not NFL superstar tight ends like Jason Whitten or Antonio Gates, but instead, Houston Texans rookie linebacker (and big brother) Brooks Reed. Seriously, how does that make you feel?

With an obvious emotional timbre to his voice, Brooks replies, "It means...it means everything. You know, I really didn't have an idol like he did --I don't have an older brother, so honestly, I have no idea what it was like to be in his shoes. Um, you know my dad...he really took that place of being an idol. You know, I was a kid then too, so maybe it sounds like I was being a little tough on Lucas at the time. But along the way, I think that I really helped him tremendously."

A tough love sort of thing?

"Maybe so. Although I certainly didn't realize it as such back then."

---

"Yeah, as hokey as it might sound," asserts Lucas, "he has always been my idol. He was always so good at everything. Just the fastest and the strongest....I mean, who wouldn't want to be like him? He was my role model in every single way, but it was a hard role for him to play, evidently. Now that he has made it to the NFL, of course, nothing has changed. Perhaps if he had never made it to the NFL and I did, then I could be his role model! (laughs)

Brotherly love and competition notwithstanding, Lucas had to deal with another challenge during his youth that nobody but himself could face down.

"I still haven't been able to accept it to this day," acknowledges Lucas about his hearing disability. "It's just one of those things. So many people have things worse than I do, but the stigma it carries, is really a burden to me. It is hard for me to talk about it with people who don't know me, because I try to pull off a persona that I am capable of doing anything that anyone else is, just like I always did with my family. I don't like to expose myself in such a way where people might think less of me."

Well, I really didn't want to dwell on this....

"No, No. This is really one of the things that gives me a great deal of personal motivation. It makes me strive for bigger and greater things, just because I have to prove myself that much more. It is just so annoying sometimes, not succeeding at something I feel that I should...I just try to not let it bring me down. It makes me just want to try that much harder in the end. But honestly, I wouldn't have been able to do all of this without my dad and my family behind me...everyone played a part."

Your GPA this season, is impressive. The work you must do into the wee-wee hours in order to maintain that would probably scare most people. I know that at one point in high school, with athletics not providing you a chance to shine, and with your academics going from bad to worse, you were almost ready to just give up on football entirely. I understand that Brooks, despite his "aggravation" at having a little brother always tagging along and trying to emulate him, was the one who talked you into staying on the team.

“Well, early on in my sophomore year at Sabino,” remembers Lucas, “I was feeling pretty bad and I had no confidence at all at anything that I did. I was sitting in my room alone and playing video games on the computer, which I always did to get rid of stress and stuff. Well, Brooks comes in and plops himself right down on my desk, blocking my monitor. Somehow, he had gotten wind that things were not going well for me, and that I was at a pretty low point. In his own awkward and special way I guess, he was reaching out to me. Then, he just started talking to me straight out of the blue, which was really pretty unusual for him. One of the things that he told me --one of the things that I have carried with me as part of my work ethic and general philosophy of life, was that everyone has injuries and misfortunes --the aches and pains and stuff. But the way that people are measured, is the way that they deal with those setbacks, and the way that they carry themselves forward. I think the one part that stuck with me the most though, was when he said that if you don't have confidence, then you don't have anything. His exact words were, 'If you don't have confidence, then you don't have shit.'

I put a lot of thought into what he said, and you know what? He was right. I started trying to cultivate some sort of 'confidence balloon' over me --a bubble or whatever. I mean, it's hard. I still have a bit of a confidence problem. It is just hard for me to ever compliment myself or give myself credit. The person that has always been the hardest on me is myself. But here was my big brother and my idol --and oh, I never had any doubt that we loved each other, but he wasn't the type to give anyone a free ride. I saw this as a defining moment in my life, I guess. It is really such a complicated part of the story. I mean, he looked straight into my eyes, and said, 'You can't quit.'

Now don't get me wrong, I had been driven my entire life to be like him and make my parents proud. It just seemed so impossible to be where he was. I wasn't strong, and I wasn't taller than him at the time. I wasn't doing good in school, as I was struggling with most of my classes. In football, every time that I walked into the weight room, coach Campos would kind of look to the left and then to the right...never looking directly at me --not quite sure what to make of me being in there. As far as he was concerned, I did not meet his standards. I had a group of close friends --and they, along with my family, pretty much got me through high school. But for Brooks to have given me that motivational speech on one of the darkest days in my life...it wasn't just coming from my brother, it was coming from the person whom I most wanted to be like."

---

"Yeah, I remember that," Brooks replies when I ask him about what seems to have been a major game changer for his brother. "To be perfectly honest, I think that he had a misconceived perception of what I was really going through, and that was a big part of the problem. He had this misconception that I was the perfect student --the perfect person. You know, the perfect athlete who never did anything wrong or never got yelled at. The reality was, I really wasn't a great student and I had made plenty of mistakes growing up. He really had no inkling of that. He just thought that he was the only one in the family who messed up all of the time. He felt like he wasn't good enough, and things like that."

So, you gave him a little reality check...

"I just laid it out for him," Brooks says. "I know that he was pretty surprised by what I had to say. I think it just hit home. By telling him of how I struggled to get here, I think he began to understand. I told him that we were basically the same person, that we behaved the same way and did all of the same things. If he just believed in himself, put in the extra work and stopped worrying about me, then he could go as far as he wanted to. I think that he was using me as an excuse for his failures, which was the most messed-up thing that he could possibly do. It was really just a frame of mind for him."

Pardon me for saying this, but after the normal aggravation he had caused as a little brother, it sounds like you, as a maturing young adult, decided to make yourself more human to a kid who thought that you walked on water.

"Exactly," sighs Brooks. "He was kind of living in my shadow. He thought that he could never out do me, as I was older. But in reality, he could be doing a lot better than me, if he only sat his sights higher. I think that he realized it that day, and finally turned on the switch."

---

"You know, he had never really been there for me before in those ways," comments Lucas. "I mean, he seemed to resent me in certain respects and didn't even want me to play football. Hell, nobody did back then (laughs)! And the whole time, it was really only his acceptance that I craved. He was the only one that I truly looked up to, in those ways. He had done everything that I dreamed of doing and still is. So yeah, it was certainly a defining moment for me, and I hope that he realizes that."

Well, after this story, I am certain that he will. So, were you able to come to grips with why he had initially shunned you in those ways?

"As a matter of fact I have. Being older, I could now see it through his eyes. I mean, I used to try and hang out with his friends! Can you believe that? They would be going outside to play basketball for instance, and I would interrupt them and say, 'Hold on a minute and let me put my basketball shoes on.' Of course, I had invited myself, which was pretty much a habit in those days."

I think it is more than likely, that the same thing happens in most big brother and little brother relationships, and I speak from experience. At any rate, you had a great senior season in high school, and here you are now, a freshly minted, division one collegiate football player. Was that first year as a redshirt freshman tough? Did you ever get homesick?

"That first year, I was definitely not homesick," asserts Lucas. "And I needed to be that way, because I had a roommate [B.R. Holbrook] who was. It was really hard for him to adjust to being away from home that year. As for me, I just felt so lucky and I had such motivation when I first got down here. I mean, you pretty much know the story of how I struggled to qualify and to get any offers. Well, I had never had this type of opportunity before just prove myself and to make it all alone. And even though I moved out later on, it really is a pretty cool situation living with the other players in the dorms. I can see why the coaches prefer it that way, as you get to really know the other players and find out what they are all about."

Sounds like you were ready for a little extra sunlight, after being in the shadows for so long.

"Yeah. But what the really cool thing was, I had this super close friend in high school who was a part of my group of friends at the university. The odd thing about that year, was that most of my really close friends didn't play on the football team. The ones that I hung out with the most didn't, anyway. One was a lacrosse player and the other one was kind of a crazy dude (laughs). He is in the Marines now, which kind of fits him."

I think we all had one of those friends.

Nodding, Lucas continues, "Now my close friend from high school, he didn't just follow me out here or something like that. It was just a crazy coincidence. So I was never really lonely or anything like that. Jace is his real name, but his nickname is Chino. Back on the football team in high school, everyone thought that he was Asian--although he was really Filipino, and they called him Chino. That has stuck with him ever since."

It sounds like you found yourself in very comfortable surroundings. So, after that first redshirt year, the real reason why you had come to Albuquerque was about to begin. In the meantime, you and the rest of the team had to weather a coaching change. In your wildest dreams, did you ever imagine that your initial college season would conclude with you being voted in as a third team Freshman All-American?

"Not really,” says Lucas, “but believe it or not, the one thing that came to my mind when I got that honor, was that I knew within myself that I could do much better than that. Some things you can’t control of course, but I was determined to do better. Fortunately, the next season did turn out better for me, and I was named a second team All-American. But to be perfectly honest with you, whenever I get those types of personal awards, it really isn’t that big of deal to me. My dad is a lot happier about them than I am (laughs). But that’s cool, because I like making other people happier much more so than I do myself.”

---

Somewhat intrigued by Lucas' response, I thought that I should inquire a little deeper. A kid who virtually got ignored and passed over in high school, and who never received any trophies or accolades until his senior year at Sabino, yet wasn't currently overwhelmed with being named an All-American? Alas, it was a dead end to pursue. When you first encounter Lucas, it becomes crystal clear that he is an unusually humble and modest athlete. In fact, he kind of reminds me of that Jeff Bridges character from The Big Lebowski. The one that they called 'The Dude.'

Laughing, his father Bob Reed says, "The Dude? Well maybe if you substitute video games for bowling, I could possibly see it. Seriously though, when I heard that Lucas had been named a third team All-America as a freshman, I was just so thrilled. The school was as well. Turns out, Lucas was the first tight end in the entire history of the university, to receive such an honor. His picture is now up on a wall, along with about twenty or so other All-Americans from the university since way back when. Even coach Locksley commented on it. He said that it gave Lucas a little more confidence...a little more swagger. Locksley talked about that stuff all of the time, saying that Lucas needed more swagger...more swag. He wanted Lucas coming out onto the field and believing that he was superior to any defensive back or linebacker that was opposing him."

Lucas didn't seem to think the award was that big of a deal.

"He probably does think that," agrees Bob, 'but I believe that deep down inside, he needs that type of reinforcement. His friends and his team mates were all happy for him as well, so I was certainly grateful to see that happening for him. But getting back to what he told you, he is just like Brooks in those ways. No matter what accolades come their way, they always think that they could have done better. And as much as I really loved those types of things myself (smiles), I am constantly surprised by how truly humble they are!"

I can personally attest to their humble natures, which I might add, is quite refreshing in this day and age. So, where do all of the trophies and awards go if they don't covet them? I have a feeling that I already know the answer to that one.

Laughing, Bob exclaims, "Why they are all here with dear old dad, of course! On one of the tables next to this sofa, we've got the UNM 2010 Bill Brannin Most Valuable Player award for Lucas. When I look to my right, I see the 2010 Lobos Offensive Player of the Year trophy on the other table. Now, how good is that (laughing)? Of course, you should see 'The Shrine."

I had already been warned by Lucas about 'The Shrine.' Seems that it is a spare bedroom dedicated to the kids.

"That is exactly what it is," Bob says. On all of the walls are the accomplishments of all three of my kids. That room is usually where they stay when they come to visit their pop, so I had to make it somewhat special for them---and for me. I go into that room once in awhile to clean or dust and always come out smiling, remembering those days and the surprise, pride and joy that those mementos brought us. But you were wanting to hear about awards, so how about the rewards? You know, at my age, supposedly the best parts of life have passed you by, but I am here to tell you that kind of talk is all wrong. I never knew that when I had these kids in my forties, life would become even more exciting than it had ever been before. Just raising and getting to know and love each one of these unique individuals, is more fun than I ever could have wished for.

You don't look anywhere close to your age.

Laughing quietly under his breath, Bob replies, "It is like King Midas or whatever. An Aesop's Fable I guess. Watching my children grow older and wiser is somehow making me grow younger, and I truly believe that."

---

As successful as that initial season was for Lucas, it was not without its difficulties. The staff that had originally recruited him out of Sabino had resigned at the end of the previous campaign, leaving what was (at least initially) a group of strangers in control of his athletic future. Never having played a down for coach Long (nor even being allowed to dress out as a redshirt freshman the previous year) certainly made the transition a bit easier for Lucas, after the initial shock had worn off, that is.

"It definitely opened my eyes," remembers Lucas. "Whoever recruits you will be imprinted upon your mind for the rest of your life. They feel almost like 'father figures’ in a way, because they wanted you --out of all the other possible players that they could have chosen. This may sound crazy, but it is a lot like a family. If your parents divorce, then there will inevitably be either step-parents or girlfriends and boyfriends entering their lives, and a child will instantly resent them. It may not be right, but it is just the way we are put together. When we make bonds like that, we imagine them to be for life. Of course, as you get older you realize that change is pretty much inevitable and you just have to learn to move on and adapt to whatever life throws at you. Over the last three years or so, coach Locks has certainly become a fatherly figure to me, just as coach Long was before him. In fact even more so, as I never really got to play for Rocky.

But to tell you the truth, this stuff is kind of difficult for me to talk about right now, as I'll soon be looking at my third head coach in as many years. Fourth, if you count coach Barlow. The whole thing is just really chaotic in my mind right now."

Of the two, (Long and Locksley) is there one in particular whom you would describe as a 'players' coach?'

"Coach Locks, definitely," affirms Lucas. "But that's not really being fair to coach Long, as I never really got to be around him as much. The rules for a redshirt freshman are pretty strict around here. As you said, redshirts are not allowed to dress out, nor was I even allowed in the locker rooms for the halftime speeches. So essentially, I never really got to know him. Now, I did run into him again at the Mountain West media day in Vegas, and we talked for a while –laughing about the past and a few other things. He really seemed happy and I have the utmost respect for him. But if coach Locksley had never come here, I don’t believe that I would have had all of the success that I have had here.”

Why is that?

“It was just a weird set of circumstances for me,” Lucas explains. “When I first got here, all of the tight ends on the team were primarily blocking tight ends, which at the time, was really not one of my strong points. For instance, Chris Mark told me that the year before he had only caught three passes the entire season --and that was as a senior. In Rocky’s system, the tight ends were almost exclusively used as blockers. If it hadn’t been for Locks, I wouldn’t have ever gotten the receptions or accolades that I have. So in that respect, it all worked out. And fate played an important role as well. The tight end who would have started my first year – Tim Merrill, who went around 260 pounds, quit the team. Mitch Straub and Chris Mark had already graduated, so I was really the only tight end on the team. In my mind, I had sort of targeted my junior year as the season when I would really start getting to play a lot. But here I was –a redshirt freshman, and I was getting all of the reps! (laughs)”

Wow, you fell into a pretty sweet situation.

“It really was, as that is not how it usually goes in college –especially for tight ends. They like to use your first two or three years to add weight and strength to your frame. To be honest, I was totally recruited as a project –more or less. My size wasn’t good and my strength wasn’t good, but they still recruited me because they saw some potential. Tight ends aren’t made in high school, they are made in college. In high school, you are essentially a tall receiver –which is what they are looking for, along with good hands and decent speed. After they get you into the program, then they start to add the strength and bulk that turns you into a tight end. With me, they kind of had to go to plan B and throw me straight into the mix. Of course, I have gained a lot of weight since high school, but I am still nowhere near where I need to be for the next level.

It seems like coach Locksley has had a profound effect upon you.

“He has,” agrees Lucas. “As a player for him, Locks really wants to be your friend. He truly wants to get to know you, and also to help make you a better athlete and person. And that’s not just lip service either. He is totally sincere in his commitment to the players on the team.”

This is kind of a tough question. The year that you were recruited to New Mexico, the Lobos were fresh off of a 9-4 record and a bowl win over Nevada. Sadly, it all seems to have gone downhill from there. Rocky skidded to a 4-8 mark during your redshirt year, and next season, the team was only 1-11 behind their new coach. Now, disappointing seasons are one thing to a fan like myself, but my feelings are nothing compared to the kids like yourself, who come here with a dream in their hearts and put in countless hours of practice, drills and classroom study in order to obtain that dream. Even with all of the personal accolades you received that season, the end results had to be disappointing in both 2008 and 2009. Were you shocked by the sudden downturn in the fortunes of the team?

Pausing for a moment to reflect, Lucas answers, “No, I really wouldn’t call it being shocked. The school year is just so long for us and there is so much work before and after the football season, that you really didn’t get a sense of things changing abruptly. It is more of a gradual thing. With the coaching change, and all of the stereotypes that people have about it, you kind of just assume that the first two seasons are going to be pretty iffy and the third one is when things will really start to improve. And that point was even emphasized to us by the staff, so we kind of knew what to expect. I mean, it really is a whole lot more than just a coaching change. There is of course, a complete shift of power and the chemistry of that is extremely critical. The weight training changed completely, for instance. The way we ran, lifted, the rules, the practices, the recruiting….everything changed in my life --because football pretty much is my life. Now don’t get me wrong. At first, it can be a little depressing [a coaching change], but you just have to keep on grinding. As a matter of fact, I’m grinding right now.”

That is a great attitude.

“Well, you just have to look at every game as an opportunity --as a chance to win and improve. For the team especially. Sometimes, I don't feel like the majority of the fans realize how much those things mean to us. We will never give up or quit, because this is who we are --what we do. As a player, you are always looking forward to the next Saturday, and putting the last game in the rearview mirror."

Getting "thrown into the mix" that first season, what was that like for a kid so far from home who had figured that he had 2-3 years to grow into such a role?

"Well, it sounded pretty cool at first --being the only tight end and all, but then it suddenly started to dawn on me: I actually have to play (laughs)! Say what? I just got out of high school! It is such a huge difference between high school and college. The team actually built up my confidence as they kept on calling my number, despite my inexperience. I caught 17 passes that first season and it all ended up working out pretty well. Back then, they used to throw to me on the corner --which I loved, because it would usually result in a big gain."

I wish the team would send you to the corner more often these days.

"It is harder for them to now, as all of the teams pretty much bracket me. But I take so much pride in being able to catch the ball...especially during my freshman year. I got furious whenever I missed one, clapping my hands together --punching the ground or whatever. As the years have gone by though, my responsibilities have changed somewhat. I block a whole lot more now, which is a whole other mindset."

When you first got to the university, what were your initial goals?

"Lifting," laughs Lucas. "My whole goal was to get as big as my brother was."

Really? So you weren't focused on just catching passes?

"Oh, I was focused on that for sure, but I never dreamed that I would catch 17 passes my first season, let alone 33 receptions the next season. But I knew going in that if I was strong, I would be faster and more effective out there. I knew what my brother's maxes were, and I wanted to be as strong as him by the time that I was a sophomore. I just needed to eat a whole lot more --which I am still working on."

So that brotherly thing is still burning hot...

"Definitely it is," interjects Lucas. "It will always be there. But that first year was such a trip anyway. Being lucky enough to be the only tight end, it had felt almost like getting swept up in a river, with a predetermined course."

Going into your sophomore season, did you do anything differently to prepare, or did you just let the current carry you along?

"What I did," Lucas says, "was just to continue on with my work ethic. That work ethic has always been to do everything that is required of me and more. I really couldn't change or improve upon it, as it had always meant giving my best and then some. I guess that maybe I did do some little things, like trying to eat more --just making sure that I was gaining weight. That was my biggest emphasis and still is. Every year I have to reach a certain weight, and this year it didn't add up so well. Between my freshman and sophomore years however, I did gain twenty pounds."

You need to get yourself a female roommate who cooks....that'll do the trick.

Laughing, Lucas says, "Maybe it would, but right now my fridge is broken so I am pretty much SOL."

Well, at least you got your truck fixed. Now, did you ever get it licensed?

Letting out an exaggerated groan, Lucas replies, "No I haven't. The situation has become somewhat more complicated. You see, in all of the moves that I've had to make, somehow I lost the title. Well, in order to get another title, I had to first pass an emissions test. So wouldn't you know it, my vehicle failed the emissions test. They told me in order to pass the test, I would need to take it down to a local shop and spend $300 to correct the problem. Well, I have had neither the time nor the money to do such a thing, so it still sits outside the gates of my apartment."

Good thing that you still have the lawnmower (laughing). Anyway, we already know that you didn't get homesick during the year that you sat out as a redshirt. But inside sources tell me (goes by the code name of 'dad') that you actually did get homesick during your first active season. What was up with that?

"We were 0-6 at the time," says Lucas, "and I just wasn't used to losing that much. That was already more games than I had lost during my entire high school career. I really got down and thought that football maybe wasn't my calling. I don't like quitting anything, but I just felt so bad. Going back home just seemed like an easy way out. Everyone there just accepted who I was and what I wanted to do. Of course, that had usually meant football."

But individually, you were having a great year as a freshman.

"It has never been about that for me. It has always been about how the team is doing, and we were doing pretty bad. I just wasn't used to that. I don't think that it was necessarily homesickness, but probably something else."

Disappointment or disillusionment, perhaps?

"Um...It was just a slap in the face by reality, and it honestly scared me" Lucas explains with great difficulty. "I had never been in an environment like that before and I just wasn't used to it. All of the external and internal factors that the team was constantly exposed to, were just so surreal. Nothing that a kid from high school would ever have been exposed to before. I had led a pretty sheltered life I guess --I'll admit it. A total reality check it was, and I somehow had to overcome all of that without losing the perspective of why I had come here in the first place."

Your road up to this point, certainly has contained a lot of hairpin turns and sheer cliffs.

"Definitely," Lucas sighs. "But the football gods weren't finished with me yet."

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