Exclusive Interview
                                                          Levi Brown & Jerrel Jernigan

                                  By: Aaron Fischman

 

December 18, 2008 - A Joint Interview With Levi Brown and Jerrel Jernigan

On Sunday the Troy Trojans will take on Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans are led on offense by junior quarterback Levi Brown (1,775 yards passing, 14 TD) and sophomore wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan (803 yards receiving, 8 TD).

After playing sparingly in the first six games for Troy, Brown took over the starting QB duties in Week 7 and carried the Trojans to a 5-2 record in the final seven games of the season. Meanwhile Jernigan led the Trojans in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns as a second-year player.

Deli interviewer-extraordinaire Aaron Fischman caught up with Brown and Jernigan before the big game. We hope you enjoy the interview.

Aaron Fischman: Levi, the team is 5-2 since you've taken over as the starting quarterback. After transferring from Richmond and beginning this season as a backup, what does it mean to make such an important impact on the team's success?

Levi Brown: It definitely feels good to play such an important role in the success of the team. It was really hard for me when I wasn't playing. I knew I was good enough to play well, it was just difficult at times to be patient while waiting for my chance.

When I finally got my chance to play, I came in with a chip on my shoulder. I felt like I had something to prove because I wasn't named the starter from the beginning. I wanted to play well to prove that I had the ability all along. I've been a part of two conference championship teams prior to this year. One my freshman year at Richmond and one last year here at Troy when I was ineligible - this year's conference championship is by far the most important one to me because I played a major role in it this year. Getting my first two championship rings was nice, but this third one certainly has the most meaning to me since I was the starter this time.

AF: Levi, how has a strong offensive line made your job easier this season?

LB: Our offensive line is phenomenal. I haven't checked the stats but I'm pretty sure we are in the Top 5 nationally in number of sacks given up. I believe we are averaging less than 1 sack per game. For a team that throws the ball as much as we do, that is a very impressive stat. It speaks volumes for our offensive line.

As a QB, my job is much easier when I have a great O-line playing in front of me. It allows me to have plenty of time to go through my reads and find the open receiver. [The offensive linemen] make my job easy and I couldn't be prouder of the way they have played this year.

AF: Levi, how does it feel to be named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year?

LB: Being named the Newcomer of the Year in the Sun Belt is very gratifying for me. It's nice to have my patience and hard work rewarded. However, it's not something I have focused on or given much attention to. My priority when I became the starter was to win the conference and go to the New Orleans Bowl. We have already accomplished those things. My only goals were team-oriented.

I never thought about any individual awards that I may receive. However, it is a nice bonus to get an award. I just work hard, play as well as I can and have faith that those types of things will work themselves out.

AF: Talk about running back DuJuan Harris' impressive season.

LB: DuJuan is an extremely talented player. Having him in the backfield with me takes some of the defense's focus off of me. It makes it hard for opposing defenses when they have to prepare to defend both a solid run game and a solid passing game. DuJuan is a playmaker. I'm always happy to get him the ball whether it's handing it off to him or throwing it to him. He has sub-4.4 speed and has great instincts when carrying the ball. He is extremely difficult to tackle in open space. Also, he is only a sophomore. [DuJuan] will be a very special player.

AF: Levi, what makes Jerrel Jernigan such a talented receiver?

LB: Jerrel is a talented receiver for many of the same reasons that DuJuan is a talented running back. Jerrel is a playmaker just like DuJuan is. Jerrel is the fastest player on our team. I think he runs the 40 in 4.32. Jerrel is excellent after he makes a catch. He is very effective at getting yards after the catch. He is difficult to tackle in space and has that special ability to make big plays out of what should be a normal play.

Anytime [Jerrel] touches the ball, he has the ability to score. He is our biggest big play threat at receiver. He can catch a 5-yard pass and go 80 yards for a touchdown.

AF: Troy led LSU 31-3 in the third quarter at Tiger Stadium. Unfortunately, LSU was able to make a historic comeback and win the game. What, if anything, can the team take away from that game?

LB: At LSU we played a great game for three quarters. However, in the fourth quarter we just simply did not make plays. Our execution was fine. We just didn't make the plays that we normally make. We had several dropped passes in the fourth quarter which we usually don't have.

I think we probably relaxed a little too much when we were up by four TDs with two minutes left in the third quarter. However, I do think we took away a couple of valuable things from that game. First, we learned that we can play with anyone. We went into Tiger Stadium and gave the defending national champions all they could handle for three quarters.

As a team, I think we realized how good we can be when we play well. Even though we ended up losing the game, I think we still gained confidence. Second, we learned that we can never relax during a game, especially not against a great team like LSU. We learned that anything can happen in a football game and that we have to perform the entire game in order to be successful.

Jerrel Jernigan: LSU was an exciting game. It gave our team a boost of confidence. It showed that we could get out there and play on the same level as bigger schools and put up a lot of points. We would have loved to have the win, but it gave us good experience. Harder games make us better players.

AF: Each of you had a breakout game against North Texas. From your end, why did everything go so well that night?

LB: North Texas was an important game for us offensively. That was only my second start here at Troy and I think it was important to have another good game to prove to the team that they can have confidence in our ability to win with me at QB.

Going into that game I knew we would throw the ball quite a bit. On film, it appeared as if North Texas defended the run better than they defended the pass. Therefore, our gameplan was to throw it.

Everything clicked for us offensively that night. I was 40-50 passing, but it was a team effort. The O-line protected me well and the receivers caught everything I threw. That made it easy on me.

JJ: Each player has [his] night. My night came against North Texas. The ball got put in my hands and I did my best. Had I not gotten hurt, I feel as though that is the best game I would have played thus far this season.

AF: Jerrel, Coach Larry Blakeney is the Sun Belt Coach of the Year. Talk about his leadership style and its effect on the team.

JJ: Coach Blakeney has the ability to get the team excited. A coach has to believe in his players and love the game, both of which are things Coach Blankey does.

AF: Jerrel, Blakeney has put you under center from time-to-time. How does putting you at quarterback fit into [the] team strategy?

JJ: You have to rotate players and change the strategy to keep the opponent on their toes. Putting me in as quarterback, my high school position, adds a different twist to our offense.

AF: Despite missing three games due to injury, Bear Woods made 104 tackles on defense. What does he mean to the team?

JJ: Bear Woods is a defensive leader. He is the kind of guy [who] not only makes the plays on the field but also motivates the team.

AF: Jerrel, what do you like most about Levi Brown's game?

JJ: Levi has made a huge impact on our offense. As a wide receiver, the thing I appreciate most about Levi's game is his strong arm and accuracy.

AF: Jerrel, what steps did you take to improve coming into your sophomore year?

JJ: As a sophomore, I knew I would have more playing time. I have stepped up my game and seen improvement on the field. I hope to keep working hard and become better in my last two years at Troy.

AF: Jerrel, how does it feel to be a member of the First Team All-Sun Belt?

JJ: To be named as First Team All-Sun Belt as a sophomore is truly an honor. I am humbled because of the recognition and it leaves me with high expectations to fulfill as a junior and senior.

AF: What is the offensive gameplan against Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl?

LB: Ha ha. Well, I can't tell you the gameplan for the New Orleans Bowl! That is top secret information! However, I will say that we are playing very well right now on offense and [we] feel confident in our ability to pass or run. Against LSU, we threw it 72 times for over 300 yards. Then the very next week we only threw it 16 times and rushed for over 300 yards. This shows we have the ability to be successful doing either.

It would be extremely difficult for Southern Miss to shut down both the pass and the run. Hopefully, we will make them pick their poison.

JJ: Our offensive strategy will be the same as it has been all year - get out there and score! No, but really, tune in to the New Orleans Bowl on December 21 and you will see.

AF: Who is your Heisman pick and why?

LB: I thought Sam Bradford would win. His stats (especially passing yards and passing TDs) were just too good to deny him the trophy. However, personally I think Colt McCoy was just as good this year. His completion percentage was 77% on the year. That is incredible. Also, he had the ability to make plays with his feet.

I'm glad I'm not a Heisman voter. I could have justified my vote for either Bradford or McCoy. But I would have felt bad for the other because they were both very, very deserving.

JJ: I think Tebow was most deserving. Watching he and Bradford face off in the National Championship game will be interesting.

 

 

 

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