Exclusive Interview
                                                      Mossis Madu

                                 By: Aaron Fischman

 

January 6, 2009 - An Interview with Mossis Madu

After red-shirting for a season, Oklahoma running back Mossis Madu played sparingly in 2007. As a freshman he carried the ball 40 times, accumulating 232 yards and 2 touchdowns. This season, Madu was integrated a bit more into the Sooners' offensive scheme. He ran the ball 111 times, ranking third on the team in rushing yards (483) and fifth in offensive touchdowns (6).

Madu may have been a complementary over the course of the regular season, but heading into the BCS National Championship game on Thursday Madu finds himself in the role of backup. With the recent injury to sophomore starter DeMarco Murray, junior Chris Brown assumes the starting role and Madu moves to second on the depth chart.

Heading into the championship game against Florida, Madu has his work cut out for him. The Gators ranked 16th in the nation in run defense this season. Madu addresses the Florida defense as well as the different running styles of his backfield mates and how he spent his 21st birthday in a recent interview with our own Aaron Fischman.

Be sure to watch Madu and the Sooners in the National Championship on Thursday, January 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox.

Aaron Fischman: Growing up in Norman, and attending Norman High School, how does it feel to play for the hometown Sooners?

Mossis Madu: It feels real good. I think it's one of those things that I won't realize how great of an opportunity this is until I'm a lot older and look back on this.

AF: Looking at your bio, I noticed that you turned 21 on the night of the 2008 Presidential Election. What was that like for you?

MM: Haha. That was actually a really good b-day present. It was funny to me because I didnt even realize it until my old principal brought it up to me while she was wishing me a happy birthday.

AF: Last year’s Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, is facing the current Heisman, your quarterback, Sam Bradford. Will the quarterback with the better stats win? Why or why not?

MM: Umm, I think this question can go both ways. Both quarterbacks have a huge part in the offense of both teams and that alone effects the game. But both teams also have a lot of really good players besides the quarterback who make a lot of plays, so it goes both ways.

AF: There’s no denying that Sam Bradford had an extraordinary season. What are some of the reasons his season was so extraordinary?

MM: I think the main reason is because of what type of guy he is. He approached this season with a totally different attitude than last year since he already knew he had the talent to go out there and compete.

AF: The nation has been talking about Sam Bradford, but talk about his favorite targets: Juaquin Iglesias and Jermaine Gresham.

MM: Wick (Juaquin) is a real laid back guy, he always has the "I don't give a damn attitude". Haha. But not in a bad way. I look at him as one of my good friends on the team and we clown around a lot. Jermaine is one of the biggest clowns on the team and also has one of the biggest mouths. I'm also really close to him (we were roommates last year). He always has a smile on his face. I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad mood.

AF: How badly is DeMarco Murray’s injury? Do you expect him to play in the title game against Florida?

MM: DeMarco is definitely out for the title game. As a matter of fact he'll be out until the summer, I think.

AF: What have you learned from fellow running backs, Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray? What are the differences in running styles between you and those two backs?

MM: Umm, I've really just learned how to trust in myself and run the ball hard every play. I think DeMarco and I are similiar in a lot of ways and C.B. (Chris) is the one who's way out of the box, compared to us. He is more of a hard-nosed downhill runner who will come at you full-speed and hit you. DeMarco and I are the more flashy, slasher, type of runners.

AF: What can be learned from the Texas loss (the Sooners’ only loss this season)?

MM: That we’re beatable.

AF: Your breakout game came against Missouri. Of your 3 touchdowns that day, which one was your favorite and why?

MM: I think the last one I had was my favorite. It made history and the way I scored is just something I ’ll always remember.

AF: What does Coach Bob Stoops mean to this team?

MM: He means a lot. I mean what head coach doesn’t mean a lot to the team? He's the big guy, the head honcho and we all look up to him and obey him. We know he’s a winner and if we do what he says we'll come out on top because he's been there before.

AF: Your high-powered offense (which scored 45 or more points in 11 of 13 games) gets most of the attention, but what about the defense? Who is the defensive leader and what does he do for the team?

MM: Our defense really has two leaders, Nic Harris and Gerald McCoy. Both are really good guys off the field and great players on the field. So, just to be a guy with those two combinations it’s hard not to respect him.

AF: Many experts are saying that OU's ability to run the ball is a key to the game. How do you guys plan on getting the ground attack going against the Gators?

MM: Running the ball against [Florida] is going to be a huge part of us having success against them. The ground game will open up things for Sam and our WRs, so running the ball well is a must. Our plan is just to go out there and not try to do things that we haven’t done all season. By that I mean be ourselves and run the way we have always run. That’s what got us into this game in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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