Q: Your best time in the 40?
MT: ?A :04.38 after my freshman year. I was lighter back then (laughs).?
Q: Do you think your size (six-feet, 228 pounds) and speed make an unusual package?
MT: ?I guess it might be unique. The next level (pro football) picks up on that. I don?t know. I just run.?
Q: Why do you play football?
MT: ?It?s fun. For me, it?s an escape from everything else. You can enjoy the moment with my teammates and build camaraderie.?
Q: Doesn?t football come at a high price? Aren?t you sore on Sunday?
MT: ?Yeah. It?s part of football. Tuesday, you?re back to normal. It?s like the coaches say: If you don?t feel any pain, then you didn?t do anything on Saturday.?
Q: On your favorites? list, you selected Jim Brown as your all-time NFL runningback. Why him?
MT: ?I saw some old films. Jim Brown was ahead of his time. He never showed if he was hurt or anything like that. He may have gotten back up slowly and, on the next play, he would?ve run over you.?
Q: Last year, you finished second in the country in rushing. In the past, Northern Illinois has had two national rushing champions in Mark Kellar and LeShon Johnson. Would you like to follow in their footsteps and win the NCAA rushing title in 2003?
MT: ?First, I?d really like to win the football game. Statistics come second. Yeah, I?d like to, but I can?t control that.?
Q: Does some of this pre-season hype or expectations put any pressure on you?
MT: ?It?s not a burden. I feel the pressure a little bit. It comes with the territory of being a good runningback. Coach Novak says I will have a target on my jersey. I think it will bring something extra to our games this year.?
Q: What about your good friend and former teammate Thomas Hammock? What wisdom did he pass on to you?
MT: ?Thomas had great character. His heart. He wanted it real bad. He didn?t expect anyone to give anything to him. Everything he wanted, he just went out there, worked hard, and got it himself. Week in and week out, there was always something he would help me with. Little things about the game. Pointers and tips.?
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Early M Turner
