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 Thursday, October 4, 2001
Texas' minister of defense
By Marc Connolly
ABC Sports Online
The Texas Longhorns get a little bit of everything with middle linebacker D.D. Lewis.
He's a minister in training, yet also acts as the indisputable Minister of Defense for Mack Brown's squad.
He's a devoted husband to wife, Nicole, and father to his little 1-year-old, Zion Joseph, yet he's more like a big brother to several of the young guns, including shiny new linebacker D.J. Johnson, who drives the 4-0 juggernaut that oozes with talent from all sides.
|  | | D.D. Lewis will hold the record for career starts at Texas if he continues to start every game. |
He's a four-year starter who can remember playing with Ricky Williams in the
John Mackovic era, yet he's big on saying that the biggest game in his career is always the next game on the schedule no matter if it's OU or New Mexico State.
And in this week of what is perhaps college football's most heated rivalry of
Hatfield-vs.-McCoy dimensions between the hook-'em-horned, scorned disciples of Texas and the rejuvenated citizens of Boomer Sooner Nation, there may not be a more important player on the field than one De'Andre De'Wayne Lewis come this Saturday (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).
Sure, the pressure will be on the likes of Chris Simms, Nate Hybl, Quentin Griffin, Quentin Jammer, both Roy Williamses and Rocky Calmus in this star-studded Red River Shootout matchup, but it was Griffin's six touchdowns last year against the Lewis-led D that spearheaded the 63-14 shellacking at the Cotton Bowl. And now that the Burnt Orange has switched up its defense to a 3-4 set to safeguard against the spread offense, Lewis believes he'll have quite an impact with the extra 'backer next to him.
"Usually I'm in the line -- in the gaps -- sugared up in a lot of the defensive alignments we play," said Lewis, on the defense they've been practicing since last spring. "So a 3-4 allows me to attack the line instead of sitting in there trying to strike a big deer -- a 300-pound lineman. It gives me a head start and some speed to come downhill against the lineman."
Against Oklahoma, specifically, being set back in the defense further than usual and the extra space he'll be working with will certainly allow him to shadow Griffin easier.
"Quentin Griffin is an excellent back, and is a main weapon for them," he said. "We're going to try to contain him as one of their weapons, and try to stop him."
Mack Brown says the key for last year's co-leading tackler (78) and his fellow linebackers is to wrap Griffin up more than anything.
"He's a guy who just ripped us last year, and we didn't tackle him at all," said the fourth-year head coach at UT. "He's back on that same pace again this year. He's averaging nearly 100 yards a game, and if you allow him to, he'll get over 200 yards against you because he can do that."
Lewis will also be on guard against the multitude of short swing passes and screens they like to throw to Griffin, and to their bevy of receivers on short crossing routes that have been featured at times in Mark Mangino's much-praised offensive arsenal.
|  | | Lewis will be studying the eyes of Oklahoma QB Nate Hybl all afternoon. |
"I like when receivers try to run crossing routes on us, because it gives you a chance to make a play and a big hit on the ball,' said Lewis, a preseason Butkus Award candidate. "It's good for a linebacker to be able to see the receiver and the QB and who he is looking for at the same time. We have schemes and coverages for them to run crossing routes.
"We'll be ready."
One of the impact players in this grudge match could be Johnson, who was recently inserted into the starting lineup next to Lewis. The freshman proved his worth last week against Texas Tech by leading the way with 13 tackles, which is something that Lewis took great pride in since he's been mentoring Johnson all season long.
"D.J. has really brought a lot to the defense," he said. "He adds another playmaker.
He tries so hard out there, and that's the good thing about him. He always goes hard and is willing to run. And at practice, he'll always seek me out to ask me questions to see what he should do in various situations. It's not like he doesn't know, he just wants to be sure. He's a great student, and a gamer."
The same could be said about Lewis, now making his 43rd career start in a career that has seen him earn laurels as a freshman All-America in 1998 and as a second-team all-Big 12 selection as a junior. One of the reasons he has said it's been easy to stay focused and come to play every game is the fact that he's different than most of his teammates. Having a wife and kid will do that to a 22-year-old.
"It changed a lot about me as far as maturity," said Lewis, who came to Austin as a running back prospect out of Aldine High in Houston. "It taught me a lot more about responsibility. A lot of times I put a lot of pressure on myself and I shouldn't. But I know when I'm on the field I have to play well to make a way for my family. I know I have to do those things. I just want to be able to provide for my wife and baby. Stepping up is not an option now."
The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder has certainly done that this season. Leading an athletic group that has only yielded an average of 13.5 ppg thus far, Lewis has recovered two fumbles (tops on the team), one sack and is tied for third on the defense with 23 total tackles through four blowout victories. His presence has been more valuable than ever in 2001 since he doesn't have DTs Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers playing in front of him anymore.
His dream is to get to the NFL next year, and his understanding of different defensive schemes and ability to get into the offensive backfield has helped him in the eyes of scouts. ESPN's Draft Guru Mel Kiper Jr. listed him as the fourth-best senior inside linebacker prospect for next spring's draft. But if and when he does don an NFL logo, he vows to be anything but a normal professional athlete because he'll be a football-playing ordained minister just like Reggie White, Cris Carter and Irving Fryar have done.
"Ministry will always be a part of my life," said Lewis. "I want to be able to use it in the NFL. I don't want to just get to the NFL and just be there. I want to make an impact on and off the field. I just don't want to be another NFL football player."
Fat chance that won't happen, seeing that he's so far removed from being the normal student-athlete. On Saturday, Griffin and Oklahoma will learn firsthand that Lewis doesn't take his opportunities lightly.
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online. He can be reached at marc.connolly@abc.com.
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