Maybe Margin Hooks doesn't get it. He has plenty to worry about as the marked man on Brigham Young's struggling offense, but the senior wide receiver is playing it cool.
The BYU offense entered the 2000 season with a daunting task. Star quarterback Kevin Feterik graduated, leaving the offense in the hands of two inexperienced signal callers, sophomore Brett Engemann and junior Charlie Peterson. Also, coach LaVell Edwards, a fixture on the BYU sidelines, announced his retirement, effective at the end of this season.
To make things even worse, the Cougars' schedule is no less forgiving. It started last Saturday with a lopsided loss, 29-3, to Florida State, the defending national champions. This week, BYU flies back east to face Virginia in the dedication game of the expanded Carl Smith Center.
All of this might seem intimidating to the casual observer. However, Hooks is just focused on his task: leading the BYU offense.
"Put me in a pasture, a field, anywhere, I'll play," Hooks said. "It's no big deal."
Hooks and the Cougars just returned from the long trip to Tallahassee that covered nearly 4,300 miles roundtrip. Now, only a week later, they'll take the 2,100-mile flight to Charlottesville. Hooks doesn't believe in jet lag, though. He said last week's trip actually may have helped the Cougars by acclimating them to East Coast weather.
"We got a taste of the environment, the weather," Hooks said. "We have the routine down, so it won't be too bad. Last weekend, we didn't have any cramping or anything like that."
The Cougar's anemic offense against the Seminoles can be attributed partially to the inexperience of Engemann and Peterson. Last year, Hooks caught 60 passes from Feterik, including seven touchdowns.
Hooks said he thinks that the two-quarterback system will last only until one quarterback distinguishes himself.
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The pass-happy Cougars would like to exploit the inexperienced Cavalier secondary, which includes three true freshmen and converted wide receiver Ahmad Hawkins. However, the inexperience at quarterback may prevent them from doing so.
"They throw the ball a lot," Virginia cornerback Tim Spruill said. "They have a couple of good receivers. They've always been a good football team, but there's nothing we haven't seen before. They're the same team we saw last year."
Last season, the Cavaliers won a 45-40 thriller over the Cougars in Provo, Utah, relying mostly on Thomas Jones' long runs.
"We had a poor showing the first half last year," Hooks said. "I don't believe we played a full game. It's helpful to have a game underneath us, so we know what to work on."
The Cavaliers have a healthy respect for the Cougar offense but are confident they can stop the famed Hooks and the BYU passing attack.
Hooks "is a good receiver," Spruill said. "There's nothing about him that scares me. I've been here a long time, so nothing intimidates me."
Though Hooks fits in well in Edwards' pass-first system, he's in a significant minority on the Brigham Young campus: He's not Mormon. However, Hooks has become acclimated and found his niche at the school.
Being Mormon "isn't a requirement," Hooks said. "It's a different environment, culturally, but it's cool"
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