One-on-One with Eric Norwood

You were all set to head to the NFL Draft, like a bunch of your teammates did. What ultimately brought you back for your senior season?

"Just security. I wanted to have a more secure future. If I think I'm a second- or third-rounder and I slip to the sixth or seventh round, I'm out there fighting for a job. I'd be in the real world with no degree. It would be like I went to school for nothing."

As you watched the draft unfold, did you feel for former teammates like Emanuel Cook and Captain Munnerlyn, who left early only to go so late in the second day?

"I hurt for them, because I know what type of players they are. They had to make decisions, and I wish them the best. I wish they were here with me. I'll try to hold it down for them."

You've really got yourself in gear when it comes to the classroom. You're on pace to graduate with a degree in criminal justice. But you weren't always the best student. You were even lucky to get into USC, right?

"Oh, yeah. I ended up getting (my high school GPA) up to a 1.9 or a 2.0 The clearinghouse (minimum) was like 2.3. People stopped recruiting me. Everything happens for a reason. I got denied admission at South Carolina three times before they let me into summer school. I've been on the dean's list four or five times. I graduate in December."

How'd you turn things around, once you got to college?

"I just applied myself. We have such a great academic support staff at school. They helped me out a lot. If I didn't have football, I know now I could succeed in college. Some guys just have to mess up before they get it right."

Is this program a lot closer to success than people outside it -- and maybe some inside it -- believe?

"I think we've been close the past couple of years. A couple of plays here or there, and the game changes. We've lost a bunch by five or six points."

With Clemson and Florida and others late in the season, you all have had trouble finishing seasons with any strength. Is that something you're especially aware of this fall?

"Definitely it's a point of emphasis. It's not really even the coaches saying it. It's the players. We've had trouble closing out the last quarter of a season. Now we're looking forward to doing it."

Do you think that's more about the teams you're playing, or more about how you've played late in the year?

"It's not the teams we've played. It's played out like that over the years. Winning cures everything."