8/12/04

Two Minute Drill: Matt Melton
By: Kelley Robins, Media Relations Assistant

» Two-Minute Drill archives

What are you looking forward to the most going into the season?
As a team, building on what we did last year and getting ourselves over the hump. Getting to where we are the number one team in the nation. Setting goals for ourselves and accomplishing them. Individually, just getting better every year. I set the goal of trying to make as many plays as I can the football field, and to contribute to the team as much as possible.

How does it feel to be one of the older guys on the team? How are you handling that role?
It feels good because when I first got here, I was nervous and inexperienced, and the guys kind of picked on me. But now it feels good because I can do the picking. I know the system, I am more comfortable and I can relax and just come out and play.

You look so much bigger than your freshman year. What happened?
I guess Longhorn Dining Hall eating (laughing). The weight program and this past year I became more conscious of my eating habits, which helped out a lot. I lost body fat, but gained more lean mass. Just lifting hard running hard, and watching what I eat.

I read that your favorite car is a Bentley and that one day you plan to own one. How do you plan to accomplish that?
Yes, the Bentley Azure. I plan on doing it somehow. If I don't make it to the NFL, then what ever my job is I'm going to make as much money as I can so I can get one.

So you won't have a house but you'll have a Bentley?
(Laughs) Yeah.

You are from the Tyler area, where former Longhorn great Earl Campbell calls home. Do you think it's time for Tyler to have another hero?
I think it's time for Tyler to have another hero, and East Texas as well. Between me, Aaron Ross and Tyrell Gatewood, one of us is going to be the next Tyler superstar.

Earl's nickname was the "Tyler Rose" what's your Tyler nickname?
The "Tyler Head Hunter"

If MTV created a reality show about Texas Football what would we see?
You could expect a bunch of fools, acting up on TV. No, you would see us having a good time, loving each other and showing you what the game is all about and what friendship is about.

What is in your CD player right now?
Lil Wayne "Tha Carter"

What do you think the theme song should be for this upcoming season?
I don't know, something about finishing.

Is that the motto for this team?
We set these goals for ourselves, and we'll be on a roll, we'll falter and we'll pick it back up at the end. We want to stay on that roll the entire time this season. You are going to have ups and downs, but you don't want the downs to affect you so much that you don't accomplish your goals. By the end of the season we want to be able to accomplish everything we set out to.

Do those "downs" or unaccomplished goals give you something extra to look forward to going into the season?
This offseason, we were really focused on doing the little things right, and finding what we need to push us over the edge. That makes us more excited to see this upcoming season if what we did this spring, summer and offseason is going to help us achieve what we didn't in the past.