By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer J.T. Bennett continues his Pull Up a Chair series with Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly.

J.T. Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer

SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer J.T. Bennett continues his Pull Up a Chair series with Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly.Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin. Become a fan of us on Facebook at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Luke Kuechly finished last season with 158 tackles (most in the ACC) and 13 tackles for loss. He led all BCS conference defenders in tackles and did so as a true freshman.

What is your favorite food?
Some sort of Mexican food. My dad makes these quesadillas in a dutch oven that are really good.

What is your favorite movie?
Ocean’s 11.

Who is your favorite musician?
I have been listening to a lot of Dave Matthews recently.

Who was your favorite sports team growing up?
The Cincinnati Bengals. As hard as it is sometimes you still have to love them.

What NFL player do you model yourself after?
One of my favorite players is Ray Lewis.

Who is the toughest player you have ever played against?
C.J. Spiller was really explosive. I feel like every team had that guy or guys you had to play against. Depending on which team you played they always had that guy.

Have you ever had sweet tea or said “y’all”?
I’m sure I have had sweet tea at least once. I probably said y’all on purpose once or twice but never not thinking about it.

How would you describe playing football in the ACC?
It has been a great experience so far. I have only played a few games so I can’t grasp the full understanding of what the league is about. There are a bunch of talented guys and a lot of speed so it has been really fun so far.

Could you compare the athletes from USC and the ACC?
I think some of the skill position players are similar, Ryan Houston from North Carolina and Allen Bradford from USC are very similar players. USC quarterback Matt Barkley was very accurate like some of the quarterbacks in the ACC. The offensive line from USC was very similar to Florida State’s offensive line. They were big but could move. The most similar players were Bradford and Houston, both big guys who are downhill runners.

What is it like playing college football in the same town as the Celtics, Red Sox, and Patriots?
I think it is really neat. I don’t really have much to compare it to because I haven’t been around that long. I think it is very different than some of the ACC schools that are the only thing in their town like maybe Clemson or Virginia Tech, because that is all that is around that city and that is all those fans root for. It is a lot more diverse up in Boston, with the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox. We aren’t the only team these fans root for.

Did you think you would lead the ACC in tackles as a true freshman?
I had no idea. I thought I was going to come in and see what happens, work hard and see where that would put me. We had some injuries before camp and during camp and I kind of got thrown in there. I got a lot of help from the coaches and the older guys. Whenever I had a bad practice or was looking down everybody was there to help. Everyone was really there for me and reinforced the team feeling for me.

You had one of the most impressive freshman seasons in ACC history. What is the biggest difference between high school and college, and what advice would you give to incoming freshmen?
I think there are some parallels to the high school game but they are few and far between. One of the biggest things I realized is the mental capacity required in college athletics, such as college coaches compared to high school coaches having to teach as well as coach. College coaches are always planning to beat you mentally before you even step on the field. That is one of the biggest things. Each coach is brilliant and has a different scheme and you have to be prepared so you can have a chance to compete. That is one thing our coaches did a great job of doing. They always prepared us with everything we had to do. All we had to do was go out there and play our game. They really educated us on how to attack things and play things. The biggest things was to learn.

How good can Boston College be next season?
I think it all depends on how hard we work and how we come together as a team. You could be the most talented team in the world and if you don’t work hard or come together as a team then that doesn’t accumulate to winning games. You have to been a team number one and then put yourself in a position to win games. I think we do that very well. We work really well together and we play for each other and not ourselves. We just need to make sure we come together as a team and work hard. Wherever that puts us is where it puts us.

Who is your biggest rival?
Notre Dame, because with me being from Ohio that is closest to me. I have some friends that go there.  A lot of the kids around me in Ohio were big Notre Dame fans. I think it depends on who you asked becuase obviously there are guys who are big rivals with Virginia Tech because we have played them so much in the past few years. But I think Notre Dame. They have such a storied program and it is always a fun game.

Where is the toughest place to play in the ACC?
I think that Clemson was the toughest. It was really loud. I think that why Clemson sticks out to me was becasue that was the first game I played in the ACC away from home. I had never traveled before. You would jump on a bus in high school and ride a half hour to play a game. In college you jump on a plane, spend the night, then get on a bus and head to the stadium. You have to make sure your mind is right. I think all of those things added up to make Clemson the toughest place for me so far. I think it could change after next year.

On playing with Mark Herzlich –
I haven’t had the privilege of playing with him yet. I think in this coming year I will. I am looking forward to his leadership, his knowledge of the game is phenomenal. He knows everything in and out. I feel like he not only knows what he is supposed to do but what everyone else around him is supposed to do as well. He is a great leader, very passionate, has a lot of pride and a lot of enthusiasm and great work ethic. I think I can work a lot of things from him. I think the biggest aspect of college football is the learning curve. I think he knows everything and if you can stick by him and learn from him it would really help out.

How difficult is it to tackle C.J. Spiller?
Everyone always says he is fast but I think he is very explosive. It only takes him a step to get to full speed so you think you are on him and then he kicks into another gear and he is gone. You really have to get on him as soon as you can or he is out of there.

Do you like the idea of a college football playoff?
I think the BCS how it is right now is kind of neat. There are so many more games to watch. The playoff system that everyone is talking about has so many different scenarios and no one knows how it would actually end up. The BCS is cool how it is. Every game means more because of how it is right now. You can’t lose to anyone. I think it makes the end of December and early January really fun. I really enjoy bowl season. I think they should just keep it like that.

***A quick note to one of our SouthernPigskin.com message board posters; eagles_fan is our resident Boston College poster on SouthernPigskin.com. Though we cover ACC, SEC and SoCon football, eagles_fan often has to brave the battles with throngs of fans from south of the Mason Dixon line. Kuechly wanted to offer eagles_fan a word of thanks: “Good job eagles_fan, you’re doing a great job reppin’ Boston College in the south!”

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