Keeping Things Simple Helps Quarterback Overcome Adversity

By Erin Smith
Jammal Lord is a self-described simple man. He is adamant that what you see is what you get.

In a world of internet hoaxes, reality television romances and get-rich-quick schemes, it can be hard to take anything or anyone at face value, but Lord claims that with him you don't have to look any farther.

"What you see is what you get with me, to tell you the truth," Lord said. "I'm simple."

But life as the Nebraska quarterback is anything but simple. As if moving to Lincoln, Neb., from Bayonne, N.J., at the age of 18 wasn't hard enough, imagine stepping into the shadow of some of the greatest collegiate quarterbacks in history, including Dave Humm, Tommie Frazier, Eric Crouch and Turner Gill.

Although Lord downplays the complexity of his situation, Gill, the NU assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach, knows that walking in Lord's shoes is anything but easy.

"No it is not simple," Gill said. "But it's rewarding in a lot of ways, not just from a standpoint of wins and losses or the statistics you may have accumulated, but I think when you leave here, you feel better about yourself accomplishing something. As the Nebraska quarterback, you are going to go through a lot of scrutiny, a lot of verbal things that are said about you. Are you able to handle those things? You have to have trust in your teammates and the people who love you and care about you. You find out being the quarterback here who your true friends are and the people you can count on. It goes back to perseverance. You know when you leave here you can do things in life and be successful."

Even Lord admits the day-in and day-out wear and tear of being the Nebraska quarterback can be a bit much at times.

"The hardest thing is to know that everybody is looking at you no matter what you do," Lord said. "You go to the store and buy some water and everybody is watching you, seeing how you move, seeing who you are with and how you carry yourself. That's part of being the quarterback at Nebraska. No matter what you do or where you go, there is always someone watching you."

In addition to the daily pressures of being a student, Lord has also had to worry about what meal is the healthiest and will keep him in the best condition, taking a test on the road and how the opponent's defensive line is going to blitz or defend the run when watching film. All while the eyes of an entire state are watching his every decision.

"Waking up every day and going out and doing what I do, going to school and playing football can be hard," Lord said. "Waking up and knowing that you are a million miles from home, that's pretty trying, but you live and you learn."

There was a day, however, when playing football was much easier, when the hardest part about throwing the pigskin was getting enough friends together to make up two teams.

Lord's football career began when he was seven years old, and from the very beginning, he played with kids that were closer to 14 or 15 years old. His whole outlook on the sport changed when he moved to New Jersey in eighth grade and began playing Pop Warner football.

"I started playing Pop Warner football and I was good," Lord said. "It was just fun for me, but as I got older it became more serious. I wanted to do this for my life."

Once the decision was made, Lord committed himself to becoming the best quarterback he could be and has continued to carry that mentality into his career at Nebraska.

Lord claims that the most appealing thing about Nebraska during the recruiting process was the simplicity of the trip. The Bayonne High School graduate wrapped up his prep career as an All-American. As a senior he rushed 156 times for 1,306 yards and 21 TDs and completed 22-of-41 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns. He looked at schools from Syracuse to Ohio State to Temple to Miami, but there was something about Nebraska that just fit.

"When I came on my trip here it was cold," Lord said. "Everybody was huddled up in their big coats, just relaxing. It wasn't anything major. That is probably what drew me here. It was simple on my recruiting trip, but it (the process) isn't simple at all."

Gill said the coaches looked at Lord as a quarterback-athlete.

"We wanted to give him an opportunity to play quarterback, but we looked at him at other positions," Gill said. "We wanted to give him a chance to play quarterback, and he came in here and proved that he could play."

From the time Lord arrived in Lincoln, things didn't get easier. In his first season he redshirted and took his place on the scout team.

"Redshirting was crazy," Lord said. "Coming in from high school where you are the man on your team or in your state and then you come to college and everybody was the man in their state and in their town. It is like starting all over again. You are somebody, but you are on the scout team and you are getting beat up on the field, and they are saying ?Welcome to college'."

Lord put in the work on the scout team and as a sophomore played six games behind Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch.

Through that experience Lord learned a lot about himself and a lot about his situation that he has been able to pass on to freshman quarterback Joe Dailey.

Dailey also hails from New Jersey and like Lord, chose NU over Syracuse. Still in the early stages of learning the Nebraska system, Dailey has taken his cues from Lord.

"Jammal's been my mentor," Dailey said. "He's taken care of me and got me adjusted to the atmosphere out here. A lot was thrown at him last year, and a lot has been thrown at me. We're walking hand-in-hand together."

As a junior, Lord got his chance and made a statement, showcasing his running ability against McNeese State.

It was week six when Gill said the coaches were contemplating a quarterback change and at the most crucial time, Lord proved he was capable of carrying the load.

"That week in practice we were deciding whether to change quarterbacks," Gill said. "To see him take it from where we were possibly going to move someone else in as the starter, yet he hung in there and performed at a high level."

Against McNeese State, Lord didn't just perform at a high level. He performed at a record-setting level, clinching the NU single-game total-offense record with 369 yards on 218 yards rushing and 151 yards passing. He went on to set the NU single-game record for quarterback rushing yards (234) against Texas and knocked out the NU season record for total offense with 2,774 yards.

Even with the statistics Lord compiled, he aimed for more and remains unsatisfied with what he has already accomplished.

"Every game has had its ups and downs," Lord said. "I really haven't had a whole game where I did a lot of good things. I am still looking for that one game."

In his senior campaign, Lord believes he is a more seasoned quarterback and while he has already racked up 615 yards of offense on 268 yards rushing and 347 passing, he believes he has more to give.

"I learned a lot from last season," Lord said. "It is a different sense of urgency out there, just to get it done and make things happen and to just get better. It's my last shot, just three months left."

Gill believes the attributes Lord has gained the most since last season are his confidence and his ability to be more relaxed.

"That just comes from experience and knowing what to do and knowing the offense," Gill said.

The experience itself has not been simple. Nothing in his career has come easy and certainly the minute details of the game are not simple. For instance, just one snap requires the quarterback's mind to be in a thousand places at once.

"A lot of things go through my mind when I am on the field," Lord said. "The play clock, the defense, the fans, the play itself, how many people are lined up right, the reads. There is so much going through my head at that point in time, but that's all that really matters. That is your first priority when you are on the field. Everything else is out the window."

While a lot is going through his mind, Lord said it is the first drive that gets him most fired up.

"I look forward to the first snap when everybody is fired up and ready to go," Lord said. "You get eight yards and they kind of lay back a little bit, and we get eight more yards and keep on rolling. That's the most exciting part, the first drive."

The excitement of the first drive of a game pales in comparison to earning his degree last August. Lord graduated with a degree in communications on Aug. 16.

"It's an accomplishment to know I am the first in my family to do anything like this in college," Lord said. "My mom goes to work happy and saying, ?Yeah, my son graduated from college.' That's the biggest thing to me.'"

While the process has not been simple, Lord has tackled graduation and his coach knows that will carry Lord a long way. Gill said the one word to describe Lord best is resiliency.

"I told him you have been through a lot here, you are prepared for life," Gill said. "Then he got his degree this year and I said ?You have proved to yourself that you can do anything when you put your mind to it.'"