BYU football: Jake Heaps unafraid of lofty expectations

"We kind of got a bad taste in our mouth from last season. Sure, it ended great, but we're not a 7-6 football team. We're much better than that. We want to prove to everybody what we're capable of and be able to do it on a national scale."

Jake Heaps file

Biggest influence: "My biggest influence growing up was my family. Now, it's probably my wife. She's a great influence on me. I've been very fortunate to have people in my life that have steered me the right way and guided me to be the person I am today."

Best football memory: "Probably my sophomore year of high school, state championship game. We were down 28-7 heading into the fourth quarter. We ended up winning 42-35. That was a crazy game. Anyone in Washington will tell you it's one of the best games they've ever watched."

Favorite quarterback: "My two favorites are Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers right now. Drew Brees, I feel like I'm a two-inch-taller version of Drew Brees. I love the way he plays the game. He's got such a swagger to him. You can tell he has total control of that team and everyone looks to him as a leader and a guy they can trust. I've gotten to meet Aaron a couple of times on my (recruiting) trips to Cal. He's just a great guy. He's a phenomenal player."

Pregame ritual or superstitions: "I have a lot of superstitions. I'd say the whole pregame is a superstition. I put my pads on a certain way. It has to go a certain way. If I do anything different, I take it off and put it back on and remind myself of what I did. It's very stressful, but I have to do it."

Currently playing on your iPod: "Maroon 5."

email: jeffc@desnews.com