Quoting Bernard Pierce …
“It’s an honor. To be honest, I never thought that I would be a candidate for the Heisman, but now that it’s here, I will work hard to push forward. It’s not really my priority. My team comes first, but if it does happen, it would be an honor.”
May 2010
“(Breaking the record) means a lot. It means I'm in the midst with other great backs that came through Temple. But at the end of the day it's always that we still have five regular-season games left, so we have to keep looking forward and have that next-game mentality.”
[Buffalo postgame] September 24, 2011
“I wasn't really worried about that. I was just worried about a win, a 'W.' I had to redeem myself from last week. It really was nothing to do with anything special. I hit my landmarks. And my linemen did what they had to do and block.”
[Ball State postgame] September 24, 2011
“It would be an amazing record to break, but then again, a win would be better.”
September 28, 2011
“It's tiring, it's real tiring. I did a lot of sleeping that weekend. It's the aftermath, this is the price you pay for scoring that many touchdowns.”
September 28, 2011
“To be compared to Paul Palmer is a privilege, I'd say. It's always a good feeling, knowing that he was a successful back when he was here.”
September 27, 2011
“I would say as a freshman, it kind of went to my head a little bit. I stopped working on my technique. I started playing the game as if I wasn't as focused, and eventually that caught up to me. I got sloppy. I'm making sure it's more of, not a business or job, but I'm a lot more focused.”
September 27, 2011
“Make sure I get my rest, stay healthy. That performance is in the back of my head, but I'm thinking about the rest of the season to come. I haven't been doing much [else], just taking care of what needs to be taken care of. I appreciate it [the attention], that's all. I want to go back to another bowl game, and be able to compete for the MAC championship.”
September 27, 2011
“I can never be the best, I can never be great. There’s always room for improvement.”
[Maryland postgame] September 24, 2011
“At the end of the day that’s what you live for. You got to love that and you got to come out and try to prove people wrong and that’s what we did as a team today.”
[Maryland postgame] September 24, 2011
“I don't pay attention to that stuff," he said. "I'm not that guy that's all in the magazines, looking at stuff. I didn't realize I broke a record.”
[Maryland postgame] September 24, 2011
“It doesn't matter how many carries I got. I wanted to keep the lead. It was never about me. I don't care who gets the ball as long as we can maintain what we do and keep scoring.”
[Penn State postgame] September 17, 2011
“It’s a good start, but I could always do better. There’s always room for improvement. I can always get better.”
[Akron postgame] September 10, 2011
“Once I heard the whole Heisman hype, it kind of got to me. I was like, ‘Damn, I’ve got to perform.’ Now I’m a little more relaxed now. It’s about the team now. It’s not about the whole Heisman candidacy and putting pressure on me. It’s about us as a team now.”
[training camp] August 17, 2011
“It shocked me. The last time I heard of a sophomore being a candidate for the Heisman was . . . a while ago. It was more [for me] like a team-first thing. So I knew about it, in the back of my head it was always there. But I tried not to think about it too much. Then again it did put stress on me, because everybody’s like, ‘Oh, that's the Heisman candidate.’ Now I have to perform to a certain level.”
[on 2010 Heisman campaign] March 23, 2011
“I am really interested in getting back there and showing everybody that I'm capable of going through a complete season without injury. Just being able to be dependable, and count on me for 14 games. There have been times when I'm like, ‘Wow, if only I'd stayed healthy I could have contributed to this game or that game.’ Honestly, in the back of my head it's a problem. You know, it's starting to bother me, at times. That's why I work so much harder, I'm getting better foods, getting more rest at night, doing what I have to just to make sure that my body stays healthy.”
[first day of spring practice] March 23, 2011
“The workouts were more intense, more high-tempo, more explosive. And I did more hamstring work this year. I had to step my conditioning up, step my strength up and everything, just to be able to cope with his workouts.”
[on off-season conditioning] March 23, 2011
* * *
2010 Season
“It’s an honor to even be considered to be in the running for the Heisman. Then again, I worry about this season. I’m worried about my team. There is no I in team so I can’t actually think too much about myself.”
[Media Day] August 25, 2010
“I hit somebody and I kind of knocked myself out. It was a slow process. I was real eager to get back on the field. Everybody was telling me to relax, calm down, it’s going to get better. It just takes time, but I was stubborn, and I was trying to get out every other day that I could. It’s a lot better. No symptoms. I’m perfectly fine.”
[on training camp injury] August 25, 2010
“That was actually fun. I’ve never been up there. It’s actually bigger than I thought it would be. The place is huge. It’s like a college campus. It was exciting.”
[on visiting the ESPN studios] August 25, 2010
“This whole Heisman-thing doesn't make me big-headed or make me think I have to do everything myself. 'It just makes me want to build on last year and have an even better year. It makes me want to focus on some of the little things I didn't do right last year because now, there's going to be a lot more people watching.”
[MAC Media Day] July 30, 2010
“This is really exciting, but I have to think of the team first because I am a team player. I can't achieve goals, nominations or any thought of a [Heisman] candidacy without my team. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for this opportunity. But I couldn't do it without my teammates and coaches.”
[MAC Media Day] July 30, 2010
“I really couldn't do without them. Honestly, they basically put their lives on the line for me. So I can at least put them on TV, you know?”
[on the Offensive Line] July 15, 2010
“Nobody told me about the billboards. I was driving back up to schooland it was just right there. I've never seen a picture of me that big. The thing's huge.But I don't let the hype get to me.”
[Heisman camptaign launch] July 15, 2010
“It's a new experience. Some people say it's a lot of pressure, a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I really don't think so. I just think I have to keep doing everything that I've been doing and just do it.”
[Heisman camptaign launch] July 15, 2010
“It’s 100 percent, I’m good. I’ve been doing shoulder work. On certain lifting days, I tend to go heavier than other people to make sure the shoulder is back to regular strength.”
April 2010
“This year I feel like I have a lot more to contribute and offer to the team. I just want to lead by example, show everybody that I come out every day to work so people will feed off my energy. And eventually, the team is going to come together more as a unit, and I think we'll just be a lot more successful than last year.”
March 2010
“I just wanted to come here and try to help the program turn around. I didn't know that it was going to be this big of an impact this soon.”
November 2009
“I ran the ball, but that's what I do. That's my job.”
November 2009
“When I first got here it was like, 'Wow, I actually made it.' It makes me appreciate the game more. Basically, I came from nothing and worked my way up.”
November 2009
“It’s always good to know you're breaking records and being good as a freshman. I'm just doing it for the team and for the seniors who are about to graduate. I have to give a lot of credit to my linemen. They were busting their [butts] today, making holes and knocking people off the ball. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to do what I did today.”
October 2009
“I have to be honest, I thought I would get a little playing time, but I didn’t expect to start.”
October 2009
“It’s good and all to have that record, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. I can work on getting downhill, getting more physical, getting my reads better. I did expect to make an impact this year, but I didn’t know how big of an impact it was going to be. I came in knowing that I was trying to make an impact. The offensive line does its thing every week, every practice. They’re trained to do what they do, and I just read what they do.”
October 2009