Nov. 11
November 11, 2009
Ms. Mae Ella Marie Carlos
November 13, 2009
At 6 feet, 2 inches and 280 pounds, Nicholls State’s senior right tackle Aric Flowers fits the mold of the perfect run-blocking offensive lineman.
Each Saturday, the 22-year-old gears up to battle 200- to 300-pound defensive linemen in the trenches. The fifth-year senior is among the few – three to be exact – remaining Colonels to play on the 2005 Southland Conference championship squad.
He’s shorter than most tackles, but still has the size to pulverize opponents and open lanes for Colonel running backs. And with the triple-option offense – a scheme that relies heavily on running the ball – blocking is a must.
Described as a leader on and off the field, the Plano, Texas, native is respected by coaches and teammates. SportsNet caught up with the All-SLC Honorable Mention selection to discuss his playing career at Nicholls and the joys of playing on the offensive line.
SportsNet: Obviously things haven’t panned out the way you or the team had originally planned this season, but what keeps this team motivated?
Aric Flowers: The greatest thing about us is that we continue to get better week to week. It’s progressed every week. That’s great for me to be able to see that as a senior. The winning and losing is a big deal, but it doesn’t bother me as much as the effort, and we’ve been getting great effort, so I’m satisfied.
SN: You’ve been on teams that have been in this situation before. What’s the mentality right now as you guys enter the second half of conference play?
AF: The thing about the Southland Conference in the past is that anybody can take it. It all goes down to the wire. We’re not discouraged, we still get ready and play hard like we always do. By the end of the season, it’ll all pan out hopefully in our favor.
SN: The offensive line rarely gets the publicity it deserves. How hard do you guys work down there?
AF: They call us the mules for a reason. We do the jobs that nobody else wants to do. We’re definitely the workhorses; it all depends on where the offense goes whether or not we did our jobs. We take that very seriously and we work toward (winning).
SN: You overcame an injury your sophomore season. How hard has it been getting back to normal?
AF: It wasn’t anything new. I had torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) before. It cut down two weeks of my recovery time in getting back in. I just took it like I normally do, one step at a time. I got back and I ended up getting All Conference last year, which was great for me.
SN: Being you are one of the few remaining guys from the championship team, do you feel old?
AF: Do I ever. I do feel like an old vet in the NFL, but it’s great because the guys look up to you. You have the experience and you know what to expect, so it’s good for me to trickle that down to some of the younger guys.
SN: I guess it helps having that ring to flash, right?
AF: Oh yeah. You can flash it in front of their face and they get a little excited about it.
SN: What made you choose Nicholls?
AF: The thing I liked about it is the fans are die-hard. We see the same people week after week who come out and support us. That’s just great, you really can’t get that anywhere else. In other places, if the team is bad, they leave. Not these fans. They come out every week. That’s what I love about Nicholls.
SN: What’s it like knowing you have to be the physical run blocker in the triple-option offense?
AF: It’s an offensive lineman’s dream to run block. Ever since I tore both of my ACLs, it’s also fun to go out and cut people, give them a little bit of my pain.
SN: How good of a feeling is it for you to get a pancake block on somebody?
AF: When we pancake somebody it’s our way of saying, ‘Yeah, I’m better than you.’ When I get a pancake I don’t even say anything, I just walk back to the huddle and I’m like, ‘Yeah man, it’s going to be like that all game long, so get ready for it.’
SN: What goals have you set for yourself this season and how close are you to reaching those?
AF: One of my main goals this year is to motivate as many people as possible. Obviously everybody wants to be all-conference, but I can say that’s not my goal this year. I just want to motivate this team and get this team playing as well as possible and everything else will pan out like I want it to.
SN: When you are not playing football, what are you doing?
AF: Hanging out, eating and sleeping. Eating and sleeping are my two favorite things and it can’t get any better than that. I’d eat while I was sleeping if I could.
SN: What’s your favorite thing to eat?
AF: Red beans and rice with a little crawfish on the side.
SN: How do you want to be remembered when you graduate from Nicholls?
AF: Somebody who came out and worked every single day. I don’t want to be that guy who was just a captain and whatever. I want to be remembered as the guy who came out and worked, supported his team and made sure other people were working every day.
SN: How close is the bond of the offensive line?
AF: Four of the five starters are living under one roof. Every weekend we have a barbeque and since it’s all offensive linemen, there is a stupid amount of food. We’re a tight-knit group.
SN: Who was your role model growing up?
AF: As a little kid coming out of Plano, we were right across the street from the Dallas Cowboys. My main man was Larry Allen. The reason I looked up to him was because he’s not 6 feet, 6 inches or 6 feet, 7 inches, he’s 6 feet, 2 inches or 6 feet, 3 inches – but he just manhandles people. As a Cowboys’ fan, you have to love that. He was my main man growing up and I actually got to meet him. He was a great all-around person, the kind of person I want to be.
SN: Who do you try to model your game after?
AF: I model my game after another Cowboy, Andre Gurode. He’s a short guy, not tall, but he just goes out and gets the job done.
He’s a Pro Bowler and 6-foot, 2 inches. I usually tend to root for the smaller guys.
Senior offensive lineman Aric Flowers protects his quarterack in a game last season. Flowers is one of only three remaining players from Nicholls’ 2005 Southland Conference championship team and overcame inuries to both ACL’s during his football career. * File photo / Tri-Parish Times
