BELLEVILLE – A familiar face on was the sidelines for Edwardsville’s football game against Belleville West Friday night.
The face was none other than A.J. Epenesa’s, who was one of the area’s top football players last season and now plays as a freshman at Iowa. The Hawkeyes, who stand at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, had a bye week, giving Epenesa the chance to come home to watch the Tigers defeat the Maroons 45-14.
Moving from high school to college itself requires many adjustments, but moving from a top high school program to one of the top collegiate programs in the nation is another thing entirely.
“It’s just a change of life,” Epenesa said about the differences between playing at Edwardsville to playing at Iowa. “Everything’s different from football to how to play football to classes; it’s just what it is. It’s just one big change, and it’s hard for some people and it’s hard for me, just trying to soak it all in and just go with it.”
Epenesa played in the Hawkeyes’ Saturday night ABC feature game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City against Penn State Sept. 23, a 21-19 win by the Nittany Lions; it was a special atmosphere, Epenesa felt.
“That was amazing,” Epenesa said. “There was about 70-75,000 people there, there’s people outside (Kinnick Stadium) going crazy and we’re playing No. 4 in the country, and to put up a fight like that – it’s what people dream of, to be able to do stuff like that and play on a big stage.
“I tried to really soak it in and appreciate what I have and know I’m living my dreams and I’m living other people’s dreams; I really try to appreciate it and never take it for granted.”
Epenesa recorded a sack and forced fumble in the game, then got messages from friends and family after the game. “That’s in the job description, going out there and trying to make plays,” Epenesa said. “When my number’s called, I just want to make an impact on the field and make the most of the time I’ve got.”
For the season, Epenesa has recorded nine tackles with six solos, 2.5 sacks for 13 yards, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Needless to say, the pace of college football is much different than in high school. “It’s on a whole other level,” Epenesa said. “I haven’t gone up against a tackle who’s under 6-6; the biggest guy I’ve gone up against is 6-9 and 345 pounds – they’re just big people. You just have to get your mind right and focus because they’re bigger, faster and stronger, but you also realize you’re a big guy too and you just do what you do.
“That’s what it comes down to – doing your job and playing; you’re strong enough, you’re fast enough and having the right mind-set to do it.”
At the level Epenesa is at now, while there’s still much to learn, football is football to him.
“There’s a lot of different things,” Epenesa said, “but in the end, football is still football; it always comes down to effort level and getting to the ball and making plays – just getting out there and doing my thing is what it comes down to, just staying confident and playing football.
“There’s different calls, there’s different vocabulary, there’s different all-this-and-that, but as I said, when it comes down to it, football is football.”
A new tradition that has started with Iowa football this season is the team, players, coaches and fans waving to patients and their families at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, where a lounge called the Press Box Cafe atop the building overlooks Kinnick Stadium.
What’s become known as “The Kinnick Wave” takes place at quarter time; it’s attracted the attention of opposing fans, blogs and national media. During the Hawkeyes’ Oct. 7 game against Illinois, the Illini fans, players and coaching staff, including head coach Lovie Smith, took part in the greetings to the youthful patients and their families atop the cafe.
“That’s just Iowa – Iowa’s all about tradition,” Epenesa said. “Our coach (Kirk Ferentz) has been there for 19 years; we’ve got people on staff that have been there 19-plus years. Iowa’s built on tradition, that’s just how it is. We started a new tradition and I think it’s a fantastic one. It makes those kids’ days.
“You don’t want to feel sorry for them, but you feel a certain feeling inside to know those kids are going through something as tough as that; the least we can do for them is give them a great view of a Hawkeye football game and show them that they’re noticed and appreciated by everybody, that they’re not forgotten. I know it impacts their lives and it makes me happy to see kids like that are getting recognition for the tough fight they’ve gone through.”
Epenesa was also a standout basketball player for the Tigers and has met with several Hawkeye basketball players.
“I miss basketball a lot,” Epenesa said. “I’ve made friends with the basketball players and I’ve already been in (Carver-Hawkeye Arena) playing basketball with them, playing pickup games – college basketball is on a whole another level. I thought I would give them competition, but they’re too good.
“Our basketball team is going to be super-good this year – they’re going to be tough.”
The Hawkeyes head to Evanston Saturday for a 11 a.m. game against Northwestern which will be seen on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 before hosting Minnesota in the annual Floyd of Rosedale Game Oct. 28; the start time and network are to be determined.
