Stanford held their fan fest on Sunday highlighted with a scrimmage and everybody had their eyes on Heisman front runner Andrew Luck, who knows he has a target on his back this season.
"It's natural when you're playing quarterback and you've been on a successful team and I guess have been up for individual awards and what not, but I don't think that effects how I'll play, or how anybody on our team will play, or the opponents will play," said Luck.
Luck added a few pounds to his frame this off season, partly due to that target on his back.
"Part of playing quarterback is taking a hit and getting back up and I feel like if I'm a little stronger in certain areas or a little more functional in certain areas, it will be easier to get up and keep on going," said Luck.
Last year's offensive coordinator David Shaw took over for Jim Harbaugh as head coach and a guy like Luck makes this transition a lot easier.
"What I love about him is he doesn't care about the stats, he doesn't care about run-pass ratio, he wants to manage the game, get us in the right play and execute the play, and he's a great leader for us," said Shaw.
"He's been working really hard in the off season just like everyone else has. It's great to have someone like that. We all respect him and have confidence in him. It's great to have that leadership on the field," said Stanford wide receiver Griff Whalen.
With all the hype surrounding Luck, how does this guy stay so grounded?
"The guys in the locker room… when you're on a high horse you get put off that horse pretty quickly. They don't let you get too full of yourself and I guess good parenting as well," said Luck.
The Cardinal kick off their season hosting San Jose State on Sept. 3, 2011.
