PROVO -- Matt Berry returns for his junior season, having battled two different hand injuries in the past six months. He's back, healthy, competing for the starting job during Spring Camp.
The 6-6, 225 pound junior recently sat down to answer a few questions about his personal life, his football career and any insights the avid BYU fan might want to know.
Q: What gets you excited to play football each week?
MB: "The atmosphere is incredible. It's probably the most exciting thing I can think of, running out on the field with all the fans screaming. It's a rush to run on the field at Edwards Stadium. I don't think people understand how much noise gets caught down on the field. The fans are awesome. It really helps when the fans are making a lot of noise."
Q: When did you decide you wanted to be a college quarterback?
MB: "I always wanted to play college football, ever since I was little. I didn't know what position I wanted to play. When I was younger, I played tight end, receiver, running back, and some defense. But, I have always known I wanted to play college football. Right before my sophomore year in high school I started to play quarterback. I played quarterback a little as a freshman and then started as a sophomore. From there I started getting letters from colleges. It started to take shape from there."
Q: What is something about Matt Berry that people don't know?
MB: "I enjoy fly fishing and skiing. Those are some things I really enjoy doing that not everyone knows about."
Q: When you're not studying the playbook, watching film, or studying for class, what do you like to do to relax?
MB: "I love going up to Highland and visiting my family. I like hanging out with my friends, stuff like that. Like I said, I love fishing and skiing as well. Those are relaxing things."
Q: You dealt with a tough hand injury last season. What was it like to go through that?
MB: "It was probably the worst time in my life. It was a very low time. I felt really incapable of being able to do anything about the situation around me. I had a lot of metal in my hand and there wasn't much I could do about what was happening. It was really frustrating. There was a lot of negative things going around, not about me personally, but about the team. Not everyone was negative, there were some people who had supportive things to say, but it was hard going out and hearing all the negative things people were talking about. It was hard to know there wasn't anything I could do about what was happening. As for now, from a playing standpoint, it has really helped to have the metal taken out. They say it will take about a year before I have full flexibility back, but it really hasn't bothered me during the spring."
Q: How do you think Coach Crowton's decision to become more involved in the offense, including coaching the quarterbacks, will help the offense?
MB: "It will help out a lot. Coach Crowton has coached quarterbacks for over 20 years and has a lot of knowledge in that area. I'm sure it will help to have everyone on the same page."
Q: How is Spring Camp going for you?
MB: "Great. For me, personally, it has been great. I feel great and, so far, things are going really well. As a team, I think we look sharp. I think we are sharper now than we have looked in a long time."
Q: Everyone is talking about the new and improved receiving corps. What's your take on some of the new guys?
MB: "They're great. They are high-caliber guys. They can run around and go after the ball really well. The other thing is that the new guys have raised everyone's level of competition. When the level of competition increases, it raises everyone's overall competitiveness and skill level. With some of the guys we've had in the program, along with some of the new guys, it's going to be exciting."
Q: What has surprised you the most about Spring Camp this year?
MB: "It's been great to see how smooth we are at this point. We seem a lot more polished at this stage than we have in the past. Also, some of the new guys have done a great job at making the transition. They're picking things up quickly and are doing a great job."
Q: In your opinion, who has been the biggest surprise so far during Spring Camp?
MB: "I don't know that you can say it's a big surprise, but I think Curtis Brown is having a great Spring Camp. He's really been playing well, and playing with a lot of heart. I think he's going to have a great season."
Q: After coming off a tough season, as well as a challenging off-season, what is the mood of the team?
MB: "I think the morale of the team is really high. We have all come together through the adversity and become a stronger team. I think that morale shows in what we're doing out on the field. Things just seem to be going much smoother. I think it shows."
Q: When you look at the 2004 schedule, what game do you have marked?
MB: "USC. No question. They're the best team in the nation and I think we're going to play very well against them. Last year, I think it came down to just one or two plays. I think there are a bunch of us who have that game marked."
Q: During the off-season, you had a chance to do some missionary work. Tell us about that experience.
MB: "That was an unbelievable experience. One day Curtis Brown and I were in the locker room. We had been talking and I asked him if he wanted to come to church with me. He came with me one Sunday and the rest is history I guess. He had the desire to learn more about the Gospel, and from there the process took a couple months, maybe less than that. He was certainly ready to be baptized and it was great to see him make that decision. It was a great experience."