Kurt Hess is one poised young man.  As Hess approached me to do this interview, he rubbed the stitches under his chin and looked at his fingers for traces of blood.  The finger he used to check was on his right hand because most of his left hand was bandaged up too, and the illusion of blood on the bandaged hand could come from either cut, leaving him confused as to where he actually may have been bleeding from.  It is unrehearsed, rational thinking that sometimes makes people special.  Coach Wolford has said on a couple of different occasions this season that adversity is the true test of a player.  Those who bounce back from it are the strongest.  This is a pretty strong redshirt freshman.

Paneech:  Tell the infamous story about quarterback camp in Toledo a few years back.

Hess:   I went to a camp at Toledo University for quarterbacks.  I was going into my sophomore year of high school and was just hoping to learn more so I could get some playing time that year.  Toledo was showing off this marquee quarterback at the camp.  His name was Brandon Summers.  One of the people I got to meet at the camp was Marc Kanetsky, who was from the Youngstown area and we got to be friends through camp.  Our fathers talked and ironically, he and I are both here and Brandon Summers transferred here from Toledo and played quarterback here last year.  (How is that for a great “Small World” story?)

Paneech:  The season has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride, how much pressure is on you?

Hess:  We are still confident as a team.  There has been absolutely no finger pointing or blaming anyone, it is a testament to just how strong of a group we are.  It is really like a big family, we all care greatly for one another.  I can only keep trying to improve and do things that this team needs me to do to win moving forward.

Paneech:  How are you adapting to Youngstown?

Hess:  Well, I grew up in Dayton and it is very similar to Youngstown, they are both cities that work very hard.  It seems like Youngstown gets a little bit more snow, I remember last year after I was here on a visit, Youngstown got a couple of feet, it was suprisingly different than Dayton.

Paneech:  The general football philosophy is that a team has to be able to run before they can pass.  If an opponent senses you are going to run and put eight men in the box, what do you think of?

Hess:  (laughs)  I pretty much salivate.  I get excited to know that a team is going to try to cover the talented wide receivers that we have in man. 

Paneech:  I watch Coach Montgomery and Marc Kanetsky signal stuff into you.  I get confused.  However, can the other teams catch on by picking off our signs?

Hess:  We don’t keep the signs the same, they change frequently.  Everybody is looking for a part of what is being flashed in.

Paneech:  Who is the best NFL Quarterback and why?

Hess:  Most people would probably say Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, and it is tough to argue with that.  Personally, I think Carson Palmer is the best quarterback in the NFL even though he is struggling a bit this season, he has a gun and is really smart about what he does with the ball.  I grew up a Bengals fan, so that might affect my choice a little.

Paneech:  What are the best and the worst parts of YSU so far?

Hess:  The college is outstanding.  This is a great place to go to school and the people here are great too.  The town is really into their football and the people make it a very family oriented environment.  So far, there isn’t anything that I don’t like about Youngstown. 

One Word Answers

Favorite Color:   Blue.

Worst Habit:  Biting My Nails.

Dancing With The Stars or Desperate Housewives?  Desperate Housewives.

Favorite Sport Other Than FB:    Basketball, NBA and NCAA both.

Best Video Game Ever:  Sonic The Hedgehog on Sega Genesis.

Favorite Band:  Journey.  (Note:  Hess was not born when Infinity was released.)