Eric Wood, C

Wood is the picture of durability. The unquestioned leader of the Cardinals' front wall, he finished his career with 49 consecutive starts at center, the second-longest streak in school history behind Travis Leffew (51, 2002-05). It was also the sixth-longest streak among active NCAA players last season, topped by Andrew Hartline of Central Michigan (51), Andrew Gardner of Georgia Tech (51), Jason Phillips of Texas Christian (50), Dallas Reynolds of Brigham Young (50) and Clint Sintim of Virginia (50).

Called by many the "most prepared player in the nation," Wood has been known to be found in the wee hours of the morning still examining game tapes in the film room, preparing for his upcoming opponent. He not only brings incredible knowledge and instincts to the field, but plays with the true nastiness that has scouts comparing him to the NFL's old time centers like Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tim Grunhard of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Performing as his team's Iron Man is nothing new for Wood. He started every game in his final two seasons at Elder High School, as the team compiled a 28-2 record during that span. As a 15-game starter at offensive tackle, he guided the school to its second straight state title with a 31-7 win over St. Edward's High as a senior, picking up all-league first-team accolades.

As a junior, Wood started at both offensive guard and tackle, in addition to lining up at tight end, earning all-district honorable mention. He also earned a pair of letters playing on the basketball team, picking up all-league recognition during his final campaign.

Wood enrolled at Louisville in 2004, turning down scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Ohio University, Cincinnati, Indiana and Columbia. He spent that season performing on the scout team, but a stellar performance in 2005 spring drills earned him the starting center position, a job he would maintain throughout his playing career. He was a consensus Freshman All-American, adding Academic All-Big East Conference honors, as he delivered 85 knockdowns and had touchdown-resulting blocks on nine of the team's 41 scores on the ground.

As a sophomore, Wood received All-Big East Conference second-team recognition. He started all 13 games, registering 79 knockdowns to go with 10 touchdown-resulting blocks. He made all the line calls, as the offense ranked second in the country, averaging 475.31 yards per game. He also posted a pair of tackles.

In 2007, Wood led the nation's sixth-ranked offense, picking up All-Big East first-team honors. He collected 86 knockdowns and 11 touchdown-resulting blocks. He was one of the few bright spots on a turnover-prone offense, grading 83.25 percent for blocking consistency. He helped the team average 488.0 yards per game, but the Cardinals' running game was halted, placing 64th in the country (146.08 ypg) after finishing 12th the previous season (185.31 ypg).

For the second season in a row, Louisville failed to make the bowl season in 2008. Wood continued his stellar play, receiving third-team All-American and first-team All-Big East honors. The offense scored only 34 times, with Wood ranking second among the nation's centers with 16 touchdown-resulting blocks. He graded 87.08 percent for blocking consistency and made 78 knockdowns as the Cardinals averaged 376.67 yards per game. He also recorded an assisted tackle.

Positives: Taller than most centers, but not too upright in pass protection and can still cut block. Works hard on every play, and goes through the whistle. Gets off the ball quickly and gets into the numbers of his man. Can drive back smaller tackles and sustain. Leader of the line and makes the calls. Permanent team captain in 2008. Solid anchor, using his arms and feet to keep tackles on the line. Will pancake smaller tackles when he gets the inside shoulder. Uses his hands and feet to position blockers, creating holes inside. Picks up late blitzers up the middle. Reliable snap to the quarterback.

Negatives: Not as nimble as some teams may want their pivot man. Can adequately combo to the middle linebacker and get in front of screens at the college level, but may have issues handling NFL speed in the open field. Only adequate in getting his pads low to drive block, and could improve there.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 7.18

Body Structure: Wood has a thick frame with good chest and shoulder width and muscle definition. He has a body that can add more bulk without having it impact his overall foot quickness. He has the big hands needed to lock on and control, along with good lower frame thickness in the calves and thighs.

Athletic Ability: Wood lacks ideal lower body strength to anchor, but he has a powerful hand punch that gives him good success in attempts to stun and jolt. He is light on his feet on the short pulls, but does not have the timed speed to go long distances. He uses a strong angle concept when getting into the second level, but with just four down-field blocks in each of his last two years, he is not going to be spending much time playing in space. He moves with ease off the snap, but will labor a bit going long distances due to his marginal hip snap. If he can show better consistency bending his knees, he would be even more effective moving and breaking down in space (space blocking is an area of liability) … GRADE-6.5

Football Sense: Wood is a highly intelligent player with a good feel for twists, but you would like to see him make better line calls in the trenches. Once he locates the defender, he works hard to mirror and if he locks on to his man, he has the upper body strength and savvy to defeat counter moves. He makes all the calls on the line and spends countless hours reviewing tapes of his upcoming opponent. He is a naturally instinctive athlete who shows no problem taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field. GRADE: 7.3

Character: Wood is a quiet team leader who plays with true aggression. He is an "old school" no-nonsense type who will not hesitate to get in a teammate's face, yet when he speaks, the team listens. He gets good family support and has also excelled in the classroom. He takes well to hard coaching and has been a good spokesman for the program. He has no known off-field issues and the coaches say he is a pleasure to work with. GRADE: 7.5

Competitiveness: Wood has an aggressive attitude on the field and even when he is losing a battle against a stronger nose guard, he shows good urgency in attempts to finish. You would like to see him use his developing hand punch more often, as he can lock on and control. With his steady motor, you will never see him throttle down. Anyone who might question his intensity needs only see him fighting tooth and nail to the final gun in a 69-14 loss to Rutgers in 2008. He always brings his "A" game to the field, no matter what the scoreboard says. GRADE: 7.2

Work Habits: Wood is known for residing in the film room. He is very determined to break down every aspect of his opponent and search for what he can use to his advantage. He does all the little extras you would expect from a team leader and captain. He has a strong understanding for his role on the team and cherishes his leadership ability. On the field, he has no problem with being vocal, as he knows how to control the younger players in the huddle. GRADE: 7.4

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.35

Initial Quickness: When Wood comes off the snap at a low pad level, he generates good movement, as he is capable of rooting out the defender better than when he gets too tall in his stance. He has the ability to get proper position with his hands extended when attempting to lock on and control, but would be even more effective with a stronger punch. He gets out of his stance quickly and does a nice job of keeping his head on a swivel to handle twists and games. When he comes off the ball with good knee bend, he generates enough explosiveness to gain movement (labors when he comes out too high, though). GRADE: 6.3

Lateral Movement: Wood has good straight-line balance, but appears too stiff in his hips to change direction fluidly. He is adequate in attempts to stay square in his base and does not have that ease-of-movement lateral quickness to run long distances. He can do an efficient job in the short area. GRADE: 5.0

Balance/Stays On Feet: Wood has good balance in the trenches, but struggles to redirect, as he bends more at the waist than at the hips. He needs to do a better job of opening his hips and adjusting to movement, as he is more effective staying with his blocks playing in the trenches than when on the move. Because of his anchor inconsistencies, especially with the success nose guards have against him, he will be limited in what scheme he plays in, as he would not benefit from playing in a zone-blocking set-up. When he keeps his feet moving, Wood has very good success in sustaining (see 2008 Tennessee Tech, Connecticut and Memphis games). There are several times in a game when he will get a bit reckless and over-extend, but he has shown that he has the ability to recover. GRADE: 6.2

Explosion/Pop: Wood is more of a position blocker than one who will punish. He lacks lower body strength and can generate decent movement off the snap, but only when he stays low in his pads. He tends to get too tall in his stance and the result is seeing bigger defenders push him back into the pocket in passing situations. He can stun an isolated defender with his hand punch, when he keeps them inside his frame, as he compensates for average base strength with active hands to deliver enough force behind his hits to stun. He has the power to drive smaller defenders off the ball and has good cut blocking technique, but will need to develop a more violent hand punch to win one-on-one battles at the next level. Wood will never be able to generate the hand power you look for in a mauler, but he does flash a good hand jolt when he keeps them inside his frame. If he can be more explosive with his hips, he could generate more pop on contact. GRADE: 6.0

Run Blocking: Wood works well on combo blocks with his guards, but has much better success in one-on-one battles with a defender on his side rather than try to anchor with a bigger, more physical nose guard over his head. He needs to hunker down in his pads more, as his upright stance prevents him from getting good leverage. He will get run over by nose guards when he labors to get his hands up and into his opponent's chest, though and also loses balance due to a narrow base. Wood will never be confused for being a road grader, but when he bends at the knees, he generates functional strength to stave off the bull rush. With improved leg drive, he could gain movement and on screens, he shows very good angle concept. GRADE: 7.0

Pass Blocking: Wood is an efficient position blocker who shuffles his feet well to mirror and stay in front of his man. He can be walked back into the pocket by bigger down linemen, especially when he does not sink his weight right. He does appear to be a bit robotic at times, and needs to do a better job of opening his hips when having to turn and slide. When he stays low in his pads, he does a good job of setting, sliding and adjusting in the short area, but appears to have better success vs. quick defenders than those known for their power. GRADE: 6.4

Pulling/Trapping: Wood could move to guard at the next level, at least early in his career due to his pulling ability in the short area. Even with stiff hips, he is effective getting into position on screens or when leading the sweep around the corners. He might lack great open-field speed, but he has a good feel for taking angles and is not the type who will execute false steps. He moves with better ease working down the line than when in space, but does stay on his feet getting into the second level. GRADE: 6.5

Adjust on Linebacker Downfield: Wood might lack great speed to impact quickly in the second level, but he has a good concept for angling. Even though he is taller than most centers, when he keeps his pad level down, he shows good qualities as a cut blocker (see 2008 Tennessee Tech and Connecticut games). With looser hips, he could do a better job of breaking down and adjusting when moving down field. GRADE: 6.1

Use of Hands/Punch: Wood can counter a quick defender's moves with his hand placement, but despite good upper body strength, his hand punch won't put too many opponents on their fannies. He needs to generate much more force when driving his hands into the lineman, as he seems to prefer to lock on and grab rather than punch and shock. He relies more on his hand quickness than power to get them up into a defender's chest. He is just not going to maul many opponents, but when he stays in control, he can extend and lock out effectively. GRADE-6.4

Reactions/Awareness: Wood is a field savvy veteran who is quick to locate twists and games. He is very good on short-area screens, as he keeps his head on a swivel and is effective mirroring against smaller opponents (can be pushed back by nose guards when he gets too tall in his stance). As a senior, he did a much better job of picking up stunts, no longer getting too antsy like he did in the past (would lunge and over-extend, and with his adequate lateral agility, did not recover). He makes all the line calls and has become more alert to using his hands better to widen the rush lanes. He is very good at getting the threads of the football back to the quarterback, along with quick snap timing. He also is conscious of double teams and works well in unison with his guards. He will miss a blitz on occasion (see 2007 Kentucky game), but overall, he plays with good awareness and reaction quickness. GRADE: 7.6

Compares To: ERIC MANGOLD, New York Jets -- Both centers are savvy blockers who might lack the devastating hand punch to shock an opponent, but both play with good mirror ability and urgency. Wood is alert to twists and games and while he is stiff in his hips, he does fire off the snap quickly to attack his opponent. He needs to develop better leg strength and a hand punch to do a better job of matching up with physical nose guards, but he does show good slide agility to mirror and does a nice job of keeping his head on a swivel to excel on short pulls and screens.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.35

Woods' consecutive start string of 49 ranks second in school history behind Travis Leffew (51, 2002-05) … His 49 starts were also the sixth-longest streak among all active NCAA players last season, topped by Andrew Hartline of Central Michigan (51), Andrew Gardner of Georgia Tech (51), Jason Phillips of Texas Christian (50), Dallas Reynolds of Brigham Young (50) and Clint Sintim of Virginia (50) … For his career, Wood registered 328 knockdowns and 46 touchdown-resulting blocks … During his final two seasons, he graded 85.17 percent for blocking consistency … On 1,754 total plays during that span, he delivered 164 knockdowns and 27 touchdown-resulting blocks, as he allowed just two quarterback pressures and one sack on 882 pass plays.

All-American third-team choice by The NFL Draft Report … All-Big East Conference first-team selection … Finalist for the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation's premier center … Started all twelve games at center, recording 78 knockdowns, sixteen touchdown-resulting blocks and four down-field blocks to receive a blocking consistency grade of 87.08 percent … Was penalized three times … Did not allow any sacks or pressures on 391 pass plays … Helped the offense average 376.67 yards and 24.67 points per game … Also made an assisted tackle vs. Pittsburgh … Received grades of 90 percent or better in each of the Tennessee Tech, Connecticut, Memphis and Middle Tennessee contests.

Kentucky … The offense was non-existent in the season opener, as Wood made three knockdowns for a unit that managed just 205 yards in a 27-2 loss … Talking after the game to the media about the Louisville offense, Wood noted, "We struggled a lot, we hurt ourselves a lot. We really prepared for this game and we knew what they were going to bring at us. It was an execution thing. The good thing about it is that it was all fixable mistakes. We didn't make enough plays offensively. We were inching the ball down the field when it came down to it we couldn't make the crucial third down. I don't know what the third down percentage was, but when you are as low as that you can't expect to do things well on offense. I thought our defense played great. They gave us a lot of opportunities. We put them in a lot of bad opportunities and they did well with it. If they keep that up we will win some ball games this year. In a few points in the game, we felt we were getting a few things going and then it would just come down to where we have a fumble, an interception, a missed block or a missed assignment. That's what we call drive killers. We had a whole lot drive killers today that you can't make to win." … Head to Head Competition-NG#98-Myron Pryor (6:01-310)-Three solo tackles, one stop for a 3-yard loss, a fumble recovery … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded three knockdowns, grading 82 percent … Helped the team gain 53 yards with no touchdowns on 29 carries (1.83 ypc) and generate 205 total yards on 72 snaps (2.85 yards per play).

Tennessee Tech … Wood was having an awesome performance, but missed the second half with a minor knee sprain. Before he left the field, he delivered 12 knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks … On game-opening series, he cleared a path for Brock Bolen's 1-yard scoring run that ended an 84-yard, 11-play possession … At the start of the second quarter, he took down nose guard Martini Hilliard on Bolen's 2-yard touchdown run up the middle of the line … Head to Head Competition-NG#57-Martini Hilliard (6:01-270)-One solo tackle (note-Hilliard had a 9-yard sack with Wood sidelined) … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded 12 knockdowns, one down field block and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 99 percent … Helped the team gain 234 yards with three touchdowns on 43 carries (5.51 ypc) and generate 451 total yards on 69 snaps (6.54 yards per play).

Kansas State … Wood produced eight knockdowns to help the team generate a season-high 577 yards … A pair of Brock Bolen runs of 11 and 17 yards were the result of Wood widening rush lanes for the runner's use. The center then helped cap that 80-yard, 8-play third quarter series by flattening nose guard Brandon Balkcom on QB Hunter Cantwell's 13-yard scoring strike to Troy Pascley … On the team's next series, Wood cleared a hole that Vic Anderson redirected to, breaking free for a 56-yard touchdown jaunt … Head to Head Competition-NG#92-Brandon Balkcom (6:01-292)-Two solo tackles … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded eight knockdowns, one down field block and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 87 percent … Helped the team gain 303 yards with three touchdowns on 55 carries (5.51 ypc) and generate 577 total yards on 88 snaps (6.56 yards per play).

Connecticut … Wood added another eight knockdowns, including two touchdown-resulting blocks, as the Cardinals totaled 508 yards in a 26-21 loss … Midway through the first quarter, Vic Anderson followed Wood up the middle and into the end zone for a 3-yard score … Early in the second half, the center took Bilal Powell on the same route up the middle, taking down linebacker Scott Lutrus as the runner scored from 5 yards out …

Head to Head Competition-NG#65-Rob Lunn (6:03-288)-No tackles … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded eight knockdowns, one down field block and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 97 percent … Helped the team gain 261 yards with two touchdowns on 41 carries (6.37 ypc) and generate 508 total yards on 71 snaps (7.15 yards per play).

Memphis … For the second consecutive game, no defender managed to record any tackles over Wood's area, as the center posted six knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks … He leveled linebacker Winston Bowens on Hunter Cantwell's 43-yard scoring strike to Trent Guy early in the second quarter and later in that stanza, Cantwell completed a third-and-6 23-yard touchdown pass to Pete Nochta, as Wood took down nose guard Freddie Barnett on the play … Head to Head Competition-NG#99-Freddie Barnett (6:02-300)-No tackles … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded six knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 94 percent … Helped the team gain 166 yards with no touchdowns on 30 carries (5.53 ypc) and generate 299 total yards on 55 snaps (5.44 yards per play).

Middle Tennessee … For the third consecutive game, Wood graded over 90 percent for blocking consistency, as the team's road grader was credited with a career-high three touchdown-resulting blocks … He began his trek to the end zone by upending linebacker Lonnie Clemons on a 3-yard touchdown run up the middle by Brock Bolen … In the second quarter, he blasted nose guard Trevor Jenkins out of the way and Vic Anderson raced up the middle on an 88-yard scoring scamper … In the third quarter, Bolen used a hole created by Wood for a 1-yard touchdown run … Head to Head Competition-NG#97-Trevor Jenkins (6:01-287)-Two solo tackles … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded five knockdowns and three touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 93 percent … Helped the team gain 247 yards with four touchdowns on 45 carries (5.49 ypc) and generate 391 total yards on 68 snaps (5.75 yards per play).

South Florida … The Cardinals pulled off a 24-20 upset win, as Wood delivered a pair of touchdown-resulting blocks, the fourth consecutive contest that he had multiple scoring blocks … Hunter Cantwell's 69-yard scoring bomb to Scott Long was possible after the center picked up the blitz and blasted strong-side linebacker Tyrone McKenzie to the ground in the second quarter … Later in the first half, Cantwell followed Wood into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run … Talking to the media after the game about the win, the team captain stated, "We had a couple of tough loses early on and we kept in our minds that we need to finish this season out strong and great things can still happen this season. This is a big win, but we have another game next weekend. The tough thing about playing all your non-conference games early is that down the stretch these all count big time. You can't ride your high horse too long because someone is there ready for you the following week." … Asked about head coach Steve Kragthorpe, Wood replied, "He had a tough time early on and he took a lot of criticism. The players have stood behind him the whole time. I'll talk highly of him until the day I die. I can't say enough good things about him and what he's doing for this program. Hopefully this shows he's a great coach and you just have to stick with him." … Head to Head Competition-NG#97-Terrell McClain (6:03-306)-Three tackles (1 solo) … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded five knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 88 percent … Helped the team gain 111 yards with one touchdown on 41 carries (2.71 ypc) and generate 323 total yards on 62 snaps (5.21 yards per play).

West Virginia … Wood came up with eight knockdowns and one touchdown-resulting block as the offense generated 474 yards … Late in the first quarter, the center shoved defensive tackle Doug Slavonic out of the way to spring Bilal Powell for a 1-yard touchdown that ended a nine-play, 97-yard possession … After the game, head coach Steve Kragthorpe praised his team captain, stating "Eric Wood is a warrior. The guy's an absolute warrior. As I said in the press conference the other day, the Eric Wood you see on Saturday afternoon is what I get to see every day, Monday through Friday. The guy prepares his tail off. And not just in terms of on the practice field, which he does an unbelievable job of, but also with the way he watches film. Everything he does is in preparation to be the best he can possibly be and he's a great football player. He's going to continue to be a great football player. I'll sing his praises from the highest rooftop to every professional football team I get a chance to talk to because if I'm coaching, I want Eric Wood on my football team." … In the postgame press conference, Wood was asked his thoughts about saying good bye to Cardinals fans after his last home game and replied, "I just felt like the people that stayed we should appreciate them a little bit. And the fans that stick with us, the fans that were there early to greet the seniors with their families today. We appreciate all that, and it doesn't go unnoticed to us. It was tough walking off the field knowing that my last game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium was a loss. But you know everything has to come to end. And it's unfortunate that it happened. I would love to play college football forever, just kind of fits me and my personality. Its promise in this program, and it going to be tough walking away but I will always be back around this place." … Asked about how he felt serving as team captain and he stated, "I think it's my role as a captain of this team to play through whatever gets thrown my way. I kind of done that my whole career, I've never taken it for granted. I've been in the lineup, I never thought I would start as a freshman so as soon as they put me in, and there was no way I'm coming out of one of these games. Because as soon as I give someone else a shot I might lose it. So that has kind of been my attitude in my whole career, and that attitude has helped me start however many games. It's a shame it ended like this but hopefully in this last game maybe two games, we can leave a little momentum for the upcoming season." … Head to Head Competition-NG#98-Pat Liebig (6:04-299)-Two solo tackles … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded eight knockdowns and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 87 percent … Helped the team gain 198 yards with two touchdowns on 38 carries (5.21 ypc) and generate 474 total yards on 85 snaps (5.58 yards per play).

Rutgers … Louisville's long season came to an end in a 69-14 loss, as Wood delivered seven knockdowns … His final touchdown-resulting block of his career took down line-backer Kevin Malast on a fourth-and-goal 1-yard touchdown run by Brock Bolen early in the third quarter … Head to Head Competition-NG#45-Alex Silvestro (6:04-250)-Two assisted tackles … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded seven knockdowns and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 86 percent … Helped the team gain 48 yards with one touchdown on 31 carries (1.55 ypc) and generate 318 total yards on 65 snaps (4.89 yards per play).

All-Big East Conference first-team selection … Started all 12 games at center, grading 83.25 percent for blocking consistency … Registered 86 knockdowns, 11 touchdown-resulting blocks and four down field blocks … Allowed one quarterback sack and two pressures on 491 pass plays … Penalized three times and recorded a solo tackle vs. Syracuse … Protected the Cardinals pocket, as the team ranked fourth in the nation in passing offense (341.92 ypg), ninth in pass efficiency (149.05 rating), sixth in total offense (488.00 ypg) and 18th in scoring (35.17), yet failed to make the bowl season.

Murray State … Wood opened the season in explosive fashion, as two of his 12 knockdowns resulted in touchdowns … In the second quarter, QB Brian Brohm kept the ball and used a hole widened by his center for a 1-yard score … In the third stanza, Wood leveled defensive end Blake Booth on a 5-yard scoring burst by Sergio Spencer … Head to Head Competition-NG#65-Danny Blakemore (6:02-259)-One solo tackle … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded 12 knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 97 percent … Helped the team gain 261 yards with five touchdowns on 41 carries (6.37 ypc) and generate 655 total yards on 64 snaps (10.23 yards per play).

Middle Tennessee State … The center followed with two more touchdown-resulting blocks as Louisville totaled 729 yards in a 58-42 triumph … Wood was called for a personal foul, but made up for the miscue by blasting linebacker Derek Shropshire to the ground to kill the blitz on Brian Brohm's 81-yard touchdown toss to tight end Gary Barnridge … In the second quarter, he opened a third-and-goal rush lane used by tailback Anthony Allen for a 1-yard score that capped a 15-play, 82-yard drive … Head to Head Competition-NG#97-Trevor Jenkins (6:01-285)-Four tackles (2 solos), one stop for a 4-yard loss … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded eight knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks, but was penalized once, grading 86 percent … Helped the team gain 328 yards with two touchdowns on 53 carries (6.19 ypc) and generate 729 total yards on 92 snaps (7.92 yards per play).

Syracuse … Wood posted nine tackles that included a touchdown-resulting block and also recorded a tackle for an offense that amassed 628 yards … On third-and-goal, he took down nose guard Arthur Jones on a 2-yard scoring lob from Brian Brohm to Gary Barnridge to start the fourth quarter … On the team's next drive, he tackled A.J. Brown after the strong safety picked off a Brohm pass at the Syracuse 25 and returned the ball 23 yards before the center chased him down … After the game, Wood talked to the media about how the team prepares for their opponents, stating, "You have to prepare the same way for every game and I don't think that we prepared well enough for this game. I don't think everyone played well enough to win this game and the score showed. I could kinda feel that we weren't ready to play this game and as a leader of this team, I take responsibility for that and I can guarantee that it won't happen again. I want to thank the fans who stayed around til the end of the game. When Syracuse had a third and long late in the game, it was the loudest they had been all game. The people that left, we hope that they can come support us the rest of the year because we are going to bounce back. We take one game at a time like we said at the start of the year. There are still a lot things that we can do to salvage this season. Two losses is not the end of the season but at the same time, I can't be sitting up here every week talking about how many mistakes we made and how things will get better next week. In order to have a good season, we have to prepare for every game like it's a national championship like people prepare for us." … Head to Head Competition-NG#97-Arthur Jones (6:04-289)-Two tackles (1 solo) … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded nine knockdowns and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 89 percent … Helped the team gain 73 yards with one touchdown on 28 carries (2.61 ypc) and generate 628 total yards on 93 snaps (6.75 yards per play).

Rutgers … Wood closed out the season with two touchdown-resulting blocks and seven knockdowns, as Louisville tallied 477 yards in a 41-38 decision … QB Brian Brohm followed Wood into the end zone on a 6-yard scoring run in the second quarter and the center crashed into linebacker Brandon Renkart to clear a path for Brohm's third quarter 5-yard touchdown that ended a 13-play, 71-yard series … Head to Head Competition-MLB#17-Damaso Munoz (6:00-219)-Two tackles (1 solo) … Offensive Impact-Wood recorded seven knockdowns, one down field block and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 93 percent … Helped the team gain 240 yards with four touchdowns on 45 carries (5.33 ypc) and generate 477 total yards on 67 snaps (7.12 yards per play).

Wood received All-Big East Conference second-team honors, as he started all 13 games at center … Also a member of the Rimington Trophy Watch List … Paved the way for one of the most explosive offenses in the collegiate ranks, delivering 79 knockdowns that included 10 touchdown-resulting blocks for a unit that ranked second in the nation in total offense (475.31 ypg), fourth in scoring (37.77 ppg), seventh in passing (290.0 ypg), fifth in pass efficiency (161.53 rating and twelfth in rushing (185.31 ypg) … Posted a solo tackle vs. Temple and had one assisted stop vs. Rutgers.

Freshman All-American first-team selection by Rivals.com and The Sporting News, adding second-team honors from College Football News … Added Academic All-Big East Conference recognition … Moved into the starting lineup at center, leading the team with 85 knockdowns … Also had nine touchdown-resulting blocks to help the Cardinals rank ninth in the country in total offense (482.08 ypg), 13th in passing (293.58 ypg) and third in both pass efficiency (159.85 rating) and scoring (43.42 ppg).

Redshirted as a freshman, performing on the scout team at offensive guard and center.

2008: Sat out the second half of the Tennessee Tech game (9/06) with a slight knee sprain.

Campus: 5.16 in the 40-yard dash … 1.80 10-yard dash … 3.00 20-yard dash … 4.62 20-yard shuttle … 7.40 three-cone drill … 29-inch vertical jump … 8'8" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times.

Combine: 5.19 in the 40-yard dash … 4.51 20-yard shuttle … 7.56 three-cone drill … 30 1/2-inch vertical jump … 8'3" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times … 33 3/4-inch arm length … 10 3/8-inch hands.

Attended Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) High School … Started every game over the course of his final two seasons, as the team compiled a 28-2 record during that span … As a 15-game starter at offensive tackle, he guided the school to its second-straight state title with a 31-7 win over St. Edward's High as a senior, picking up All-League first-team accolades … As a junior, Wood started at both offensive guard and tackle, in addition to lining up at tight end, earning All-District honorable mention … Also earned a pair of letters playing on the basketball team, picking up All-League recognition during his final campaign.

Political Science major … Son of Diane and Randal Wood … Born 3/18/86 … Resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.