Randle El prepares for opener

Off to the side of Memorial Stadium's field, two adolescent girls, who were probably in their early teens, stood beside junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El as they asked for his autograph on their poster.\nOn the front of the poster, Randle El was pictured along with IU's 2000 football schedule. On the back, a dozen or so of Randle El's teammates had signed the poster.\nPerplexed on why the girls were having everyone sign the back of the poster, Randle El asked for an explanation. The girl that stood to his right said she didn't want anyone to sign the front because Randle El was "her boyfriend."\nThree-hundred pound linemen and linebackers who run the 40-yard dash in a little over four seconds and can bench press a small village have been chasing Randle El around collegiate football fields for the last two years without much success. \nBut in just a few words and a cute look, one young girl, who weighed less than 100 pounds, was able to halt the elusive Randle El in his tracks.\nWhen he steps back onto the field tomorrow, Randle El probably won't be confronted by little girls who want him as their boyfriend, but rather large men, who want to be close to him for another reason, so the star quarterback should feel comfortable once again.\nSince last seen on the field in a 30-24 defeat to Purdue in which he statistically outplayed Boilermakers' quarterback Drew Brees, Randle El has been attached with the tag of a Heisman Trophy candidate. He earned the nomination after completing 127 of 273 passes for 1,745 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He also gained 873 rushing yards for 10 touchdowns and caught one pass for a touchdown.\nIn his first two seasons, he has accounted for 5,633 total yards, which ranks him fourth on IU's career total offense list and made him the first sophomore in Big Ten history to account for 5,000 total yards of offense. Randle El also set an IU single season total offense record last year with 3,065 yards, surpassing St. Louis Rams' back-up quarterback Trent Green's 2,829 yards in 1991. Randle El also sits third on the list with his freshman year total.\nNorth Carolina State head coach Chuck Amato is impressed by Randle El's numbers and even compared him to another Heisman Candidate ' Virginia Tech's Michael Vick.\n"(IU's) QB has done what no other quarterback has done in the Big Ten...," Amato said. "You think how long the Big Ten has gone along and some of the players they have had in that league. I hate to use the words, but he is as dangerous as the Vick kid. He throws well and has that type of athletic ability."\nWhen Randle El came to IU as a freshman from Thornton High School, he didn't believe many would give him a shot at success. He has never been surprised of what he had done on the field, but rather astonished by the way IU's fans have embraced him.\n"I don't think people realized I had that much talent to be where I'm at," Randle El said. "A lot of guys say 'he's a short guy, we'll be all right when we go against him', but when I play them it's a shock because I'm a guy who has heart. I'm not going to be denied too many times.\n"I didn't think the popularity was going to be like (this). I thank God for that because I'm blessed with some things a lot of guys really haven't been able to be a part of. Where I'm from, a lot of guys don't make it out of the hood to get to college."\nRandle El grew up in the city of Riverdale, Ill., which is a few minutes from the southside of Chicago. \nHe said because of the way his parents raised him, he has been able to have a celebrated career at IU. They kept their son out of trouble by keeping him busy with either school, sports or church.\nFrom season to season, Randle El was always involved in sports. With talent and a good work ethic, he excelled at all the sports. At the collegiate level, he has started the last two years for the IU football team, spent his freshman season with Bob Knight and the basketball team and also had a brief stint with the baseball team last spring.\nAlthough Randle El has two more years at IU, his future in playing professional sports may be unrealistic. At 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds, Randle El may be passed over by NFL teams no matter how many awards or yards he receives, because of his size. Out of high school, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs, but has only played a few months of college baseball since. Randle El said his ultimate career might include becoming a sports commentator.\nUntil he graduates, coach Cam Cameron said he plans on using his star any way he can, even in positions other than quarterback.\n"The one thing that we've talked about was him giving us some flexibility to play some other places," Cameron said. "You could see him at tailback, you could see him at slot receiver, you could see him at split end, you could see him at flanker. You could see him anywhere. But, we're going to be smart at what we do ..."\nWhatever position Randle El plays, senior Versie Gaddis knows that his teammate doesn't blush when there is something to get done.\n"Antwaan is the kind who if he feel something needs to get done, he doesn't wait," Gaddis said. "If he feels there is work to be done and I'm in there asleep, he's knocking on the door, 'Come on, let's go throw some balls, let's go run some laps.' He's ready to do anything because he wants to win"