Sowells steps up

His high school coach called him the 'Sowell-taker.'\nAnd in his first season starting, sophomore offensive lineman Isaac Sowells, pronounced "souls," will be the sole protector of junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio's blind side.\nSowells' side is the left one as he is the starting left tackle for the Hoosier offense. And for the 6-foot-3-inch 320-pound Louisville, Ky., native, it seems like a long time since his high school coach ordained his nickname.\n"My high school football coach called me that name because I was a pretty good defensive end in high school," Sowells said. "I never played offensive line until I came to college."\nWhen his college career started, Sowells was red-shirted in 2001 and played in all 12 games in 2002. But with the graduation of three starting offensive linemen, Sowells saw his opportunity and took it.\nHe hit the weight room and studied the playbook hard during the off-season. The result: 25 pounds added to his 6-foot-3-inch frame and the confidence of knowing his job.\n"Last year was my first time actually playing so I made a lot of mistakes," Sowells said. "But when I came into the spring, I really got into the playbook to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. When you don't make any mistakes, that's half the battle, which makes you a better player."\nKnowing the playbook inside and out is key, according to junior right guard Chris Jahnke, who started all 12 games last year. Jahnke is one of the leaders of this year's group, and he said he's impressed with Sowells' dedication on and off the field.\n"Before, he's been confused about his plays," Jahnke said. "He really took the initiative to get in his playbook and learn everything (for this season). He's just a whole different person, and I respect him for that completely."\nSowells was raised in a single-parent household with his mother, Dwaina Brooks, acting as both mother and father as Sowells grew up.\nSowells is a criminal justice major, and he said his mother has been supportive in whatever he undertakes on the field and after college.\n"She was at every football game," he said. "She comes to every IU home football game. She's always there."\nAs for after college, Sowells would like to pursue a career in a law-enforcement agency. But only, of course, if a career in the NFL doesn't pan out.\nAnd Sowells knows what his mother thinks.\n"I'd like to be an FBI agent or a CIA agent," Sowells said. "But, of course, my mom's always telling me, 'Go to law school, go to law school.' So we'll just have to see what happens."\nBut for now, Sowells must pass the bar of keeping opposing defensive linemen from splitting LoVecchio in two. Sowells said he had quite a few butterflies for his first game starting against UConn, and his technique suffered.\n"There's nothing worse than a quarterback getting hit from his blind side," Sowells said. "It's a terrible thing to see. So I work extra hard to make sure LoVecchio doesn't get hit. It's my focus. It'll kill me more than it'll kill him."\nWhile Sowells focuses on his job, coach Gerry DiNardo said Sowells is ready to be the "soul-man" at left tackle.\n"He's a Big Ten caliber left tackle," DiNardo said. "A lot of the reasons of where he is now are because of his off-season. He's done a terrific job."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodge@indiana.edu.