Suisun City's Johnson Set For Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

James-Michael Johnson's 6-foot-2 frame has been an intimidating presence to opposing offenses from his spot at middle linebacker during the University of Nevada-Reno's outstanding 2010 season.

"A lot of people think because I'm a big football player, I'm really mean all the time, but really I'm a happy person. I like to joke around," the former Rodriguez High School football star said.

The Solano County star knows when to get serious.

"On the football field it's a different story, but in life I'm a regular person," Johnson said.

An excellent season for the Wolfpack and Johnson culmitates in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Sunday Jan. 9 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The game pits the No. 1 run offense in college football in Nevada, against the nation's No. 1 run defense in Boston College. It's a virtual home game for Johnson, probably as close as a bowl game will ever come to his hometown of Suisun City.

"I got a lot of people coming -- friends and family that I grew up with. It should be pretty cool. I've never really played in the Bay Area except for college," said Johnson.

Johnson's first estimated 17 people will be coming to watch him play, but that number quickly increased to around 25.

 "I'm really excited for it actually. I'm counting the days until we have to get to San Francisco. I think it'll be a little more exciting when we actually get there," Johnson said.

Johnson has been an anchor in Nevada's 4-3 defense. That led the team to a 12-1 record, a No. 13 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 coaches' poll and No. 15 ranking in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings

The pinnacle of the Wolfpack's season was the upset of the then undefeated Boise State. The Broncos entered the game in December ranked third in the BCS standings.

"It was crazy. We came in the game and we thought we had a good game plan," Johnson said. "In the first half, every couple downs we would blitz them, but they were picking them up and getting yards on every blitz."

Down to the Broncos 24-7 at halftime, the Wolfpack decided to stop blitzing and went back to playing base defense.

"When we did that we started getting stops. It just took off from there," Johnson said.

Johnson leads the Wolfpack with 84 total tackles and three forced fumbles in what he considers the best season he's ever played football.

"This has been one of the best year's I've played sports in my whole life," he said. "And I've been on some pretty good teams from Little League baseball all the way to high school baseball and football.  This has been the best team I've been on."

This year's Nevada team is the first in school history to win 10 games at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level since they joined in 1992 and the first in school history since 1991, according to the Nevada Information Guide.

"It's an honor to be on this team because a lot of players left last season. I wonder if they think if they should have stayed," Johnson said.

The psychology major intends to stay for his senior season, but looks forward to the NFL draft in 2012.

"That's the goal. I've wanted to play in the NFL since high school," Johnson said.

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Patch will be covering the Kraft Hunger Bowl and will have a live blog with commentary from Patch sports writer Peter Fournier this Sunday.  

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