Many things were different for Stephen Liuzza when he came to Ithaca, N.Y., from his home in Louisiana, but change is something the freshman has had to get used to.
Liuzza started his playing days on the Slidell High School football team in southeast Louisiana, but he was forced to relocate as Hurricane Katrina roared toward the coast.
Liuzza and his family moved to his grandmother's house in north-central Louisiana just a day before the hurricane hit.
That meant Liuzza had to enroll at a different school, spending half of his senior year playing for a different team: Jonesboro-Hodge High.
"You make so many bonds with the other kids for so many years, and then you have to get up and leave, learn all of the new plays and do all of that within a week." Liuzza said. "It's really hard when you're playing with a set of all new guys - it's definitely an awkward situation."
Luckily, the circumstances weren't entirely unfamiliar: Two players from his former team had relocated to Jonesboro-Hodge as well.
After one game, southeast Louisiana was deemed habitable again, and Liuzza returned to his home turf at Slidell.
"A few trees had apparently just missed my house," Liuzza said. "We made out great compared to some people that completely lost everything."
But the move didn't limit his effectiveness under center - Liuzza went on to pass for over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns that year before the season was shortened due to circumstances surrounding the hurricane.
After the successful year, Liuzza headed to Cornell, where he is now backup quarterback to sophomore Nathan Ford.
"Steve is one of the best athletes that we have recruited in the couple of years that we've been here," Cornell coach Jim Knowles said. "He's got great feet and quickness and a solid arm. He really can make plays with his feet as well as his arm, which is what you love to have in a guy."
The freshman has already made a difference for the Big Red, with his biggest game coming two weeks ago against Dartmouth.
Liuzza rushed for 91 yards on four carries in the win, including an 81-yard touchdown run.
The achievement earned him co-Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors and landed him a spot in Cornell's record books as having made the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in school history.
Liuzza is known for his speed around the Ivies, something Penn coach Al Bagnoli says the Quakers will have to watch for if he takes the field on Saturday.
"In the play [against Dartmouth], you could see a little bit of an explosion and his speed in the open field," Bagnoli said. "He's a kid that really brings that big-play capability."
Although Ford has emerged as the Big Red's starter, Liuzza has seen some time at quarterback this season and has also contributed to the team as a wide receiver.
The freshman has played in six games so far this year, completing 55 percent of his passes and averaging 18.8 rushing yards per contest.
And if his adaptability is any indication, it seems like it won't be much longer at all before he sees a lot more time on the field.
