Aug. 10, 2008

NACOGDOCHES - In 2007, Baytown Lee freshman Jeremy Moses expected to be battling Lufkin newcomer Jeremy Claybon, and a host of other incoming freshmen signal callers for the backup quarterback spot behind returning first-team All-Southland Conference selection Danny Southall. But midway through the '07 campaign, head coach J.C. Harper felt a change was necessary to help a struggling offense, and that change was handing the ball over to Moses.

The first-year gunslinger responded to the opportunity with great success, nearly leading the 'Jacks to an upset of No. 14 Nicholls, but SFA came up a point short, 17-16. Despite the loss Moses left no doubt that he was the man for the job. He completed 29-of-45 (64.4 percent) passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

For an encore Moses posted one of the best performances by an SFA quarterback. He completed 41-of-59 (69.4 percent) passes for 508 yards at Texas State. The 41 completions and 59 attempts set single-game school records, while Moses became only the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for 500 yards in a game.

"Having a guy like Moses in the huddle makes my job a lot easier," said first-year offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. "He has a concept of what we want to do on the field. He just picks things up really quick. There are guys who are low rep guys, and those who are high rep. Jeremy is a low rep guy.

"His timing is his best attribute. Everybody processes things different. Moses' processing time is split-second. As soon as he sees the open man, the ball is out of his hands and he throws to the right spot. His timing is remarkable," added Dawson.

All the excitement that Moses brought to Lumberjack fans in just two short weeks was turned into concern in the first quarter of the very next game. A sight all too familiar in 2007, Lumberjack fans were forced to watch another key member helped off the field as Moses went down with an injury. An injury that would plague him the rest of the season.

Moses finished his roller-coaster rookie season completing 62 percent of his passes for 1,253 yards and six touchdowns. Even more importantly, he showed no signs of the injury during spring ball where he completed nearly 68 percent of his passes for 844 yards and seven touchdowns.

With the starting spot all but locked up, the question for Dawson has always been who will be the No. 2. SFA will have quite a few options who will have the opportunity to prove themselves during preseason camp. The only problem is the options are running low on experience.

"The biggest thing with all of our freshmen is timing," said Dawson. "The game is a lot faster at this level than it was in high school. Right now they are trying to catch up to the speed of the game. That is a situation that will work itself out with repetitions. We are going to work those guys, and it is going to be a competition until the end of camp."

SFA brought in a trio of freshmen who will fight for playing time in 2008. Ivan Delgado (Killeen, Texas), Neil Warden (Seabrook, Texas) and Dalton Williams (Coppell, Texas) are each talented prospects vying for time this season.

Williams is a first-team all-district selection who passed for 2,245 yards and 18 touchdowns in only 10 games as a senior. He threw for more than 3,500 yards during his two-year career at Coppell.

Delgado is a dual-threat quarterback who combined for more than 8,000 yards rushing and passing during his prep career. A former first-team all-district selection, Delgado was responsible for 70 touchdowns during his career, and it is that type of talent that could land Delgado on the field as a receiver before ever taking a snap at SFA.

"Ivan is a physical guy who is fast and athletic," said Dawson. "Coach Harper talked to him first about the move, and Ivan was all for it. He just wants to get on the field as quick as he can. I told him to move over there and see how he liked it. If you hate it, we will move you back. I don't want it to be an atmosphere of making somebody do something they don't want to do. That is the biggest thing I'm trying to do here offensively is have fun. I don' want somebody to be unhappy, especially a player as athletic as Ivan."

Central Michigan transfer Duane Brooks has the most experience of the group, but the coaching staff believes that his athletic ability will make him more valuable at receiver as well. It is, however, that same athletic ability that could make it very hard to keep Brooks from seeing a little time behind center. Brooks will provide the Lumberjacks with a definite dual threat if given the opportunity to take some snaps.

"I couldn't tell you right now who the backup is going to be," said Dawson. "But if somebody doesn't step up quick it will be Duane Brooks. He is a special player. I don't think I've ever been around a young man like him.

"I was in a similar situation at Millsaps. Our starting quarterback was a two-time conference player of the year, but the backup situation wasn't very strong. I had a slot receiver who was a low rep guy, and you could stick him in there and he could play. If we need someone to step in and manage a game, I'm 100 percent certain that Brooks could step in and do exactly what we ask of him," added Dawson.

When you throw Warden, who is also coming off a very talented high school career, the Lumberjacks should have a heated battle to fill out the depth chart at quarterback.

-SFA-