Carson-Newman Football Position Preview: Quarterbacks
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first in an eight-part series that will break down what Carson-Newman football brings to the table for the 2014 season position by position. Today’s preview features the Eagles’ signal callers and QB coach Alex Good.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first in an eight-part series that will break down what Carson-Newman football brings to the table for the 2014 season position by position. Today's preview features the Eagles' signal callers and QB coach Alex Good.
Last year, the question was who would replace Brandon Haywood as the Eagles' starting quarterback. Now, the question is who will push presumptive starter De'Andre Thomas.
Thomas produced one of the best debut seasons in Carson-Newman history. The sophomore started off his year by tossing a trio of touchdowns against Wayne State and completing eight of 10 passes to register a 357 QB efficiency rating, the highest single game mark in C-N history.
"Just the opportunity to coach him is a blessing in itself," Good said. "De'Andre's the type of guy who will come in and accept the challenge of getting better and asking for my advice on how to do that. That's what you need to be a leader and to be a starter."
On top of that, Thomas became the first C-N QB since his coach, Alex Good, to throw for 200 yards and rush for 100 yards in one game. Thomas' 1,825 yards passing on the year are second to Good's 2009 tally of 1,859 for the most in the Ken Sparks era.
"I will push him hard," Good said. "I look forward to him being able to take the team to where they need to be – the opportunity to take teach guys who have been here and help them better know the system."
However, Thomas wasn't just successful through the air a year ago. He averaged 75.8 yards per game on the ground and had a trio of 100-yard games. But, that ignores where Thomas was most prolific. Thomas found the endzone on 20 occasions – the most ever in a single season by a C-N QB and the fourth most all-time. He also had the second most 20-yard plays last year.
Noah Suber, Darvia Dubose and Goose Manning account for Thomas' backups. However, who takes the bulk of the reps at second string won't be known until camp gets rolling.
"It's nice to have some guys with experience," Good said. "Manning will push everyone to be better and Suber and Dubose are both very talented freshman. They have the opportunity to grow as a group, and that's encouraging."
All three players saw action in a game or two in 2013, but none of them notched significant numbers for a variety of reasons – chief among them injuries to all three individuals.
"What I'm looking for out of our QBs is consistency," Good said. "It's hard to put a quarterback out there who does well one play, but the next play the balls on the ground. Being able to be consistent, to lead the team and have people follow you, that's the heart of a good quarterback."
Carson-Newman football's position previews resume Sunday with C-N's running backs and assistant coach Nick Reveiz.
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