BaytownSun.com: Sports – Moses, SFA aim for mountaintop
LAKE CHARLES, La. — like so many Robert E. Lee quarterbacksbefore him, Baytown native Jeremy Moses is blazing his way throughthe college football record books.
But at 6 feet tall — or maybe a skosh less — the Stephen F.Austin State senior seems headed for another REL footnote:successful college quarterback deemed too short to play in theNFL.
Like former Kansas State signal-caller Ell Roberson III, ex-Iowaquarterback Drew Tate and former Utah QB Brian Johnson before him,Moses certainly has the passing and winning touch if not thepowerful downfield arm or towering stature the coaches like to trotout on Sundays.
“A good measuring stick was watching those guys in front of medo what they did,” Moses said Wednesday during Southland ConferenceFootball Media Day festivities at L’Auberge du Lac Resort.
The sixth of former Lee coach Dick Olin’s Gander quarterbacks tostar as a college quarterback on the NCAA Division I level — a listthat also includes Jermaine Alfred at Baylor and, at Arkansas,Clint Stoerner, Lee’s only Olin passing protege to play in the NFL— Moses isn’t worried about the pros right now.
“My only goal was to be successful in college like they were,”he said. “To be on the college level and do like those guys didmakes me feel good.”
Moses has passed for more than 4,000 yards each of the past twoseasons and, with 9,403 passing yards — and 87 touchdown passes —is on pace to become the Southland Conference’s all-time leader incompletions, pass yards, TD passes and total offense.
Last fall, he led the Lumberjacks to their first SLC title in 10years and led all Football Championship Subdivision teams in thenation in completions (385), passing yards (4,124) and TD passes(40).
He was named SLC Player of the Year after a 10-3 season. Alreadythis summer, Moses has been named to two preseason All-Americateams and the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS’s topindividual honor.
“The NFL’s never been big in my mind,” he said. “I’d be happyplaying in Canada, like Drew (Tate, a member of the CalgaryStampeders).”
Perhaps his lack of pretension and big pro football expectationscomes from the on-again, off-again nature of his time at Lee.
He was promoted to a starting position halfway through hissophomore year in high school, then was forced along with histeammates to miss nearly a month of his junior year because ofHurricane Rita. he broke his leg on one of the first plays of hissenior season and played in only two games that year.
Moses said he had no received no scholarship offers before hissenior year, but he was receiving interest from Oklahoma, Kansasand Northwestern of the big Ten until his injury.
“I think things happen for a reason,” he said.
“I was getting nervous graduating from high school with noschool to go to. Coach Harper (SFA coach J.C. Harper) hadn’trecruited me at all. I was getting ready to take a trip to visitBlinn, but coach Harper called me up the night before and offeredme a scholarship.
“Once SFA called me and I got here, I was just excited to get toplay football for four more years. There’s no place I’d rather be.This place let me come in and throw the ball.”
Moses arrived at SFA’s Nacogdoches campus to find Harper’s teamusing a pro-style offense. he took over the starting job from asenior midway through an 0-11 2007 season and passed for 1,253yards and six touchdowns in seven games.
“The quarterback was taking the snap from under center, droppingback seven steps and trying to chuck the ball 60 yards,” Mosesrecalled. “My little peashooter can only throw it 45 yards,max.
“I didn’t have the arm for the pro-style concept. the spread,where you have to make quick decisions, is great for me.”
Harper hired Shannon Dawson as quarterbacks coach and offensivecoordinator for his and Moses’ second year at SFA. the Lumberjacksswitched to the spread offense.
“I think you do what your people can do and what Jeremy can dois throw the football,” Harper said. “He’s pretty talented.”
Of course, Moses learned the spread offense from Olin before hearrived at SFA.
“The playbook here is just like it was in high school,” hesaid.
He even had a headstart there, he revealed.
“I had the advantage of having a good junior high coach in KevinJones,” Moses said, “and in the off-season, he’d take me up to Leeto watch practice and talk to Olin. I was running the high schooloffense in the seventh grade and by the time I got to high school,I had a basic understanding of the spacing and routes.”
Olin not only stretched Moses’ knowledge when he got to Lee, hefixed his mechanics.
“If it wasn’t for Dick, I’d have never known how to throw thefootball. In junior high, I was baseball-oriented. Half my passeswere ducks. He’d pull me aside and show me how to throw thefootball.”
So far, Moses has passed for 63 percent accuracy at SFA, 68percent last year, when he completed 385 of 566 passes.
“If the NFL is looking for an accurate quarterback, I don’t knowwhy they wouldn’t be interested in Jeremy,” Harper, the Lumberjackhead coach, said.
“Jeremy’s a winner. he won at Baytown Lee and now he’s winninghere.”
Along with not being preoccupied by concerns about his futureafter SFA, Moses says he also doesn’t worry about records orhonors.
Wednesday, he was named to the SLC’s preseason all-conferenceteam and SFA was named the preseason favorite for a titlerepeat.
“I don’t feel any pressure heading into the 2010 season,” Mosessaid. “I still have the underdog mentality. the thought of that0-11 season stays with me.
“I don’t want us to be happy with 10-3. I want to improve uponthat this season. I want to leave Nacogdoches by giving SFA fansback-to-back titles, and to help start a winning tradition at SFAthat continues.
“If we don’t do that then we didn’t do our jobs.”
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