Southern QB Lee ready to lead in third year
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
Waiting isn’t such a big deal with Bryant Lee. Maybe that’s because he’s had good people ahead of him.
He soaked up all he could from former Tulane quarterback Nick Cannon and former LSU free safety LaRon Landry, his cousin, while they quarterbacked Hahnville High before he took his turn and went 27-1 and won the 2003 Class 5A title as a starter.
Then he learned what he could at Southern, redshirting in 2005 and backing up J.C. Lewis last season.
“They always say patience is a virtue,” Lee said.
Lee will begin this season, his third at the school, as the starter.
That’s the role he had as last season ended, going 1-1 in Southern’s last two games after coming off the bench to lead the Jaguars to a win over Texas Southern, with Lewis injuring his throwing shoulder early in the second quarter.
To secure that role, Lee had to hold off fellow sophomore Warren Matthews in a quarterback derby this camp.
Lewis, who started the last two seasons, is a fifth-year senior in graduate school and already fifth on the SU’s all-time passing chart (3,663 yards and 30 touchdowns), is third on the depth chart.
So far, so good. Southern hopes Lee is worth the wait.
“He’s coming along fine,” SU head coach Pete Richardson said of Lee. “The team is starting to develop a confidence in him. He’s still a relatively young quarterback and Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
That’s where Lee will draw again on his patience and a favorite quote his mom, Patricia Lee, would recite, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
Lee is still learning, and there’s a big difference from coming off the bench late one season to becoming the No. 1 quarterback to start another season.
“The game speed is a lot faster,” Lee said. “I’m getting the hang of it, day by day.”
Lee threw for 571 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions, while completing 58.6 percent of his passes (51-for-87), last season. He also ran for 302 yards and five touchdowns.
He threw three interceptions and fumbled twice in his first start, against Western Division champ Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Then, he bounced back as Southern’s MVP of the Bayou Classic.
That’s how he finished, as the starter. But at the start, at this time a year ago, Lee was third on the depth chart.
“Last year, I wasn’t getting a lot of reps,” said Lee, who used to have to work extra after practice to get more throws. “This year, I’m getting a lot of reps and I have to pay more attention in the film room and to everything so they can make it easier on the field.”
Improving chemistry and timing are the goals in these two practice weeks before the season opener against Florida A&M on Sept. 1 in Birmingham, Ala. That’s why Lee started working almost exclusively with the first team last week.
“I’m getting some good timing with the receivers and the O-line,” Lee said. “I’m starting to figure out how they block certain things. I think that will help us out a lot.”
Lee got a lot of looks in Southern’s scrimmage Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
“At times, he read his keys and some of his decision-making has to improve,” Richardson said. “Overall, with the operation of what we’re trying to do, he’s coming along. We’re looking for poise and accuracy more than anything else.”
Lee and Matthews made strong leaps from where they were a year ago, even from where they were just a few months ago.
Matthews was fourth and being considered for a move to tight end.
“We’re a much different offense than we were in the spring,” SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said. “They’re coming along.”
Lee’s experience and comfort level in the offense helped elevate him over Matthews, who is physically impressive and has the stronger arm but was out of football in 2005. He also has earned a rep as a “gamer.” That helps, too.
As it was, there wasn’t much, visibly, that separated the two early in camp. In fact, with the quarterback being asked to do more running this season, coaches keep stressing the plan is to play both Lee and Matthews.
“When I talk about Bryant, I talk about Warren, too,” Orlando said. “Really, I feel good about both of those guys going out there in a one-two punch. I’m not opposed to playing two guys.
“We want to have a starter. Right now, Bryant Lee is the starter. But in this type of offense, those kids are going to run and you have to give them a little rest too and get fresh legs in there. We’ve got that.”
Lee and Matthews, along with junior C.J. Byrd, were at school all summer, doing extra work with the receivers in the evenings after voluntary conditioning sessions.
“It was good,” Lee said of the derby. “We made each other better as quarterbacks and people. Just take one step at a time.”
The relationship Lee and Matthews are forging will be important, especially if they end up tag-teaming a lot, or even a little this season.
“We help each other out a lot,” Lee said. “We talk on the sideline about what we’ve seen. We’re behind each other 100 percent.”
He soaked up all he could from former Tulane quarterback Nick Cannon and former LSU free safety LaRon Landry, his cousin, while they quarterbacked Hahnville High before he took his turn and went 27-1 and won the 2003 Class 5A title as a starter.
Then he learned what he could at Southern, redshirting in 2005 and backing up J.C. Lewis last season.
“They always say patience is a virtue,” Lee said.
Lee will begin this season, his third at the school, as the starter.
That’s the role he had as last season ended, going 1-1 in Southern’s last two games after coming off the bench to lead the Jaguars to a win over Texas Southern, with Lewis injuring his throwing shoulder early in the second quarter.
To secure that role, Lee had to hold off fellow sophomore Warren Matthews in a quarterback derby this camp.
Lewis, who started the last two seasons, is a fifth-year senior in graduate school and already fifth on the SU’s all-time passing chart (3,663 yards and 30 touchdowns), is third on the depth chart.
So far, so good. Southern hopes Lee is worth the wait.
“He’s coming along fine,” SU head coach Pete Richardson said of Lee. “The team is starting to develop a confidence in him. He’s still a relatively young quarterback and Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
That’s where Lee will draw again on his patience and a favorite quote his mom, Patricia Lee, would recite, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
Lee is still learning, and there’s a big difference from coming off the bench late one season to becoming the No. 1 quarterback to start another season.
“The game speed is a lot faster,” Lee said. “I’m getting the hang of it, day by day.”
Lee threw for 571 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions, while completing 58.6 percent of his passes (51-for-87), last season. He also ran for 302 yards and five touchdowns.
He threw three interceptions and fumbled twice in his first start, against Western Division champ Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Then, he bounced back as Southern’s MVP of the Bayou Classic.
That’s how he finished, as the starter. But at the start, at this time a year ago, Lee was third on the depth chart.
“Last year, I wasn’t getting a lot of reps,” said Lee, who used to have to work extra after practice to get more throws. “This year, I’m getting a lot of reps and I have to pay more attention in the film room and to everything so they can make it easier on the field.”
Improving chemistry and timing are the goals in these two practice weeks before the season opener against Florida A&M on Sept. 1 in Birmingham, Ala. That’s why Lee started working almost exclusively with the first team last week.
“I’m getting some good timing with the receivers and the O-line,” Lee said. “I’m starting to figure out how they block certain things. I think that will help us out a lot.”
Lee got a lot of looks in Southern’s scrimmage Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
“At times, he read his keys and some of his decision-making has to improve,” Richardson said. “Overall, with the operation of what we’re trying to do, he’s coming along. We’re looking for poise and accuracy more than anything else.”
Lee and Matthews made strong leaps from where they were a year ago, even from where they were just a few months ago.
Matthews was fourth and being considered for a move to tight end.
“We’re a much different offense than we were in the spring,” SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said. “They’re coming along.”
Lee’s experience and comfort level in the offense helped elevate him over Matthews, who is physically impressive and has the stronger arm but was out of football in 2005. He also has earned a rep as a “gamer.” That helps, too.
As it was, there wasn’t much, visibly, that separated the two early in camp. In fact, with the quarterback being asked to do more running this season, coaches keep stressing the plan is to play both Lee and Matthews.
“When I talk about Bryant, I talk about Warren, too,” Orlando said. “Really, I feel good about both of those guys going out there in a one-two punch. I’m not opposed to playing two guys.
“We want to have a starter. Right now, Bryant Lee is the starter. But in this type of offense, those kids are going to run and you have to give them a little rest too and get fresh legs in there. We’ve got that.”
Lee and Matthews, along with junior C.J. Byrd, were at school all summer, doing extra work with the receivers in the evenings after voluntary conditioning sessions.
“It was good,” Lee said of the derby. “We made each other better as quarterbacks and people. Just take one step at a time.”
The relationship Lee and Matthews are forging will be important, especially if they end up tag-teaming a lot, or even a little this season.
“We help each other out a lot,” Lee said. “We talk on the sideline about what we’ve seen. We’re behind each other 100 percent.”
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