AAMU No. 2 QB a puzzle

By: REGGIE BENSON,The Huntsville Times

There's no question that Kelcy Luke is Alabama A&M's starting quarterback. But the job as Luke's backup remains covered in mystery.

Will it be redshirt junior Stanley Allen, who filled in admirably last season when Luke went down in the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game, or will it be redshirt freshman Kevin Atkins, a left-hander who brings with him an impressive resume from Durham, N.C.?

"I don't know how this thing is going to turn out," A&M coach Anthony Jones said Monday after practice. "I believe this is going to be a long, drawn-out battle. It may go on during the course of the season. I'm not going to prematurely pick one over the other."

Neither Allen nor Atkins has extensive playing experience.

A rising junior from Roanoke, Allen has played in two games in his career. He rushed for 34 yards on four carries in a 42-0 shellacking over Allen University in 2005 and then came off the bench in December 2006 to rally the Bulldogs from a 7-6 deficit to a 22-13 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the SWAC Championship Game. Allen ran for 7 yards on three carries and was 1-of-2 passing for 32 yards.

"I expect to be the backup quarterback," said Allen, who worked with the fourth team on the first day of practice after reporting late for training camp, but has since moved back up to the second-team offense. "I've been in this system four years. I know what Coach Jones wants out of the offense.

"I feel I should be No. 2 unless I slack up and let Kevin jump ahead of me."

Atkins, 6-foot and 222 pounds, was 38-3 as a three-year starter at Southern Durham High School. As a senior, he threw for 2,005 yards and rushed for 700. While he has yet to play a down of college football, Atkins is confident he can surpass Allen.

"I've got a pretty good chance," he said. "It's in my hands. Coach Jones told me it's not up to him who plays. It's up to us how we perform on the field. The thing I've got to do is play up to my ability."

"I know most of the plays," he said. "It's just getting out there and running them consistently."

Jones said Allen and Atkins have gone back and forth through the first four days of practice.

"Stanley has more experience and is a better athlete, but there are certain throws Kevin makes better than Stanley," Jones said.

"Stanley has a lot of talent. He's a very gifted athlete. I just want him to be more focused and interested. Kevin has some tools, too. We'll see what happens."

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