By Josh Moon, Montgomery Advertiser
Last year, Reggie Barlow watched closely as a battle for Alabama State's starting quarterback position stretched into the first game of the 2006 season.
Barlow, who was the Hornets' QB coach last season, didn't like the way that battle affected the offense, the way it hampered team chemistry and the way it prevented the QB from establishing a leadership role with his offense.
So, on Wednesday, Barlow made sure that wasn't a problem this year.
After talking for several days about the rapid improvement and advancement of freshman Devin Dominquez, Barlow said junior Alex Engram would be ASU's starter for the season opener against Jacksonville State in two and a half weeks.
"It's something I've been contemplating for a while," Barlow said. "(The reason for the decision) has to do with the way some people respond to competition. Some people get into competition and just go crazy with it. Some respond better when they know they've got the job. I think Alex is the second type person."
If Barlow was doubting his impressions of Engram before Wednesday's scrimmage, he wasn't afterward.
Engram, after a fumble on the opening series of the scrimmage, turned in his best practice of the fall, as he led the first-team offense on a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Engram hit tight end Christopher Kaufman with a soft, five-yard scoring pass on a fourth down to cap the drive.
"I don't think I had a swagger tonight, but I definitely wanted to come out here and prove that Coach Barlow had made the right decision," Engram said. "I wanted to prove to everyone out here that I can lead this team. That's what the rest of these practices will be about -- earning these guys' trust."
Engram's solid night was aided a great deal by the play of the ASU offensive line and running back Rahmod Traylor. Both performances were rather surprising given recent practices.
Throughout pretty much the entire fall, the ASU defense has controlled the offense. The running game, even with starter Jay Peck in the backfield, had been floundering. And pass protection was sketchy, at best.
Most of that changed Wednesday.
Traylor rambled for 102 yards on eight carries and the offensive line, especially on running plays, won the battle up front.
"They were just firing off the ball and opening up huge holes for me," Traylor said. "I didn't have to do too much. They controlled the tempo tonight and that was key."
It wasn't a dominating performance by the offensive line by any stretch, however. Pass protection was still a big issue, as the various ASU QBs had a multitude of problems setting up to throw.
"We're still a ways away on our pass protections," Barlow said. "I think we'll get there, though. You can see the improvements, it's just not where it needs to be yet."
Doing his part to disrupt things for the ASU offensive linemen was defensive lineman Clyde Holloway. Holloway was all over the place, but mostly in the backfield, where he picked up three sacks and a pass deflection. He also forced Engram's fumble and was in on almost every tackle around the line.
"I'm just trying to do what I can to help this team," Holloway said. "That I'm playing this well here is a complete surprise to me. I never thought I'd be able to do this."
His coaches did.
"(Defensive line coach Tyrone) Rogers watched this guy and said, 'My God, is he fast,'" Barlow said. "That's a guy who played in the NFL. He knows a little about speed. That guy (Holloway) is a special, special player."
Holloway did have one letdown Wednesday night. After dropping back into coverage late in the scrimmage, he had a tipped pass come right to him. No one around. A nice, slow ball all for him.
He dropped it.
But he recovered nicely.
"We'll call it a deflection in the stats," Holloway said, while looking at ASU sports information director Kelvin Datcher.
Last year, Reggie Barlow watched closely as a battle for Alabama State's starting quarterback position stretched into the first game of the 2006 season.
Barlow, who was the Hornets' QB coach last season, didn't like the way that battle affected the offense, the way it hampered team chemistry and the way it prevented the QB from establishing a leadership role with his offense.
So, on Wednesday, Barlow made sure that wasn't a problem this year.
After talking for several days about the rapid improvement and advancement of freshman Devin Dominquez, Barlow said junior Alex Engram would be ASU's starter for the season opener against Jacksonville State in two and a half weeks.
"It's something I've been contemplating for a while," Barlow said. "(The reason for the decision) has to do with the way some people respond to competition. Some people get into competition and just go crazy with it. Some respond better when they know they've got the job. I think Alex is the second type person."
If Barlow was doubting his impressions of Engram before Wednesday's scrimmage, he wasn't afterward.
Engram, after a fumble on the opening series of the scrimmage, turned in his best practice of the fall, as he led the first-team offense on a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Engram hit tight end Christopher Kaufman with a soft, five-yard scoring pass on a fourth down to cap the drive.
"I don't think I had a swagger tonight, but I definitely wanted to come out here and prove that Coach Barlow had made the right decision," Engram said. "I wanted to prove to everyone out here that I can lead this team. That's what the rest of these practices will be about -- earning these guys' trust."
Engram's solid night was aided a great deal by the play of the ASU offensive line and running back Rahmod Traylor. Both performances were rather surprising given recent practices.
Throughout pretty much the entire fall, the ASU defense has controlled the offense. The running game, even with starter Jay Peck in the backfield, had been floundering. And pass protection was sketchy, at best.
Most of that changed Wednesday.
Traylor rambled for 102 yards on eight carries and the offensive line, especially on running plays, won the battle up front.
"They were just firing off the ball and opening up huge holes for me," Traylor said. "I didn't have to do too much. They controlled the tempo tonight and that was key."
It wasn't a dominating performance by the offensive line by any stretch, however. Pass protection was still a big issue, as the various ASU QBs had a multitude of problems setting up to throw.
"We're still a ways away on our pass protections," Barlow said. "I think we'll get there, though. You can see the improvements, it's just not where it needs to be yet."
Doing his part to disrupt things for the ASU offensive linemen was defensive lineman Clyde Holloway. Holloway was all over the place, but mostly in the backfield, where he picked up three sacks and a pass deflection. He also forced Engram's fumble and was in on almost every tackle around the line.
"I'm just trying to do what I can to help this team," Holloway said. "That I'm playing this well here is a complete surprise to me. I never thought I'd be able to do this."
His coaches did.
"(Defensive line coach Tyrone) Rogers watched this guy and said, 'My God, is he fast,'" Barlow said. "That's a guy who played in the NFL. He knows a little about speed. That guy (Holloway) is a special, special player."
Holloway did have one letdown Wednesday night. After dropping back into coverage late in the scrimmage, he had a tipped pass come right to him. No one around. A nice, slow ball all for him.
He dropped it.
But he recovered nicely.
"We'll call it a deflection in the stats," Holloway said, while looking at ASU sports information director Kelvin Datcher.
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