GTmorris1970
09-29-2005, 02:39 AM
Posted on Wed, Sep. 28, 2005
A running start
Antonio Heffner’s rushing abilities give Auburn’s defense something extra to think about this week
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer
Flip on the TV, tune into the radio or call Auburn’s football office this week and you’re likely to hear people talking about Antonio Heffner, USC’s running quarterback.
Heffner can run, as he showed Saturday with a couple of nice dashes through the Troy defense. But according to Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier, his running quarterback has a quicker release and a stronger arm than injured starter Blake Mitchell.
A coach at Heffner’s Memphis high school said the coaching staff had to encourage Heffner to leave the pocket and take off running. And Rivals.com ranked Heffner the 15th-best pro-style (read: dropback) quarterback in the country
But for this week at least, people can hang another label on USC’s running quarterback — calm leader.
“You come to school in order to play,” Heffner said. “So basically this is my opportunity right now to lead my team and hopefully come out with a victory.”
With Mitchell out with a sprained left ankle, Heffner will make his first career start Saturday at Auburn. Though he did not play high school football until his junior year, Heffner has been around the game long enough to know that 87,000 sets of eyes at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be on him.
“Everybody’s looking at me to see what I’m going to do,” said Heffner, a redshirt freshman.
Here’s what he won’t do: Freeze under the pressure. That’s according to Melrose High coach Chester Flowers, who was the offensive coordinator at the Memphis school when Heffner played there.
“You know what he brings to the table physically, but the mental game is what I was most impressed by him,” Flowers said. “He’d take control of the huddle. His calm demeanor would take care of the situation. He was never worried, no matter what we were facing at the time.”
Flowers recalled a game during Heffner’s junior season, his first following a two-year hiatus while he concentrated on basketball. Melrose trailed Christian Brothers by 14 in the third game of the season, when then-Melrose coach Kenny Ingram replaced his starting quarterback with Heffner.
Melrose came back to win and the other quarterback never got his position back.
“He brought something to the table that we had never seen before,” Flowers said. “The way he would slide and move around in the pocket to get into his throwing lanes. The things he did you just can’t coach.”
Heffner threw for 1,439 yards and 18 touchdowns that season, and posted similar numbers (1,260 yards and 14 touchdowns) in leading Melrose to an 11-2 finish his senior season.
He drew interest from Louisville, Kentucky and Mississippi, but chose to attend USC with free safety Chris Hampton, his close friend and high school teammate.
The two are familiar with the bright lights, having opened their senior season at Melrose playing Christian Brothers again in front of 10,000 fans at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Flowers does not think Heffner will get the yips the first time he gets under center.
“He’s just built for those pressure-type situations,” Flowers said. “He was always cool in the midst of the storm. I don’t think he’ll have any problems. I think he’ll show up and play well.”
And yes, Heffner likely will run a good deal. Through the first four games, Spurrier guessed that 50 percent of Heffner’s snaps have been running plays. While acknowledging that Heffner’s release and arm strength are superior to Mitchell’s, Spurrier said Heffner was slower to pick up the offense.
“He hadn’t played at all,” he said. “Didn’t play at all last year, and I think in high school — I hadn’t really seen the tapes — but I think he was a shotgun (quarterback), sort of (ran) the same running plays (as USC and) scramble plays.”
Despite the fact he displaced a starting quarterback in high school, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound Heffner said he is keeping the position warm for Mitchell, who has passed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.
As for his goal for his first college start, Heffner said: “Put us in a position where we’ll be able to win at the end of the game.”
He will need his arm — and his feet — to do so.
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or jperson @thestate.com.
A running start
Antonio Heffner’s rushing abilities give Auburn’s defense something extra to think about this week
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer
Flip on the TV, tune into the radio or call Auburn’s football office this week and you’re likely to hear people talking about Antonio Heffner, USC’s running quarterback.
Heffner can run, as he showed Saturday with a couple of nice dashes through the Troy defense. But according to Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier, his running quarterback has a quicker release and a stronger arm than injured starter Blake Mitchell.
A coach at Heffner’s Memphis high school said the coaching staff had to encourage Heffner to leave the pocket and take off running. And Rivals.com ranked Heffner the 15th-best pro-style (read: dropback) quarterback in the country
But for this week at least, people can hang another label on USC’s running quarterback — calm leader.
“You come to school in order to play,” Heffner said. “So basically this is my opportunity right now to lead my team and hopefully come out with a victory.”
With Mitchell out with a sprained left ankle, Heffner will make his first career start Saturday at Auburn. Though he did not play high school football until his junior year, Heffner has been around the game long enough to know that 87,000 sets of eyes at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be on him.
“Everybody’s looking at me to see what I’m going to do,” said Heffner, a redshirt freshman.
Here’s what he won’t do: Freeze under the pressure. That’s according to Melrose High coach Chester Flowers, who was the offensive coordinator at the Memphis school when Heffner played there.
“You know what he brings to the table physically, but the mental game is what I was most impressed by him,” Flowers said. “He’d take control of the huddle. His calm demeanor would take care of the situation. He was never worried, no matter what we were facing at the time.”
Flowers recalled a game during Heffner’s junior season, his first following a two-year hiatus while he concentrated on basketball. Melrose trailed Christian Brothers by 14 in the third game of the season, when then-Melrose coach Kenny Ingram replaced his starting quarterback with Heffner.
Melrose came back to win and the other quarterback never got his position back.
“He brought something to the table that we had never seen before,” Flowers said. “The way he would slide and move around in the pocket to get into his throwing lanes. The things he did you just can’t coach.”
Heffner threw for 1,439 yards and 18 touchdowns that season, and posted similar numbers (1,260 yards and 14 touchdowns) in leading Melrose to an 11-2 finish his senior season.
He drew interest from Louisville, Kentucky and Mississippi, but chose to attend USC with free safety Chris Hampton, his close friend and high school teammate.
The two are familiar with the bright lights, having opened their senior season at Melrose playing Christian Brothers again in front of 10,000 fans at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Flowers does not think Heffner will get the yips the first time he gets under center.
“He’s just built for those pressure-type situations,” Flowers said. “He was always cool in the midst of the storm. I don’t think he’ll have any problems. I think he’ll show up and play well.”
And yes, Heffner likely will run a good deal. Through the first four games, Spurrier guessed that 50 percent of Heffner’s snaps have been running plays. While acknowledging that Heffner’s release and arm strength are superior to Mitchell’s, Spurrier said Heffner was slower to pick up the offense.
“He hadn’t played at all,” he said. “Didn’t play at all last year, and I think in high school — I hadn’t really seen the tapes — but I think he was a shotgun (quarterback), sort of (ran) the same running plays (as USC and) scramble plays.”
Despite the fact he displaced a starting quarterback in high school, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound Heffner said he is keeping the position warm for Mitchell, who has passed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.
As for his goal for his first college start, Heffner said: “Put us in a position where we’ll be able to win at the end of the game.”
He will need his arm — and his feet — to do so.
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or jperson @thestate.com.