There’s something new in the air this year at Georgia Southern, and it’s not just all those seats added to Paulson Stadium or the shiny new football operations center rising beyond the east end zone.
It’s the curious sight of an oblong ball being passed from one player to another, time and time again.
“It’s going to shock people when we drop back and start throwing the ball all over the field,” Georgia Southern quarterback Kevin Ellison said.
What in the name of the late Erk Russell is going on in Statesboro?
This is Georgia Southern, home of the triple option. The Eagles won at Florida last season, the biggest win in program history, without completing a single pass.
Russell used the triple option to win three Division I-AA (now FCS) national championships. His successor, Tim Stowers, followed Russell’s last title with another in 1990. His successor, Paul Johnson, now at Georgia Tech, won two more championships using the same basic approach.
Save for some lean years under Brian VanGorder and Chris Hatcher, the Eagles have always run the triple option during their modern era. After Jeff Monken took the offense with him to Army after last season, the Eagles hired Willie Fritz from Sam Houston State.
And now Fritz is going to throw the ball?
“It depends,” Fritz said. “If they are packing the box, we want to be able to throw it. If they are not packing the box, we’ve got to run the ball. The quarterback has got to be able to throw it some.”
Fritz and his players are quick to note that the Eagles will still run the option. It’s just that the quarterback won’t be under center, there is no fullback and the linemen will zone block rather than fire off the ball trying to maul opponents.
Also, it’s not as if the Eagles plan to become Texas Tech. Sam Houston State averaged 24 passes and 47 rushes per game in 2013, and Fritz said that’s about the right ratio.
Still, throwing the ball even that much would be a radical change for Georgia Southern. Fritz might be the only FBS coach in the country who took over a new team and then had to figure out if he had players who could throw and catch the ball.
“The quarterbacks threw the ball better than I thought they would, and the receivers ran routes and caught it better than I thought they would,” Fritz said.
It’s on Ellison to help the Eagles become a functional passing team. He started six games as a redshirt freshman in 2013 and provided plenty of evidence that he can make plays as a runner, but there’s not much data available about his abilities as a passer.
Ellison’s 982 yards rushing and eight touchdowns in 2013 were second on the team to Jerick McKinnon, who’s now in camp with the Minnesota Vikings. McKinnon gained 125 yards and scored the winning touchdown at Florida; Ellison had 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
But Ellison attempted just 79 passes last season and completed 52 percent, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. At Haberstram Central Ellison ran for 5,100 yards and 83 touchdowns, good for 10th on Georgia’s all-time rushing touchdowns list, but said he passed the ball “about three or four times a game” as the quarterback running the triple option during his final two seasons.
Ellison has a chance to follow a Georgia Southern lineage of standout quarterbacks that includes All-American selections Tracy Ham and Jayson Foster. Ham and Foster never had to pass as much as Ellison will this season (though there were times when Russell let Ham loose).
And neither did those two Georgia Southern legends didn’t face the competition Ellison will see. The Eagles are moving up to the top level of college football (FBS) this season.
“It’s fun,” Ellison said of playing quarterback for the Eagles. “Everything is on you. Everybody has their eyes on the quarterback.”
This season they’ll watch the quarterback pass more than he has in years. This is a program that could always be found near the top of the FCS rushing rankings and averaged less than 125 yards passing in 21 of the 32 seasons since Russell brought his option to Statesboro.
Ellison is the first quarterback for a new era of Georgia Southern football.
“I think he can handle it,” senior left tackle Garrett Frye said. “He’s a very mature quarterback. He has learned the playbook really well. He definitely knows what he’s doing. He takes charge. He’s really mature for his age, and I think it shows in his play on the field.”
