? One element has been absent from Arkansas State?s preseason workouts this fall.
Unlike last year, the uncertainty of a quarterback controversy isn?t hovering over the Indians like the fog that clouded the team?s direction at the beginning of last season. This year, the job belongs to Corey Leonard.
Leonard, a redshirt sophomore, finally won the starting job midway through the season last year when he helped guide the Indians to a winning score in the final two minutes of a 10-6 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. He sealed his spot at the top of the depth chart the following week when he completed a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game in a 26-23 victory over Memphis.
For Leonard, the approach to this season has been much different from last when he didn?t know whether he or ASU?s other quarterback, Travis Hewitt, was starting, how long either might play or if either would play at all.
?Being named the starter by starting out gives you that little extra boost of confidence because there really is no question,? Leonard said. ?Your teammates are 100-percent behind you, the coaches are 100-percent behind you, and when you have that backing it gives you a little more confidence.?
Confidence is something Leonard didn?t have to start his career.
A 19-year-old redshirt freshman, Leonard was unsure of ASU?s offensive package, he was unsure how to read opposing defenses, and he was unsure he?d be given the chance to play much or yanked out for making a mistake.
And, his first start was an indication there were problems.
After Hewitt started Arkansas State?s first two games, leading ASU to a win over Army followed by a 35-7 loss to Oklahoma State, Leonard was given the reigns for the Southern Methodist game in Dallas. It was a nightmare.
SMU murdered Arkansas State, 55-9, sacking Leonard four times for 31 yards in losses. He finished 6-of-14 for 110 yards passing and had 10 carries for minus-17 yards.
The experiment led to a change back to Hewitt as the starter the next week until Leonard led the Indians on a game-winning drive against ULM, running into the end zone on a shotgun draw from 10 yards out with 2:07 to play.
The job has been his ever since.
Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said Leonard earned the starting position with his trademark ability to make big plays at crucial times.
?The thing Corey is really good at is when you are going live, he has the ability to make things happen with his feet and his arm, and that?s when he really gets into his rhythm,? Roberts said. ?His forte is not sitting back in the pocket and dissecting the defense. You?ve seen it in the games where he?s played very, very well ? he?s kind of loose and just making things happen naturally.?
With the ?Miracle in Memphis? or Hail Mary to beat the Tigers, Leonard solidified himself as ASU?s No. 1 quarterback. He started eight games last year, including the final seven of the season.
Lost in the shuffle, but not left behind, was Hewitt.
A redshirt junior from Ballwin, Mo., Hewitt had a leg up, having been in the system a year longer. He signed with ASU in 2003 and arrived with some highly regarded credentials, including 4,000 yards passing and 46 touchdowns tosses in high school.
Taking a back seat to Leonard wasn?t easy, but Hewitt put his personal feelings aside and helped develop the Covington, La., product who was slowly taking the starting job away from him.
Hewitt said the competition didn?t hinder their relationship like some might believe.
?It didn?t test our relationship at all,? Hewitt said. ?We did a good job separating football from our personal life. We?re actually pretty good friends off the field. It probably strengthened it a little bit.?
Leonard finished the 2006 campaign with mediocre numbers, although he had some memorable moments ? typical for a freshman, according to Roberts.
Leonard was 3-5 as a starter as Arkansas State lost three of its final four games. Hewitt was 3-1 as the Indians? starter. Leonard finished the season with a 49.1 completion percentage (109-of-222) and had eight interceptions and eight TDs.
With much less playing time, Hewitt?s productivity was significantly less. He threw for 414 yards, completing 35-of-77 passes, but didn?t have a touchdown pass and was intercepted seven times.
Leonard credits his success to Hewitt, who offered him guidance that someone else might not have been so willing to give.
?I?ll tell anybody ? he knows the offense just as well as anybody out there does,? Leonard said. ?I?d say hands down he knows it better than I do, and there were a lot of times last year that I needed his advice and I needed his opinions. He was the first person to step up and put aside the competition and give me his advice and help me become a better quarterback.?
Hewitt said all the attention to the quarterback competition was distracting, but he wasn?t about to let his team down. Winning comes first.
?We?re part of the same team so I?m not going to withhold information that would help him,? Hewitt said. ?I want the best for the team. I?m not going to sit there and hate somebody. Obviously, I want to be out there playing but I?m going to do what is best for the team.?
Last year?s quarterback controversy began when Hewitt and Leonard emerged from spring practice ranked alongside each other on the depth chart. It took five games, and a lot of questions from media and fans, before Leonard emerged.
Roberts said his quarterbacks managed to maintain a strong relationship and the ?team? concept despite a difficult time.
?We would get the same question every day and that wasn?t fair to those players,? Roberts said. ?They were out here competing for a job, and hopefully they were not reading the stuff that?s written about them anyway because they have to come out and compete.?
Leonard admitted it became a distraction, but more away from football than anywhere. Fans, alumni and curious students approached Leonard with questions he couldn?t answer.
?The media was a big ordeal for a while, but to me it was more apparent when I left football,? Leonard explained. ?Whether I would be on campus, in class or eating somewhere, that?s when it was more apparent to me that it was such a big deal. People would ask and want to know what the inside scoop was.?
There is an answer for now, and Leonard is it.
?Corey has solidified himself as the starting quarterback,? Roberts said recently. ?It?s his position going into the season. There?s no controversy there this year.?
Maybe not, but that doesn?t mean there isn?t competition still.
?Deep down I want to play,? Hewitt admits. ?That?s just the football side and that?s just me being competitive, but me and Corey don?t have any problems. We?re really good friends and I?m looking forward to this season.?
Unlike last year, the uncertainty of a quarterback controversy isn?t hovering over the Indians like the fog that clouded the team?s direction at the beginning of last season. This year, the job belongs to Corey Leonard.
Leonard, a redshirt sophomore, finally won the starting job midway through the season last year when he helped guide the Indians to a winning score in the final two minutes of a 10-6 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. He sealed his spot at the top of the depth chart the following week when he completed a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game in a 26-23 victory over Memphis.
For Leonard, the approach to this season has been much different from last when he didn?t know whether he or ASU?s other quarterback, Travis Hewitt, was starting, how long either might play or if either would play at all.
?Being named the starter by starting out gives you that little extra boost of confidence because there really is no question,? Leonard said. ?Your teammates are 100-percent behind you, the coaches are 100-percent behind you, and when you have that backing it gives you a little more confidence.?
Confidence is something Leonard didn?t have to start his career.
A 19-year-old redshirt freshman, Leonard was unsure of ASU?s offensive package, he was unsure how to read opposing defenses, and he was unsure he?d be given the chance to play much or yanked out for making a mistake.
And, his first start was an indication there were problems.
After Hewitt started Arkansas State?s first two games, leading ASU to a win over Army followed by a 35-7 loss to Oklahoma State, Leonard was given the reigns for the Southern Methodist game in Dallas. It was a nightmare.
SMU murdered Arkansas State, 55-9, sacking Leonard four times for 31 yards in losses. He finished 6-of-14 for 110 yards passing and had 10 carries for minus-17 yards.
The experiment led to a change back to Hewitt as the starter the next week until Leonard led the Indians on a game-winning drive against ULM, running into the end zone on a shotgun draw from 10 yards out with 2:07 to play.
The job has been his ever since.
Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said Leonard earned the starting position with his trademark ability to make big plays at crucial times.
?The thing Corey is really good at is when you are going live, he has the ability to make things happen with his feet and his arm, and that?s when he really gets into his rhythm,? Roberts said. ?His forte is not sitting back in the pocket and dissecting the defense. You?ve seen it in the games where he?s played very, very well ? he?s kind of loose and just making things happen naturally.?
With the ?Miracle in Memphis? or Hail Mary to beat the Tigers, Leonard solidified himself as ASU?s No. 1 quarterback. He started eight games last year, including the final seven of the season.
Lost in the shuffle, but not left behind, was Hewitt.
A redshirt junior from Ballwin, Mo., Hewitt had a leg up, having been in the system a year longer. He signed with ASU in 2003 and arrived with some highly regarded credentials, including 4,000 yards passing and 46 touchdowns tosses in high school.
Taking a back seat to Leonard wasn?t easy, but Hewitt put his personal feelings aside and helped develop the Covington, La., product who was slowly taking the starting job away from him.
Hewitt said the competition didn?t hinder their relationship like some might believe.
?It didn?t test our relationship at all,? Hewitt said. ?We did a good job separating football from our personal life. We?re actually pretty good friends off the field. It probably strengthened it a little bit.?
Leonard finished the 2006 campaign with mediocre numbers, although he had some memorable moments ? typical for a freshman, according to Roberts.
Leonard was 3-5 as a starter as Arkansas State lost three of its final four games. Hewitt was 3-1 as the Indians? starter. Leonard finished the season with a 49.1 completion percentage (109-of-222) and had eight interceptions and eight TDs.
With much less playing time, Hewitt?s productivity was significantly less. He threw for 414 yards, completing 35-of-77 passes, but didn?t have a touchdown pass and was intercepted seven times.
Leonard credits his success to Hewitt, who offered him guidance that someone else might not have been so willing to give.
?I?ll tell anybody ? he knows the offense just as well as anybody out there does,? Leonard said. ?I?d say hands down he knows it better than I do, and there were a lot of times last year that I needed his advice and I needed his opinions. He was the first person to step up and put aside the competition and give me his advice and help me become a better quarterback.?
Hewitt said all the attention to the quarterback competition was distracting, but he wasn?t about to let his team down. Winning comes first.
?We?re part of the same team so I?m not going to withhold information that would help him,? Hewitt said. ?I want the best for the team. I?m not going to sit there and hate somebody. Obviously, I want to be out there playing but I?m going to do what is best for the team.?
Last year?s quarterback controversy began when Hewitt and Leonard emerged from spring practice ranked alongside each other on the depth chart. It took five games, and a lot of questions from media and fans, before Leonard emerged.
Roberts said his quarterbacks managed to maintain a strong relationship and the ?team? concept despite a difficult time.
?We would get the same question every day and that wasn?t fair to those players,? Roberts said. ?They were out here competing for a job, and hopefully they were not reading the stuff that?s written about them anyway because they have to come out and compete.?
Leonard admitted it became a distraction, but more away from football than anywhere. Fans, alumni and curious students approached Leonard with questions he couldn?t answer.
?The media was a big ordeal for a while, but to me it was more apparent when I left football,? Leonard explained. ?Whether I would be on campus, in class or eating somewhere, that?s when it was more apparent to me that it was such a big deal. People would ask and want to know what the inside scoop was.?
There is an answer for now, and Leonard is it.
?Corey has solidified himself as the starting quarterback,? Roberts said recently. ?It?s his position going into the season. There?s no controversy there this year.?
Maybe not, but that doesn?t mean there isn?t competition still.
?Deep down I want to play,? Hewitt admits. ?That?s just the football side and that?s just me being competitive, but me and Corey don?t have any problems. We?re really good friends and I?m looking forward to this season.?
