By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com
Being the backup quarterback at any level may be the most stressful job in football. You have to know the offense inside and out, practice like a No. 1 quarterback and then hold a clipboard or signal in the plays from the sideline during the games. Then, if something goes wrong with the starter, you could get in the game quickly.
Two years ago, Josh Brehm was the quarterback at Alma and led the Scots to a 6-4 record. For his efforts, Brehm was honored with the Gagliardi Trophy, an award given annually to the top student-athlete in Division III football. Once Brehm graduated, he left the offense to sophomore quarterback Mackenzie McGrady.
Brehm played two roles, that of quarterback and mentor to his eventual replacement.
"It was a lot of fun," McGrady said of the year backing up Brehm. "I learned what I know now from him. Sitting back for a year watching him, he taught me a lot. He'd take me into film and show me what to look for, what he sees and finding out tendencies of defenses and breaking it down step-by-step.
"I talked to him a week before our first game last year," added McGrady. "We still talk now whenever we get the chance. He really told me how to look at it and take it for what it's worth. He told me to relax. It was good information and a good help for understanding the offense and seeing what defenses do different."
A lot can be said about taking the time to learn an offense, practice against a top-tier collegiate defense and experience a fair amount of success early in a career.
McGrady was 186-of-324 for 2,049 yards and 16 touchdowns against 12 interceptions as a sophomore.
"My freshman year, I took over the scout team quarterback position," said McGrady. "I had a good look at what a defense in Division III is really like. I was going against first-string guys. That really helped me get into a mode of knowing how fast the game is.
"I was seeing (things) slowly," he added. "I was pretty frustrated at first because this offense was so much more complex than what I came from in high school. I had a lot more reps than the other quarterbacks did that were sitting behind Josh. In the scout aspect, (we were) getting our teammates ready for the opponent, so we've got to bring our best game to practice and get them ready for Saturday."
In McGrady's first season as a starter, the Scots went 5-5, 5-2 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. This year, Alma is off to a 2-1 start with non-conference wins over Bluffton (49-0) and Rockford (59-21) with a loss in Week 2 at Illinois Wesleyan (48-34).
McGrady, now a junior, has the eighth-highest passer efficiency rating in Division III. In three games, McGrady is 69-of-101 for 995 yards and 11 touchdowns against only three interceptions.
Even with those statistics, the only number that matters to McGrady is the one in the win column. After a home game Saturday against UW-River Falls (0-2), the Scots travel to Angola, Ind., to play Trine (formerly Tri-State). They are also on the road at Olivet and Hope, MIAA co-champions from a year ago.
"Our goal is to win the conference and get the NCAA bid," McGrady said. "It's not an easy road ahead. Our conference is pretty tough. We were right behind them (Olivet and Hope), falling short in that loss to Adrian. That really left a bad taste in our mouths not getting a share of that.
"We came out with a chip on our shoulder," added McGrady. "We kind of played (angry) against Bluffton, knowing that we're capable of many good things. We've got a lot of talent, so we wanted to put it together and prove to people that we can compete."
News and Notes
Otterbein could very easily be the surprise team in the Ohio Athletic Conference this fall. Mount Union and Capital are off to their usual fast starts, as both teams are 2-0 and 1-0 in OAC action. However, the Cardinals are also 2-0 and 1-0 against the OAC.
In a 48-7 victory over Muskingum last weekend, Otterbein sophomore running back Colton Coy gained 117 yards on 18 attempts. Four of those carries went for touchdowns. On Monday, Coy was named the OAC Offensive Player of the Week. This week, Otterbein travels to Ohio Northern, who is recovering from a 44-7 loss at Mount Union.
Wittenberg came into the season with high expectations. With Wabash switching coaching staffs and adopting new schemes on offense and defense, Wittenberg had an opportunity to bring the North Coast Athletic Conference title back to Springfield.
While that is still a strong possibility, Washington University did find a way to put a blemish on the Tigers' record. Though they were outgained in total yardage, the Bears forced three Wittenberg interceptions and went three-for-three in red zone chances, while twice stopping the Tigers inside the 20-yard line.
Grove City is 2-1 and 1-0 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference after a 41-35 win against Bethany on Saturday. Running back Brian Mercer gained 126 yards on 29 carries, a 4.3 yards-per-rush average against the Bison. Mercer had four rushing touchdowns and caught a pass for 14 yards in the win.
Games of the Week
Wooster (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) at Denison (1-1, 0-1), Saturday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.: Six of the ten teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference have .500 or better records after three weeks of football action. The Fighting Scots take their act on the road for the second time this season with a night game at Denison.
At the beginning of the year, the Big Red felt they had the necessary tools to beat Wooster. After a 14-point loss to Wabash, which is a 28-point improvement from the 2007 setback, Denison must pressure the quarterback. Wooster has allowed just one sack in two games.
Grove City (2-1, 1-0 PAC) at Washington and Jefferson (3-0, 1-0), Saturday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.:. For the second-straight week, the Grove City Wolverines will play a conference game under the lights. Although, this time Grove City will travel to Washington and Jefferson to play the Presidents.
The Wolverines lost last year's meeting 49-14, but Washington and Jefferson has looked vulnerable at times this year. While Presidents quarterback Bobby Swallow has improved since the opener at Oberlin, the defense has given up an average of 26.7 points per game through the first three weeks.
