Pigskin Roundup 2017 | Page 70

Here is the statistical breakdown of Saks’ recent dual-threat quarterbacks T. SMITH (2013) HARRIS (2014) Passing Yds 1352 654 Rushing Yds 1127 1916 Passsing TDs 16 8 Rushing TDs 20 27 This whole run of dual-threat quarterbacks at Saks started because the head coach needed to find a way to get the ball the hands of his best athlete more often. What better way to do that than let him direct the offense? Smith The First responded with nearly 2,500 yards of total offense and 36 total touchdowns -- evenly divided between the run and the pass – in a year the Wildcats set the school record for points. He passed for 1,352 yards and 16 touchdowns, rushed for 1,127 yards and 20 scores, and the Wildcats scored a whopping 595 points while getting all the way to the Class 3A semifinals. “Trey could do it all, a special player, and he also had good skill guys around him, so we felt like that was our best fit to have the most chance at success,” Miller said. “That was probably our most prolific offense in school history.” The next year the job fell to Devin Harris, sort of by emergency. Harris was a slot receiver, but projected quarterback Quin Smith wasn’t completely recovered from an ACL tear, so, continuing with the idea of getting the ball in the best athlete’s hand, the job went to Harris. He was more of a runner than his predecessor and rushed for more than 2,000 yards while breaking the school record for rushing touchdowns (27). Smith The Second finally got his chance behind center in 2015. He might have been the smallest of the quarterbacks in size, but he was quick on his feet, although he didn’t have to run it as much with the other backs behind him, and could throw it if you slept on him. He ran for more than 500 yards, threw for 1,161 yards and accounted for 19 total touchdowns. 68 | 2017 Pigskin Roundup the Magazine “The thing that puts pressure on defense more than anything is a quarterback who is a dual threat, who can get back there and you have to respect him throwing the ball but they can also run it effectively,” Miller said. “It’s definitely had a big impact on our success and we’ve built the offense really around our quarterback.” And now it falls to Bell. The good thing for the Wildcats is he’ll be the first one of the lot they’ve had in the position for more than one year. Each of the three preceding quarterbacks played only as seniors. Bell had the luxury of learning on the go as a ju