QB Keith may askto redshirt at A&M
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
By REGGIE BENSON
Times Sports Staff
[email protected]
full article at
http://www.al.com/sports/huntsville...sports/1124788650112370.xml&coll=1&thispage=1
Senior frustrated behind starter Luke and backup Dorman
Johnny Keith has been a fixture in Alabama A&M's quarterback picture each of the last three years.
He was in the starting lineup three games into his freshman year and played a key role in helping the Bulldogs reach the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game. The next year, Keith completed almost 50 percent of his passes and threw for more than 1,500 yards in helping A&M post a second consecutive 8-4 season.
Last season, Keith was in and out of coach Anthony Jones' doghouse, but he still helped A&M win seven games while splitting time with Kelcy Luke.
This season, for the first time in his career, Keith isn't in the picture at quarterback.
Luke is entrenched as the starter and redshirt freshman Harold Dorman is listed as his backup. That leaves Keith, a senior from Mobile, on the outside looking in.
In last Saturday's scrimmage, Keith served as the scout team quarterback.
"It's hard, man," Keith said late last week. "I've never been in this position before in my life."
As a result, Keith is considering asking Jones to redshirt him.
"If I don't get to play the first four or five games, I will ask him to redshirt me," he said. "That's only fair."
Jones said if Keith doesn't play, he would oblige.
"Johnny has been a good kid and has helped us win a lot of football games," said Jones, 23-12 at A&M entering his fourth season. "He has worked hard and he will graduate at the end of this year. If he doesn't play, and I'm not saying he's not, but if he doesn't, I will redshirt him. That would be an opportunity for him to go to graduate school and continue playing, but that's so far down the road ..."
Keith has found this preseason particularly difficult to handle because he's a senior.
"I've probably played in every game we've won since Coach Jones has been here besides Alcorn State last year, and I started most of them," he said. "It's tough to watch the news cameras come out here and nobody has anything to say to me. It's like I'm nonexistent."
Keith's problems began heading into preseason practice last year. He had beefed up to 240 pounds and that affected his play. Keith threw four interceptions in the season opener at Tennessee State and things went downhill from there.
"Last year was a terrible season," Keith said. "There were a lot of situations where I hurt the team, but there were a lot of times where I was thrust into action and it was a bad situation from the start."
Keith lost 15 pounds down to 225. Even so, the offense, Keith says, is different than the one he ran his first two years.
"The system we have evolved to, has a lot of option in it and it requires the quarterback to move," he said. "Those guys are fast. Kelcy runs a 4.4. He can play receiver or defensive back. It's not that I can't run. I'm just a different quarterback. If I break, I might run for 30. Kelcy might take it 60."