Newspaper Page Text
12B
♦ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007
Collier a standout at WDfford
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
No more “deer in the head
lights” looks from Wofford
College quarterback Josh
Collier. Five years at this
Spartanburg, S.C., school,
and this former Houston
County High School Bear
is looking towards a share
of the Southern Conference
championship and a long
run in the NCAA Football
Championship Subdivision
playoffs. Collier and the
Wofford Terriers are set to
host the Georgia Southern
Eagles for Homecoming on
Saturday. The 7-2 Terriers
are ranked No. 10 in the FCS
(formerly known as Division
I-AA) and stand tied for first
in the Southern Conference
with Elon at 4-1.
In facing Georgia Southern,
it’s the only time in the sea
son Collier gets to face a
team from his home state,
“I always look forward to it
in a way,” said Collier during
a telephone interview with
the Houston Home Journal.
“Not only that they are from
my home state, but they have
so many national champion
ships. They’re good every
year, and if you can compete
with them you feel you can
compete with anybody.”
Collier admitted that, as a
youngster, he didn’t follow
the Eagles as much as the
state’s bigger schools like the
University of Georgia. He said
he did attend some Georgia
Southern football camps and
that the Eagles recruited
him early in his high school
career. He said that interest
fell off as he neared gradua
tion, but he found a better fit
with Wofford.
In 2003, Collier redshirted.
His real playing career for
Wofford began as a sopho
more in 2005, and that’s
when the “deer in the head
lights” feelings started com
ing over him. But he shook
that off and had a string of
22 straight starts at quarter
back going into his current
senior season.
Coming into 2007, Collier
had career numbers of nine
touchdown passes and 1,187
passing yards (90-for-207)
in addition to 17 rushing
touchdowns and 1,095 yards
gained on the ground. This
year he has so far account
ed for 260 yards and seven
touchdowns on the ground
with 706 passing yards and
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lUp f
three touch
downs.
“I was
eager to
learn,” said
Collier, who
first gained
100 yards
in a game
when he
tallied 101
COLLIER
against Furman in 2005. “I
learned how to manage the
game and became more of a
leader.”
With learning leadership,
Collier said he also learned
trust; trust not only in him
self but also in his team
mates. Wofford runs an
option offense out of the
shotgun, and he said it takes
a lot of trust to execute it.
“We accomplished that
this year,” said Collier. “I’ve
improved on making reads,
getting in good situations
and depending more on the
passing game. We are not a
one-dimensional offense.”
Collier in fact had a string
earlier in his career of throw
ing 92 straight passes with
out an interception. His
career high in passing yards
came this season in a 45-20
win against Furman. There,
he threw for 187 yards with
a touchdown.
For the past two seasons,
Collier hasn’t had to shoul
der the entire quarterback
load for the Terriers. Wofford
rotates two quarterbacks, the
second being Idaho junior
Ben Widmyer.
“He’s a good player,” said
Collier. “You will see him in
the games. (The rotation)
works fine. It keeps a fresh
quarterback in the game.
When you run the option,
you are going to take a lot
of hits, so it’s good to have
someone fresh in there.”
Collier is still looking for
that “perfect game” from the
Terriers, even though the
2007 results would look good
for any school. Wofford did
have the slip up against Elon
and took a loss to Division
I foe North Carolina State
despite having more total
yards than the Wolfpak.
That game had 15 penalties
and three turnovers against
Wofford. The football world
had to take notice of the
Terriers when they beat two
time defending FCS cham
pion and Michigan Wolverine
slayers Appalachian State. In
that game, Collier was 7-for
at Houston Healthcare
9 passing for 110 yards and
a career-best 49-yard touch
down throw.
“That was big for our pro
gram,” he said. “That gave
us confidence.”
In another stretch of games
this year, Wofford beat The
Citadel 28-7 as Collier snuck
in a late touchdown run
but had an intercepted pass
returned for a score. Against
Gardner-Webb, his team won
again as he again snuck for
a touchdown but also had a
pass picked off.
“We have to take care of
our own business ... play well
and win out,” said Collier
about the drive towards a
share of the SoCon title.
“That was our goal from Day
1. This being my senior year,
it will be a good feeling.
“We have a unique offense.
Not a lot of people have
seen it,” he added about the
upcoming postseason. “Plus,
we play in the Southern
Conference, which has the
toughest competition in the
nation.”
Collier has been able to
learn from some veterans in
the coaching profession, and
some coaches responsible
for keeping Wofford football
alive when the program was
in dire straits as a Division
II school after the 1987 sea
son. Mike Ayers became head
coach in 1988 and has stayed
there since; Wofford moving
up to the FCS level in 2002.
Wade Lang has been the
Wofford offensive coordina
tor and quarterbacks coach
for those same 18 years (24
overall at the school). Collier
said he is probably the smart
est football person he’s been
around.
Collier did feel “a little sad”
when learning that his high
school coach, Doug Johnson,
retired from Houston County
High during the summer.
Like several others, Collier
said it caught him by sur
prise, especially since he said
he saw Johnson a few times
during the summer and the
subject never came up.
In addition to his football
playing accomplishments,
Collier can also be proud
of making the Southern
Conference Academic Honor
Roll. Sometime next spring,
he plans to start therapy
school. If sometime next year
an opportunity comes up to
continue playing football, he
said he would love to take it.
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