Mobile QBs a headache for opposing defenses

Before tossing touchdowns at Lamar or running through Houston Baptist and Nicholls to the tune of 294 yards, Sema’J Davis first displayed his assuredness as a dual-threat quarterback in 2018.

Assisting a short-handed backfield, Davis ran the rock nine times at Sam Houston State. Five of his runs resulted in a first down and four were over 10 yards, as he averaged a hefty 9.0 yards per carry.

His gains of 11 and 17 yards midway through the third propelled a 75-yard drive that resulted in the go-ahead touchdown, and he started the fourth with a 16-yard completion to Tracy James.

Unable to keep their newfound weapon at bay, ACU’s coaches provided the Midland native with an increase of reps in 2019 as he: 

• Stiff-armed Arizona Christian for 92 yards. 
• Steamrolled the Huskies and Colonels (9.8 ypc, 3 TD) during a three-game win streak.
• Lit the scoreboard twice in the home finale vs. Southeastern Louisiana, which included a career-long 62-yard strike to wide receiver Josh Fink and 15-yard TD pass to Branden Hohenstein.

Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh Lamberson has admired Davis’ progress over the last four seasons.

“You couldn't get two words out of the kid when he came in here as a freshman,” he said, “and now he’s part of our leadership council; he’s one of the guys people look up to. 

“He’s not only embraced the standards we’ve set, he’s enforced them and taken them to the next level. He’s holding everyone on the team accountable to be selfless, tough and disciplined, and it’s exciting to see him step into that leadership role.”

Davis said his growth in confidence comes from experience.

Davis’ skill set, it seems, made such an impression on the coaches, they stocked three more in the quarterback room just like him: junior Peyton Mansell, redshirt freshman Andrew Stripling, and true freshman Stone Earle of Birdville High School. 

Lamberson himself was a dual-threat quarterback during a Hall-of-Fame playing career at Northwest Missouri State, where he was coached by Wildcat head coach Adam Dorrel. So, it makes sense they’d bring in players who can win games with their arms and legs.

“As a quarterback, you've often got to improvise and make something out of nothing,” said Lamberson, “and so these are the guys we've really targeted in recruiting. Sema’J and Peyton definitely fit the bill but so do Andrew and Stone.

“All of these guys have the ability to throw the ball first, be accurate and push the ball down the field. They’re also very capable though in the zone read game and run game.”

These quarterbacks also have the ability to be dynamic when things break down.

“They can extend and make plays with their feet while keeping their eyes downfield,” said Lamberson. “Having that capacity is something I think is really vital for our quarterbacks and gives the defense a lot of headaches."

“I think all four of these guys have done a really good job,” said Dorrel during his Southland Conference Media Day appearance. “It’s going to be a really good battle, but the thing I like about all four of the guys is that all of them are mobile. They’re not just pocket passers. They’re able to move around. It’s going to help us jumpstart our offense and I think be more creative with all four of them.”

Mansell, a transfer from Iowa, is Davis’ primary competition for the starting job. 

As a senior at Belton High School in 2016, Mansell completed 70.1 percent of his pass attempts, leading to 2,526 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also rushed the ball 165 times for 1,134 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Mansell’s high school numbers led to recruitments from a number of Conference USA and Sun Belt schools, and after he committed to Iowa, he started to hear from coaches at Illinois, USC and Tennessee.

But he remained firm in his commitment to the Hawkeyes, and went on to compete in five games for them as a redshirt freshman (2018), completing 5-8 pass attempts for 83 yards. That same season he rushed eight times for 31 yards and a touchdown vs. Northern Illinois.

Toward the end of 2019, however, Mansell was looking to get back to Texas, and with the help of his high school offensive coordinator Sam Skidmore, he made an immediate connection with Lamberson.

“I took Sam’s call at dinnertime and he told me Peyton was looking for something outside of Iowa and wanted an opportunity to compete,” said Lamberson. “Obviously we had a void in our quarterback room with Sema'J really being the only returner who had any experience at all. 

“I watched Peyton's highlight film in the restaurant, and called (Mansell’s former HS teammate) Remington (Lutz) to get a sense from him on what type of person Peyton was. We called friends of ours at Iowa, and the coaches there not only spoke highly of his skill set but also his work ethic, leadership, and intangibles. So, we felt like he would be a really good fit.”

Mansell’s recruitment did not last long. He was on campus two days later and committed on the spot. 

Mansell called his whirlwind recruitment, “kismet.”

“Remington and I drove from Belton to Abilene and it was great,” he said. “I talked ball with coach Lambo over dinner for over two hours and didn’t leave town until close to 10 p.m. that night. I got a great vibe from him and Coach Dorrel about how they run their program.”

Not wanting to ‘ruffle any feathers’ Mansell has simply put his head down and gone to work since his mid-year arrival, and he’s slowly transitioned into a leader as he gains the respect of his teammates. 

“Even though it’s a competition, we’re still each other’s biggest fans,” said Mansell. “We’re also the hardest on ourselves and each other. I’ve had plenty of times where I see something that maybe somebody else doesn’t, and I help them out, but there’s been plenty of times where they’ve helped me. It is a competition without the animosity, and I feel like we have a real tight knit QB room.”

No matter who wins the quarterback competition, don’t expect the others to be sidelined for long. This season because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, there could be ample opportunities for the QBs to perform on special teams or add an extra dimension to the backfield.

Lamberson notes that Mansell can punt, and we all know how well Davis can run with the ball.

 “QB1, field goal holder, helping on punts … I want to make that bus every week, regardless,” he said. “Even if one of us is not the No. 1 or 2 QB that week, the guys in the QB room want to make an impact on special teams.”

Many of these decisions will come down to game week as coaches identify available personnel and draw up schemes to exploit the opposition. 

A lot of ‘outside-the-box’ thinking is guaranteed.

This willingness of these QBs to play out of their comfort zones comes from a sincere love of football. 

• As leaders, they’re showing their teammates and one another some tough love when things aren’t done correctly.
• As competitors, they’re the hardest working guys in the weight room.
• And as students of the game, they want to know more and why.

“They're football junkies,” said Lamberson. “They're always kind of pressing the envelope on ideas and how to get better and asking really pertinent good questions. So, I've been extremely impressed with who they are individually and what they're becoming as a group.”