Quarterback Sam Straub takes charge in Salukis' first Football scrimmage

Photo by: Madison Case

Quarterback Sam Straub takes charge in Salukis' first Football scrimmage

03/26/2017 | 3:45:00 | Football

By: By Tom Weber, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. — There's a different kind of quarterback competition taking place this spring in Saluki Football, and it was on display Sunday afternoon in the team's first intrasquad scrimmage at Saluki Stadium.

Junior quarterback Sam Straub isn't battling anyone for the starting spot like he has the past two seasons with Mark Iannotti and Josh Straughan. The job is firmly his, and he definitely earned it by leading the team to wins in two of his three starts at the end of 2016.

Instead, Straub described an internal battle that's played out in his mind this spring after each practice. He's his own worst critic.

"I have to be harder on myself than I have been in the past," he acknowledged. "I've been in the film room more than I ever have, just critiquing my feet, my reads. I'm very hard on myself."

On the team's first drive of the scrimmage, Straub threw a laser to Darrell James for a 10-yard touchdown. On another drive, he completed three-straight passes and had the offense rolling before cornerback ShawnTrez Spates stepped in front of a sideline pass, picked it off and returned it for a touchdown. The highs and lows of the scrimmage will give Straub plenty to analyze before the team practices again on Tuesday.

"It's a great learning experience for him," said head coach Nick Hill, who put his team through a variety of situations during the scrimmage, such as red zone and two-minute drill.

"That situation was before the half, we're just trying to get points," Hill explained. "We have a minute-and-a-half, one timeout, we want to go down and at least secure a field goal if not score (a touchdown). We gave up points the other way, which can kill you. (Sam) has to be put in situations like that. He's done a lot of good things and has all spring."

Standing 6-foot-4 and a chiseled 235 pounds, Straub has all of the physical tools needed to excel at this level, including a rocket arm. The Iowa native was 13-of-28 for 116 yards in the scrimmage.

"He competes with himself more than worrying about us pushing him, which is why I think he can be a really good one," Hill said. "He'll get in there and watch the film and get those things corrected."

As you'd expect from a first scrimmage, the offense is a work in progress, and included a half dozen or so dropped passes. There were strong performances in the running game, where Cameron Walter carried six times for 42 yards, including a 31-yard TD burst. Jonathan Mixon also had a solid performance with eight carries for 27 yards, and he was able to pick up tough yardage when the offense was backed up to its own goal line.

"The offense has been way better this spring, if you look at it comparably to last year," Straub said. "We've really put an emphasis on running the ball, so seeing we could run the ball, move the ball on the ground was big for us."

Sophomore wide receiver Landon Lenoir had eight catches for 44 yards. Seven other players had at least one catch.

Forcing turnovers has been a spring ball emphasis for a Saluki defense that created 14 turnovers in 11 games last season. The Salukis had two interceptions today, one by Spates and another by safety Qua Brown. Withney Simon, Ryan Neal, Torian Lewis and Matt DeSomer each had four tackles to lead the defense.

"Let's let 'em play, let's put it on film, let's see who is getting better, let's see who makes some plays," Hill said. "Once we watch the film we'll have a better understanding."

The Salukis will have another scrimmage next Saturday and hold the annual spring game on April 8 at 2 p.m.

"It's different in the spring when you compete against each other every single day, so you try to create competitions within your team," Hill said. "It's all about individuals getting better, correcting things off film, putting them in tough situations that they can learn from."

RUSHING
Cameron Walter: 6-for-42, 1 TD
Chris Perkins: 6-for-31
Jonathan Mixon: 8-for-27
Daquan Isom: 5-for-21
Deionte Gaines: 1-for-4
Tanner Hearn: 2-for-minus 7

PASSING
Sam Straub: 13-of-28, 116 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Tanner Hearn: 4-of-12, 39 yards, 1 INT

RECEIVING
Landon Lenoir: 8-for-44
Connor Iwema: 2-for-25
Darrell James: 2-for-23, 1 TD
John Gardner: 1-for-28
Cameron Walter: 1-for-13
Daquan Isom: 1-for-12
Sam Bonansinga: 1-for-6
Raphael Leonard: 1-for-4

TACKLES (Solo/Assisted = Total)
Withney Simon: 4/0 = 4
Ryan Neal: 3/1 = 4
Torian Lewis: 3/1 = 4
Matt DeSomer: 3/1 = 4
Vince Martin: 3/0 = 3
C.J. Jennings: 2/1 = 3
Cody Crider: 2/1 = 3
Anthony Knighton: 2/0 = 2
Jordan Berner: 2/0 = 2
Kyron Watson: 2/0 = 2
Chuckie Sullivan: 2/0 = 2
Blake Parzych: 1/1 = 2
Bryce Notree: 1/1 = 2
Kamahl March: 1/0 = 1
Malik Haynes: 1/0 = 1
ShawnTrez Spates: 1/0 = 1
James Ceasar: 1/0 = 1
Qua Brown: 1/0 = 1
Markese Jackson: 1/0 = 1
Tori Millender: 1/0 = 1
Airan Reed: 0/1 = 1
Jake Summers: 0/1 = 1
Charlie HarrisL 0/1 = 1

TACKLES FOR LOSS
Jordan Berner: 1
Kyron Watson: 1
Withney Simon: 1
Chuckie Sullivan: 1

SACKS
Withney Simon: 1
Chuckie Sullivan: 1

INTERCEPTIONS
Qua Brown: 1
ShawnTrez Spates: 1

QB HURRIES
Kyron Watson: 1
Withney Simon: 1

PASS BREAKUPS
Torian Lewis: 1