Southern Miss faces looming controversy
By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
September 27, 2003
Southern Miss football fans get ready.
Stretch out your dialing fingers, fire up your computer monitors and start filling the radio call-in shows and Internet message boards with fuel for a Golden Eagles quarterback controversy.
For the remaining eight games on the team's schedule, USM quarterback may as well be Latin for "controversy."
With starting quarterback Micky D'Angelo sidelined for at least two more weeks because of a concussion he suffered on Sept. 13 against Memphis, backup Dustin Almond stepped behind center for his first start of the season in a 38-14 whitewashing by Nebraska Thursday night.
Despite coach Jeff Bower's and offensive coordinator Rip Scherer's claims that the sophomore quarterback, with a cannon for an arm, had matured and is a better decision maker, Almond was anything but a polished ball slinger.
The Orange Park, Fla., native completed an abysmal 4-of-24 passes for a paltry 68 yards. He fumbled away two snaps and tossed two interceptions, two of the turnovers were followed by Cornhuskers' touchdowns.
USM's sideline general didn't waste any time finding away to cure his quarterback problem. Bower named freshman quarterback Damion Carter his starter on Friday, less than 24 hours after the loss to Nebraska.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder from the same high school that produced Eli and Peyton Manning, New Orleans Newman, notched 143 passing yards and one touchdown in the game's final 10:29. He finished the game connecting on 14-of-17 attempts.
Each completed pass Carter connected with receivers on his first six throws was followed by boisterous cheers from the few yellow-and-black clad fans remaining from the record crowd of 36,125 at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
As one reporter said in the press box, "We are watching the future," as Carter led a 17-play, 92-yard scoring drive after entering the game in the final quarter.
The substitute quarterback completed 10-of-12 passes for 89 yards on the drive that lowered Nebraska's lead to 31-14, with 2:43 left in the game, and he made timely pitches to the Eagles' backs on option plays.
After the loss, Bower tried to squash any controversy at the quarterback stop.
It was actually the fourth question asked, and Bowers words seem mute after naming his starter for the game against the Bearcats.
But before every Eagle fan starts popping their favorite celebration beverage remember, Carter entered Thursday's game well after the final outcome was decided, and his passes were connecting against the Cornhuskers' second-string defense that was playing off the line.
Still, even Bower admitted to almost inserting Carter into the game earlier, which would have ripped off his redshirt against Nebraska's blackshirts, as things continually went from bad to worse to code red for the USM offense.
Cincinnati's defense will not be a ferocious as Nebraska's No. 1-ranked unit, and
D'Angelo will most likely be reinserted when he is cleared to play because of the old rhetoric of "starters shouldn't lose their starting job because of an injury," but don't be surprised when Carter sneaks into more and more games in the second half the rest of the year.
He may even see a series here and there in the first half to provide a spark for an inconsistent Eagles' offense.
And if things get as bad as they did against Nebraska with D'Angelo, Carter may very well end the season shouting out the first and last "Hike!" of all the Eagles' games.
His redshirt has already been burned, and the question of "Who is your quarterback?" will be blazing strong when D'Angelo returns. Bower may as well see what Carter can cook up for the Eagles.
