Freshman QB D.T. McDowell from Tucker High School to start Silicon Valley Bowl.

[Ben E Lou]

Thomas has gotten more hype this year, and deservedly so, but D.T. has also earned himself a starting spot as a true freshman, and the Trojans will be on the Deuce at 11pm tonight. A few news clips and stats...

Learning on the run

Wednesday, December 29, 2004
MIKE PERRIN
News staff writer
Troy University's football team plays yet another "biggest game ever" on Thursday in San Jose, Calif., in the Silicon Valley Football Classic.

Just four seasons into its Division I-A life, the Trojans will play in a post-season bowl game.

Quarterback D.T. McDowell will play in a post-season bowl game in just his ninth college game - his sixth as a starter. Don't expect the true freshman from Stone Mountain, Ga., to get overwhelmed by the national spotlight and the crowd at San Jose State University's Spartan Stadium, however.

McDowell's first college start came in a little place called Death Valley, LSU's Tiger Stadium, in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a Troy football game in 83 years of playing the sport.

The 19-year-old came to Troy from the minor-league baseball fields of Arizona, where he played in the California Angels organization. He played a few snaps in the Trojans' season-opening upset win at Marshall, sat out the upset over Missouri at Troy the next week and saw spotty action behind Aaron Leak before his start at LSU.

"D.T. was a quick study and it looked like we needed to get him going early," Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said, "but everything started piling up on him. He was having a hard time trying to master it.

"We figured out he wasn't Superman, but he was a good player and a good kid. He has continued to work and there was a decision that needed to be made one way or another and I made it to move forward with him at quarterback. We'd had two four-point losses on the road and we weren't getting it done.

"That position gets more criticism than it deserves and more credit, but it was obvious that our team needed a change on offense."

Despite four straight wins under McDowell at one point, Troy's offense has struggled all season and ranks 113th out of 117 teams in the NCAA. The Trojans run for 167 yards a game - good for 46th in the country - but gain just 116.45 yards a game through the air. Only three teams fare worse in the passing game.

McDowell has completed 36 of 84 passes for 463 yards with three interceptions and four touchdowns. He has 80 yards rushing.

McDowell believes he has improved through the Trojans' 7-4 season headed into the 10 p.m. (CST) game against Northern Illinois (8-3).

"You've got to have a lot of poise, you've got to be patient and learn how to block stuff out," McDowell said. "You've got to learn how to adjust to your faster receivers, to the defense. You've got to know what you're throwing, where the route's coming, where the backers are. It's a lot to learn . . . I told my offensive line I appreciate them being patient with me and adjusting to me."

McDowell said his baseball experience has helped him on the football field - not in hand-eye coordination but in his mental approach.

"I learned a valuable lesson in baseball. One of my managers told me, `You know, failure is the key to life.' I went 0 for 10 the first three games, came back and finished with the highest batting average on the team."










Silicon Valley Classic at San Jose Northern Illinois (8-3, 7-1 MAC) vs. Troy 7-4, 4-2 Sun Belt)

Time/TV: 11/ESPN2. Surface: Grass.

Line: Troy by 2. Sagarin ratings: Troy 71.57, Northern Illinois 67.66.

Payout per team: $750,000. Bowl records: Northern Illinois 1-0, Troy first bowl.

Series: First meeting.

Points: The late starting time and participants that aren't household names give this bowl something of a "tree-falling-in-a-forest" quality, but the Huskies and Trojans weren't about to pass up the trip. The game's key matchup pits Northern Illinois RB Garrett Wolfe against a Troy defense that's fifth nationally against the run. Huskies QB Josh Haldi doesn't throw often, but when he does he has a dangerous weapon in WR Dan Sheldon. QB D.T. McDowell is more dangerous with his feet than his arm, but he could give Huskies LB Javan Lee more to think about.

Extra point: NIU's lone postseason appearance in the major college ranks was a 20-13 victory against Cal State-Fullerton in the 1983 California Bowl. Troy is making its first I-A postseason appearance but owns national championships in NAIA (1968) and NCAA Division II (1984, '87).





Matchups to watch at Silicon Valley Classic
By Adam Rittenberg Daily Herald Sports Writer
Posted 12/27/2004

Even the most amateur fight promoter could identify the main event at the Silicon Valley Football Classic, to be held Thursday in San Jose, Calif.

Northern Illinois sophomore tailback Garrett Wolfe, the nation's leading scorer (12 ppg), will exchange blows with a Troy defense ranked seventh (90.7 ypg) against the run.

But if the teams' strengths offset each another, the undercard bouts likely will determine the ultimate champion.

Here's a look at several of the bowl's understated but significant matchups:

• NIU passing game vs. Troy secondary: The Trojans intercepted a nation-high 25 passes, 4 of which were returned for touchdowns. Senior free safety Derrick Ansley has 14 interceptions the last two seasons, while six of his teammates have multiple picks this year.

Troy ranks 10th nationally in pass-efficiency defense (101.6 rating).

"Their coaches are putting them in position to make those plays and their corners and safeties just find the football," Huskies quarterback Josh Haldi said. "The pressure up front allows them to play base coverage behind it and get to the football that way."

As one of the most accurate passers in school history, Haldi has thrown 2.9 touchdowns for each interception. The senior tossed 15 touchdowns and only 4 picks this year, but he missed several shots downfield in NIU's loss to Toledo.

• NIU offensive line vs. Troy defensive front: Huskies tackle Jake VerStraete said Troy, which usually rushes only four players, is "by far the fastest defense we've played all year." Josh Haldi was sacked three times in each of NIU's final three regular-season games.

"We're going to have to block them and sustain blocks," NIU coach Joe Novak said. "If you're going to do that, we have to hit some play-action passes against them."

Haldi compared Troy defensive end Demarcus Ware (10.5 sacks) to former Western Michigan star Jason Babin, now a member of the Houston Texas. Novak said Trojans defensive tackle Alfred Malone, a Georgia Tech transfer, could be the best linemen NIU has faced all season.

• NIU defense vs. Troy offensive line: The Trojans' starting line averages 301 pounds, but their speed is what grabbed Brian Atkinson's attention.

"They can get to the pile real quickly," said Atkinson, a senior linebacker and NIU's leading tackler (121). "One of their strengths is they can move real quickly, get around and block you."

"We have to attack more. We've got to come downhill and we've got to bring it to them harder than we have. You've got to read and react quicker than you're used to."

Troy will start true freshman D.T. McDowell at quarterback. McDowell has completed only 42.9 percent of his passes for an average of 51.4 yards a game.

"You've got to give him the same respect as a veteran because he's been there in the same positions," Huskies safety Lionel Hickenbottom said of McDowell, who became Troy's starter late in the season. "He's a good athlete, a great runner.

"It's going to keep us on our toes."

Touch down: NIU arrived Sunday in San Jose and conducted a light workout at nearby Saratoga High School. The Huskies will hold morning practices today and Tuesday.

Totals		Passing										Rushing
SEASON		RECORD	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	TD	INT	SACK	RAT	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
2004		7-4	36	84	463	42.9	5.5	4	3	18	97.7	63	80	1.3	0

2004 Game Log		Passing									Rushing
DATE & OPP	RESULT	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	TD	INT	SACK	RAT	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
9/4 @Marshall	Win 17-15	0	1	0	0.0	0.0	0	1	0	-200.0	0	0	0.0	0
9/9 Missouri	Win 24-14	Did not play
9/18 @New Mexico State	Loss 22-18	3	4	18	75.0	4.5	0	0	0	112.8	3	11	3.7	0
9/25 @South Carolina	Loss 17-7	0	2	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	1	0.0	4	28	7.0	0
10/2 Utah State	Win 49-21	0	6	0	0.0	0.0	0	1	0	-33.3	1	9	9.0	0
10/16 @Arkansas State	Loss 13-9	Did not play
10/23 @LSU	Loss 24-20	7	14	60	50.0	4.3	1	0	4	109.6	14	-10	-0.7	0
10/30 Idaho	Win 47-7	3	12	48	25.0	4.0	0	1	5	41.9	9	-17	-1.9	0
11/6 Fla Atlantic	Win 24-6	7	16	101	43.8	6.3	1	0	3	117.4	17	62	3.6	0
11/13 @La Lafayette	Win 13-10	8	12	92	66.7	7.7	0	0	3	131.1	10	4	0.4	0
11/20 Middle Tenn. St.	Win 37-17	8	17	144	47.1	8.5	2	0	2	157.0	5	-7	-1.4	0

D.T. McDowell #12 Height: 5-10 Weight: 185 Class: FR Hometown: Stone Mountain, GA/Tucker HS 2004 Game Notes: Made his debut against Marshall, but had his only pass attempt intercepted. Saw significant playing time against New Mexico State, completing three of four passes for 18 yards...Had four rushes for 28 yards in the game at South Carolina...Played virtually the entire second half against Utah State, but failed to complete a pass and was intercepted once. PREP: A playmaker on offense, McDowell is considered one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the country … featured as No. 20 in the Rivals.com Georgia top 50 recruits … listed as No. 12 on the Rivals.com Dual Threat QBs list … rated as a Super Prospect by ESPN.com … earned honorable mention all-state honors in both his senior and junior seasons … led Tucker HS to a 34-4 record in three seasons … as a senior, led Tucker HS to a 12-2 record and a No. 5 ranking in Georgia class AAAA … passed for 1,602 yards and eight touchdowns and completed 94-of-158 passes, earning all-county and all-region honors … also rushed for 642 yards and 11 touchdowns on 96 carries in 2003, earning All-County Offensive MVP honors … as a junior in 2002, also earned all-county and all-region honors in leading THS to 12-1 record … passed for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 400 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior … led THS to a 10-1 record in his sophomore campaign … in his career at THS, completed 217-of-400 passes for 3,699 yards and 24 touchdowns, ranking him in the top five in career passing yards in DeKalb County … ran for 1,001 yards and 25 touchdowns on 172 carries in his career … also an all-state baseball player, with a fastball that has been clocked in the mid 90s ... Was selected in the June Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Anaheim Angels and spent his summer leading the Arizona League Mesa Angles with a .310 batting average. McDOWELL CAREER HIGHS Passes: 6, vs. Utah State (10/2/04) Completions: 3, at New Mexico State (9/18/04) Yards: 18, at New Mexico State (9/18/04) Long pass: 12, at New Mexico State (9/18/04) TD Passes: 0 Long TD Pass: 0 Interceptions: 1, Twice (Last: vs. Utah State, 10/2/04) Rushes: 4, at South Carolina (9/25/04) Yards: 28, at South Carolina (9/25/04) Long Rush: 20, at South Carolina (9/25/04) Rush TD: 0

[digamma]

I'll be watching!

[B & B]

Blakeney said true freshman quarterback D.T. McDowell must continue his recent sound play.

"He takes care of the ball pretty well and is decisive with the ball," Blakeney said. "He'll put it down and run. He makes people miss and takes care of the football. There's no way he knows the offense yet and he has trouble with the blitz, but most of them do."

[The_herd]

Thanks for the Army add, but I already enlisted several years ago.

[Neuqua]

Oh man Skydog, I root like hell for all your Tucker Tigers at the next level but no way am I rooting against my school tonight!

Go NIU Huskies!

[Ben E Lou]

City-wide power problem in San Jose, California. Kickoff on hold.

[Ben E Lou]

They've started now.

[Ben E Lou]

Nice play there. D.T. just escaped what should have been a 10-12 yard sack and ran for a 6-yard first down.

[Ben E Lou]

Sweet! Big bomb, dead on the money, 45-yard gain down to the 1-yard line.

[GrantDawg]

And no more TV.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

And no more TV.

[Ben E Lou]

I'm guessing it will be back. They seem to be working hard to keep it going.

[SunDancer]

Man, the TV angles are bad.

[Ben E Lou]

Back.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Man, the TV angles are bad.

Camera angle, not angles. Right now they only have one camera working because of the power difficulties.

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Camera angle, not angles. Right now they only have one camera working because of the power difficulties.

Yes, sorry. I meant camera angles.

[Ben E Lou]

Screen pass. TD. D.T. is looking quite good so far.

[Ben E Lou]

*Much* better now. Looks like cameras are working.

[Celeval]

http://www.troystate.com/audio.htm has live audio of the game, as well.

[Ben E Lou]

Ugh. Bad decision there.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Field looks bad, lighting looks weak ... kinda looks like GPTV coverage, and that's being kind IMO.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Friggin punt block ... grr.

Aside from D.T., my son has actually taken a bit of an interest in Troy State after watching them against Mizzou. It's one of the few underdogs that I've seen him root for (GT notwithstanding).

[DaddyTorgo]

as a totally random note. Used to live in Saratoga (where Troy practiced). Don't anymore, but used to. Remember the HS. Very...upperclass. Wouldn't be going out on a limb to say those football players were probably the only minorities in town (unless you count the white folks, also a minority there. town is like...98% Asian). Also used to live in Los Gatos (where the Brazilian national team stayed during the '94 WC).

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Field looks bad, lighting looks weak ... kinda looks like GPTV coverage, and that's being kind IMO.

Yeah. It has taken a step backward since my "much better" comment. The Tucker-St. Pius game *definitely* looked better on TV than this, and GPTV's coverage of the Dome games was far superior. It looks SO dark out there.

[henry296]

It must be because of the power. Just look at how little light there seems to be on the near side.

[Neuqua]

Huskies win their first bowl game in 21 years!

DT looked pretty good for a freshman, he's got a future ahead of him.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

Huskies win their first bowl game in 21 years!

DT looked pretty good for a freshman, he's got a future ahead of him.

I hope so. My primary concern for him is the divided attention between football and baseball. He's definitely got all of the tools needed to go far in football, and has a shot in baseball as well. However, he's got some developing to do in both. Part of me just hopes he'll pick one and stick with it. He's a very good athlete, but not a phenom like Deion or Bo who can play at the top level in both.

[digamma]

I missed the first quarter, which means I missed most of D.T.'s highlights. But I did manage to see his TD in the fourth quarter.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by digamma

I missed the first quarter, which means I missed most of D.T.'s highlights. But I did manage to see his TD in the fourth quarter.

From watching a full game for the first time this year, one thing is evident: D.T.'s poor completion percentage is a little more understandable in context. Troy has a good running game, and a very solid defense. It appears that they're a run-first team, and they like to use the threat of D.T.'s strong arm to keep the safeties honest. Even when Troy was leading, it seems like they called at least one deep pass (and I mean >25 yards) in nearly every possession, and sometimes more than that. I'd be curious to know how many of D.T.'s 20 pass attempts last night were long balls. The evidence is there in his yardage: 6 completions, 122 yards. Take away the 45-yarder, and he still was averaging over 15 yards per completion.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

From watching a full game for the first time this year, one thing is evident: D.T.'s poor completion percentage is a little more understandable in context. Troy has a good running game, and a very solid defense. It appears that they're a run-first team, and they like to use the threat of D.T.'s strong arm to keep the safeties honest. Even when Troy was leading, it seems like they called at least one deep pass (and I mean >25 yards) in nearly every possession, and sometimes more than that. I'd be curious to know how many of D.T.'s 20 pass attempts last night were long balls. The evidence is there in his yardage: 6 completions, 122 yards. Take away the 45-yarder, and he still was averaging over 15 yards per completion.

I watched most of the LSU game as well. They definitely run the ball first. Their line appears to be a solid run-blocking line, but has some holes in its pass blocking. Against LSU, that is understandable, but I'm not sure how good NIU's front four is.

As noted in Blakeny's comment above, Troy may still be limited in the play book and may be stuck running one receiver patterns because D.T. hasn't progressed enough in making reads and checking off receivers.

All that said, I think he can be a really solid D-I quarterback.

[Ben E Lou]

A *very* nice column from the Troy Messenger.

Troy QB proves to be special player

By Andy Brown, The Messenger You never truly learn what kind of person someone is when things are going his way.

You learn what kind of person is when adversity hits.

For the Troy University football team adversity hit last Thursday night in the form of a 34-21 loss to Northern Illinois University in the fifth annual Silicon Valley Football Classic and through the adversity the Trojans, and particularly true freshman quarterback D.T. McDowell, have shone.

At the beginning of the season Troy head football coach Larry Blakeney said he felt like the Stone Mountain, Ga., native was a special player. I assumed that he meant on the field. I learned later that McDowell is as special off the field as he is on the field.

His numbers won't overwhelm you. McDowell completed just 42-of-104 attempts for 585 yards and five touchdowns. He had a net rushing total of just 98 yards despite gaining 312 yards on the ground.

Those numbers aren't going to catapult the quarterback into the 2005 Heisman Trophy race, but those numbers also aren't an accurate indication of how special this guy is.

For sports writers and sports fans it's easy to get caught up in numbers. It's easy to judge a season or a player by statistics, but the truth is statistics are for the fans.

Statistics are around so old men can sit around the coffee shop and talk about who the best player is. There's nothing wrong with that, but in reality one statistic counts - wins and losses.

In that category, McDowell faired just fine. As a starter the freshman compiled a 4-2 record, including a near upset of the defending co-national champion LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, La.

McDowell was impressive in each of his wins, but he was even more impressive in the two losses the Trojans suffered while he was under center.

In both instances the freshman accepted the burden of the blame for the losses.

"It's all my fault," McDowell said after the Trojans' loss to NIU. "I know the guys will say that's not true, but I feel it is."

A special player indeed.

I'm not trying to give more credit than is deserved. There's no question McDowell has some growing up to do on the field. I believe he would tell you that. He made his share of mistakes, and he will continue to make some mistakes, but he will be a great player at Troy.

More importantly, he already has great character. When you look McDowell in the eye and talk with him, you just understand that you are engaging in conversation with someone who is special - a cut above the ordinary.

Forget he's a football player. Troy would have been fortunate to land him as a student even if he never set foot on the football field.

That's what makes seeing him whirling around making plays on the football field that much sweeter. He's the kind of guy sports fans long to cheer for because he's the kind of guy you can instantly like.

So cheer and cheer loudly for him, not just because he is likely going to be one of the greatest players ever to play, but because he is already a great guy.

[GrantDawg]

Pretty glowing comments. Is he going to play Baseball this spring?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Pretty glowing comments. Is he going to play Baseball this spring?

The last I talked with him about that (November, I think), yes. I've talked to him since then, but baseball hasn't come up. He's still under contract with the Angels' organization.