Champion gets his chance
Zac eager to lead ’Dogs into opener against Huskers
, buddy@rustonleader.com
08-30-2006
Zac Champion doesn’t have much longer to wait.And trust him, he has waited long enough for his Big Chance.
After two years as a reserve, the two-year letter winner will start off his junior season at Louisiana Tech University as the starting quarterback in Saturday’s 2006 opener.
It’s not just any ol’ opening game, either.
Champion makes his first collegiate start against Nebraska, one of the storied programs in college history.
Zac wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I’m pumped and I’m excited,” he said.
“I know it’s against a great Nebraska team that had a good season last year and is being ranked in the top 25 of the preseason polls, but anybody who is a competitor wants to play against the best and that’s the way I am.
“It’s a huge challenge, for sure, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
With five total appearances on his college ledger, Champion has earned the right to try and halt the Huskers by gaining the approval of head coach Jack Bicknell and offensive coordinator Conroy Hines since the spring; he was No. 1 on the depth chart at that time and has carried over his consistent play into fall camp, just ahead of aspiring starters Joe Danna (junior college transfer) and Michael Mosley (red-shirt freshman).
“Zac has shown that he can lead our team and give us the opportunity to win,” said Bicknell. “I would be comfortable with any of the three quarterbacks, but Zac gives us the experience and leadership that we need going into the Nebraska game.”
And Champion is eager to prove that he belongs in that No. 1 slot.
“I know this is the real deal now,” he said.
“Everything before this has really been just, I guess you’d say, a preparation period for now going ut and proving that I should be the starting quarterback.
I am going into this with confidence. It’s not a situation of being scared or anything, because, as a competitor, you have to show confidence in your team and your teammates.
From there, your teammates can be confident in you being their leader.”
Champion is a good-natured, personable and laid back 22-year-old with strong Christian beliefs.
But don’t be fooled.
He’s also a tough, hell-bent-for-leather warrior.
“This isn’t meant as bragging, but I’ve just felt all along I could be the starter,” he said.
“I just have the confidence that I can play and succeed. But I also know that my first two years here were meant to be and that it was a great learning experience for me.
“Luke McCown (former Tech star quarterback now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) told me a few years ago that you’ve got to be natural and just go out and do what you do best. He emphasized “doing your best’ and that’s what I’ve always tried to do.
“The last two years, I’ve watched Matt Kubik be a great leader for this team and I learned so much from him.
What I’ve learned from last year to this year is immense. I’m much more comfortable with our offensive system and what we’re trying to do.”
And with that analysis, Bicknell offers: “Zac has done a great job of being comfortable within what we’re trying to get done offensively. He’s become more and more aware of things and that type of confidence can be contagious to the rest of the team.”
Champion joined the Tech program following an award-filled career at Bessamer Academy in Bessamer, Ala.
In 2002, he helped lead his team to the Alabama Independent Schools Association state championship and a perfect 13-0 record.
Named as “Mr. Football” for the entire state of Alabama in the same year, the 6-2 and 205-pounder passed for 1,948 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 101-of-175 passes.
One college prospects’ evaluating system had him listed as one of the country’s top 50 rated prep quarterbacks as a senior.
He was red-shirted by Tech in 2003, then got into three games as a freshman in 2004 and completed 4-of-6 passes for 22 yards. Last season, he was a perfect 2-of-2 for 16 yards.
“It’s time for me to show what I can really do,” he admits.
“I feel that I can get better and better every time I compete, whether it’s in a game or one of our practices. In particular, I can always get better with my decision making, although I feel that it is the area where I have improved probably the most since I have gotten here.”
Champion will definitely get plenty of chances to display that decision making on Saturday.
In Nebraska, he’ll be going up against a perennially strong Huskers’ defense that will likely show a lot of looks and switch up their alignments regularly to hopefully confuse the first-time starter.
“Nebraska is definitely one of the best teams in the country, but I am excited that my first start is going to be against an opponent of that caliber and reputation,” he said.
“They’re very well-rounded, both offensively and defensively.
“But I have confidence in our team, too. I have no doubt at all that Louisiana Tech can compete against any team in the country. I see this game as a golden opportunity for us to show everybody what type of program we have here at Tech.”
With a slight chuckle, Champion even brought an oft-used cliche off of the shelf to describe the situation at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln this weekend:
“They put their pants on one leg at a time just like we do.”
Zachary Scott Champion was just embarking on a football and baseball (a highly regarded shortstop) career for Bessamer Academy the last time Tech played Nebraska.
That would have been in 1998 when the Tim Rattay-to-Troy Edwards show provided excitement for not only Bulldogs’ fans, but also an appreciative standing ovation of approval from the classy Husker fans. At game’s end, Nebraska supporters were applauding not just their 56-27 victory, but the performance put on by underdog Tech.
“I’ve heard a lot about the atmosphere there and it’s just another reason to be excited about this opportunity,” Champion said.
“They say it’s one of the greatest places to play a college football game and that makes it even more exciting.
“It’s the dream of any college athlete to want to play against that type of team and in that type of place. I’m pumped up about it.”
The wait is almost over for Zac Champion.
Just a few more days now.
For him, Saturday can’t get here too soon.
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