FORT SMITH — The threat of the unpredictable has made playing quarterback fun for Union Christian senior Aaron Collins.
It hasn't been so much fun for the Eagles' opponents, who often have found themselves trying to guess what Collins will do next. It never seems certain whether Collins will keep the ball and run with it or chuck it downfield.
Collins, 5-10, 175 pounds, has passed for 353 yards and rushed for 301. It's difficult enough to prepare for that type of balance from a quarterback. Throw in the Eagles' varied collection of skill talent, and it's easy to see why opponents have had a hard time with the Eagles (3-0).
Union Christian is still one game away from beginning 4-2A Conference play, but Collins is already in midseason form. He's attempted 48 passes, but he's also kept the ball and run 31 times, so trends are difficult to noticeright away.
"It helps us out a lot that he can do all that," said running back Mohammed Matlock, a transfer from Fayetteville who has rushed for 301 yards. "I think running the ball is his strength, but he's a pretty good passer. He can get it to the mark."
So far it's been a season ofredemption for Collins, who battled through a chronic shoulder problem last season as a defensive back and the team's backup quarterback. Despite dislocating his shoulder twice, he played through most of his pain, filling in as the starting quarterback late and then undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum last January.
When the Eagles' offense was stagnant at times in a preseason scrimmage, Coach Bob Hattabaugh decided changes needed to be made to get the most out of Collins' ability.
"As opposed to sitting back as just a drop-back quarterback, we move him," Hattabaugh said. "He's got the option to run it at any time. It's mostly sprint-outs with lots of playaction stuff. It's a lot of bootlegand faking into the line."
Collins is adjusting on the fly. When teams were blitzing early in the season, he went more to screen passes to take advantage of the speedy tailback Matlock and bruising fullback Michael Matthews. Collins also has found dependable deeper targets in wideouts Matt Callaway and Justin Criswell.
With no shortage of options surrounding him, Collins can be selective when he decides to roll out and head upfield, where he can take advantage of his 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash.
"I definitely think it's affected some defenses, because every time I roll out they don't know what I'm going to do," Collins said. "It's made it a lot more exciting than just dropping back and handing it off or dropping back and throwing. You're able to turn around and give them another play.
"It's definitely more fun than being the typical quarterback."
Small colleges are giving him a look as a defensive back - he's recorded 13 tackles this season - and it's that defensive mentality that helps make Collins fearless when he runs the ball. Sliding to avoid the hit is not who Collins is. Hattabaugh can remember more than once this season where his quarterback has run through tacklers rather than duck underneath or run around them.
Sure, Collins has taken a few hard shots, but he figures the pain he endured during his shoulder dislocations won't get much worse.
"I refuse to slide," he said. "I might step out of bounds if there are more than a couple. If it comes down to sliding or taking on 11 guys to get that first down, I'm hitting 11 as hard as I can."
Sports, Pages 24 on 09/30/2009