Blood
Here’s how the Southern quarterback battle is shaping up early in preseason camp
Aug
Harold Blood is Southern’s starting quarterback as preseason camp moves through its first week, but he’s hearing footsteps.
They aren’t the bad kind, though. They are teammates trying to make him better.
If they all do their jobs, Southern will have the best quarterback possible when it opens the season at Alabama State in Montgomery, Alabama, on Sept. 2.
“We come out and put our best foot forward every day,” said Blood, a dual-threat quarterback from Destrehan. “We help each other, push each other. If they see something I’m doing they let me know and vice versa.
“Competition always breeds conquerors and brings success.”
That’s what second-year coach Eric Dooley is hoping. Perceived as an offensive guru, his offense struggled with consistency throughout his first season at Southern.
He thinks he’s found his guy after Blood outplayed Noah Bodden and Dylan Mehrotra in the spring to grab the job, but the competition isn’t finished.
“Blood is trying to own the job,” Dooley said Friday. “He’s going to continue to accept that and not be satisfied. The guys behind him are not accepting that he’s the starter. That’s what you want, competition day in and day out. Starting is only one play.
“They are in tune, not just to help themselves but the guys out there. They’re cheering for the guy out there and when they get the opportunity, they take full advantage of it. There’s no jealousy in this group.”
But there is patience, especially on Blood’s part. He’s starting his fifth season in Baton Rouge and has had little to show for it.
His numbers are 11 completions in 19 throws for 220 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Most of that came in mop-up duties, and then there was that ugly three-down series in the 43-24 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game loss to Jackson State, which included a fumble that led to a Tigers’ touchdown.
“We’ve been preaching we’re on a mission,” Blood said. “The goal is to take the West title again and go a few steps further. We have a sour taste in our mouths from the last showing. We don’t want to end up like that again. We want to get over that hump to the championship and Celebration Bowl victory.”
Dooley has reason to have confidence in a guy who’s been waiting in the wings his whole college career. While at Prairie View, Dooley recruited Blood and saw him as the perfect fit for his pass-oriented offense that also requires running skills.
Blood was 26-5 as a starter at Destrehan and 12-2 in his senior year, taking the Wildcats to the state semifinals. He completed 178 of 259 passes for 2,573 yards and 29 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He added 252 yards rushing and five touchdowns, but it was his poise and leadership that made him special, then-Destrehan coach Steve Robichaux said.
“The kid’s a winner,” Robichaux said. “If you look up what quarterback you want on your team, Harold is the guy. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
The key for Blood is getting up to speed. He hasn’t seen much SWAC-level competition.
Bodden started four games at Grambling and has a larger body of work: 102 attempts, 44 completions, four touchdowns, 476 yards and four interceptions. Mehrotra didn’t play at Alabama-Birmingham, but he was also recruited by Dooley out of Baton Rouge Episcopal.
Blood has spent a lot of time in the film room talking with his new quarterbacks coach Willie Totten and Southern defensive coaches to prepare him for what he will see when the game gets real.
“At this level, it’s about how fast you recognize and apply your skills,” Blood said. “Early in the summer, I was meeting with the defensive coaches. They were helping me with what I’m seeing from a defensive point of view. That makes it much easier behind center.”
Dooley said Blood has the respect of his teammates, and Blood says he feels that. Although he hasn’t been on the field much, his resilience counts for something and he is ready to seize the moment.
“They look at me as a hard-nosed guy who won’t ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do,” Blood said. “They’re rallying around me right now. We’re getting that chemistry, understanding the game is fast and practicing at that level. I’ll be ready.”
