Difficult road leads McElroy to special moment
Atlanta -- Greg McElroy could barely contain his excitement. When you have waited so long for something so special, it's hard not to gush.
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| 'Bama QB Greg McElroy gets the job done after waiting patiently for the opportunity. (Getty Images) |
McElroy's numbers in Saturday night's 34-24 win over No. 7 Virginia were not staggering. The junior from Southlake, Texas, completed 15 of 30 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown. But what McElroy had to accomplish to finally be standing on the field of the Georgia Dome, holding up his arms in victory, is storybook stuff.
McElroy knows about patience. Man, does he know about patience. At Southlake Carroll, a Texas high school power, McElroy played behind Chase Daniel, who went on to become a star at Missouri. McElroy never got on the field as a starting quarterback until he was a senior. And the only reason schools knew that he was good was because Daniel played baseball and McElroy got the chance to run the team in spring practice.
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He had a scholarship offer from Texas Tech, but former Alabama coach Mike Shula had a hunch about the Texan and offered him a scholarship. McElroy could have gone to Lubbock and thrown for a million yards in Mike Leach's offense. But he accepted Shula's offer.
Once McElroy arrived in Tuscaloosa, he found himself behind John Parker Wilson, who would be a four-year starter and eventually became the school's all-time leading passer. Again, he had to wait his turn and trust that when it came, he would make the most of it.
Greg McElroy's turn finally came Saturday night against what was the nation's seventh best defense a year ago. It was rough sledding in the beginning.
"They [Virginia Tech] did a lot of stuff early on that we weren't expecting," said senior guard Mike Johnson, one of only two returning starters on the Alabama offensive line. "They were definitely trying to rattle him. But this guy does not get rattled."
McElroy admitted to some early jitters when Virginia Tech's veteran defensive front turned up the heat.
"Oh yeah, I was getting a little frustrated and I don't remember ever feeling that way in any football game I have started," McElroy said. "But the guys rallied around me and I started feeling a lot more comfortable."
By the fourth quarter Alabama had worn down the Virginia Tech front wall. Alabama trailed 17-16 going into the final period and simply overwhelmed the Hokies down the stretch. In the fourth quarter McElroy appeared to be in total command of the Alabama offense.
"I thought as the game went on Greg got better and was more confident about his ability to manage the game," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "When he had time to throw I thought he performed well, especially for a first game."
Alabama's players were very clear on this after the game. Greg McElroy is their guy.
"I thought he showed everybody how tough he was when things were not going right early in the game," junior linebacker Rolando McClain said. "We've got a great defense and he knows we've got his back. He's our quarterback and he proved that tonight."
"He was the leader for us out there tonight," Johnson said. "He understood that we just needed to make some adjustments. We all made a bunch of mistakes early but those things are going to happen in a first game. Greg just hung in there and showed why he is going to be a very good quarterback. By the time we got to the fourth quarter he was in complete control."
"We all felt like he commanded the team," running back Roy Upchurch said. "We put all the pressure on him and he executed."
McElroy wears No. 12 and at Alabama, that is no small thing. He chose that number because his father, a senior vice president for sales and marketing with the Dallas Cowboys, was a huge fan of former Crimson Tide quarterback Joe Namath. Ken Stabler wore No. 12. So did Pat Trammel, Brodie Croyle, and Scott Hunter. He understood that when he came to Alabama the expectations would be great and the rewards, should he be successful, would be more than worth the wait.
Now he is the starting quarterback on a team that will be ranked no worse than No. 4 when the new polls are released on Sunday. He has a couple of games (against Florida International and North Texas) to further hone his skills before the SEC opener against Arkansas on Sept. 26 in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama won't be the overpowering offensive team it was a year ago because it is rebuilding what was one of the best offensive lines in its history. Last season Alabama could overpower teams from the opening whistle. Saturday night it took three quarters for Alabama to finally wear down the opponent.
"This team has to find its own identity and we started doing that tonight with Greg," Saban said. "I was really pleased with the way we played and way he played in the fourth quarter. We made a lot of mistakes but we fought through them and won the game. I like that. I think Greg has a chance to be a very good quarterback for us."
And that is all that Greg McElroy has ever wanted.
