Losing the nation’s top quarterback has its difficulties, no question. But for whomever assumes Jeremy Moses’ former spot behind center at Stephen F. Austin will be in capable hands.
SFA receivers Gralyn Crawford and Cordell Roberson are the perfect complement in a prolific passing attack and in all facets have exploded like TNT.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Roberson provided Walter Payton Award winner Moses a long target and constant scoring threat. Roberson hauled in 16 of Moses’ 34 scoring strikes, and was the Lumberjacks’ sole 1000-plus yard receiver at 1011. He managed that feat in just 61 catches.
What special teams maven Crawford lacks in size, he more than compensates for in big contributions. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound multi-purpose junior enters his third season already boasting 125 receptions for 1766 yards, 12 receiving touchdowns, three kickoff and one punt return for touchdowns, two First Team All-Southland selections and a partridge in a pear tree.
If quarterback Jeremy Moses was the gun powder, Crawford was the fuse and Roberson was the ignition for a dynamite Lumberjack offense. SFA averaged 34.9 and 36.3 points per game the past two seasons, and twice was atop the Championship Subdivision in passing.
Moses’ departure means a whole new feel for SFA. The Lumberjacks’ offensive coordinator Mike Nesbitt told The Sports Network, “The big difference fans will notice is not the production, but the style of play will be different. Throws that Jeremy liked, these guys may not look for because they are more comfortable with a different route.”
Different route won’t translate to different targets, though. The new Lumberjack quarterback — whether it’s Brady Attaway, who appeared in nine games and threw 39 passes a season ago, or Dalton Williams, who threw for four touchdowns in 2009 — will have reliability in Crawford. His 74 catches led the team in 2010, and he’s a steady target in the flat and via shorter routes. Meanwhile Roberson towers over the typical defensive back to go up top for long balls, but also has exhibited the speed to get past coverages.
The combination is lethal, and should keep the potent passing game that has led to consecutive playoff appearances popping.