LITTLE ROCK — Nathan Nall still isn’t sure if his play for Henderson State last Saturday was good enough to permanently snatch back the Reddies’ starting quarterback job.
But that doesn’t matter too much at this point.
Nall, who entered this season expected by several - including himself and his coaches - to lead Henderson State to the first Great American Conference football title, will go through the final three games this season with a clearer mind and a sharper focus, no matter how many snaps he takes.
Hitting an athletic rock bottom helped to clear things up a bit.
“Really, the worst that can happen is you lose your job,” Nall said. “That’s already happened. ... The worst has already happened.”
Nall laughed while saying that’s what made him a more relaxed player in last week’s 42-41 overtime victory over East Central (Okla.). Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield said it’s his maturity that has allowed Nall to get his season back on the right track.
Because it didn’t start that way.
Nick Hardesty passed for more than 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns last year. He was named Gulf South Conference offensive player of the year and led Henderson State to a share of the Gulf South Conference title, its first championship in more than two decades.
Nall was supposed to replace Hardesty without a hiccup. He thought so, as did Maxfield.
“We feel good about Nathan,” Maxfield said before the season began.
But after a pair of solid, though not overly impressive, games to start the season, Nall had just 43 yards passing and an interception at halftime against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Sept. 17. The Reddies trailed 7-0 when Kevin Rodgers took over at quarterback and eventually lost 17-13.
Rodgers kept the job and Nall watched as he almost engineered an upset of now-NCAA Division II No. 1 Delta State in his first start and as Rodgers led a 50-30 victory over West Georgia the next week.
Nall tried not to be too upset.
“It’s not like I lost my job to an enemy,” he said. “I lost it to one of my friends.”
Nall got his second chance two weeks ago at halftime against Southeastern Oklahoma State as Rodgers was struggling for the first time. He threw three interceptions and the Savage Storm scored two second-quarter touchdowns to tie the game at 14-14.
On top of that, coaches were told Rodgers probably suffered a concussion. Nall was sent back out along with some encouraging words from offensive coordinator Mike Volarvich.
“It wasn’t too much of a conversation,” Nall recalled. “They said, ‘You’re going,’ and so I went out there to warm up and Coach [Volarvich] said on the headset, ‘Play like you’ve been practicing.’ ”
Nall led three scoring drives in the second half of a 30-14 victory Southeastern Oklahoma State, and then passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns in the comeback victory over East Central. That one kept alive Henderson State’s GAC title chances and had Nall choking up during a post game interview.
“It’s been hard,” he said just minutes after his touchdown pass in overtime to Jarvis Smith.
He said he’s leaned on his wife, Joanna, and a Christian mentor on campus during the tough three weeks, and he’s learned not to press on the field.
Maxfield wasn’t sure earlier this week who will start Saturday at South Alabama. If it’s not Nall, Maxfield expects him to handle it as well as he has this unpredictable junior season.
“I’ve had some guys in that situation who have pouted up,” Maxfield said. “He didn’t. That’s really the route you need to go. You need to continue to prepare in case your chance does come you’re ready to step back in.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/27/2011