For Samford qb crittendon, being a ‘system qb’ is a compliment

Photo courtesy of Samford Athletics

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - October 11, 2024

Samford football head coach Chris Hatcher views Quincy Crittendon as a game manager and a system quarterback. In Hatcher’s mind, that’s a tremendous compliment for his starting quarterback.

“I think there's a negative connotation to that because, you know, this guy's a system quarterback, this guy, he's a game manager, which may mean he's not very athletic or not very accurate or lacks some type of skill,” Hatcher said. “I think that's the connotation that goes with that. But if I was to say, Quincy's a really good game manager, and he's a really good system quarterback, that would be high praise. And I think he is. I think he's developing into that situation. I tell people all the time, a quarterback, he better be able to excel in the system that his team employs or he's not gonna be very successful. He's getting more confidence.”

Through four games, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior is 91-of-127 for 832 yards with six touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The athletic Crittendon also has 119 yards on 47 carries with two touchdowns. This past week, in a 27-3 home win over VMI, Crittendon was 26-of-30 for 196 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 17 rushing yards on six carries.

“We've kind of been all over the place a little bit in the first couple games, some of it due to the schemes we were seeing, some of it when you play Florida, you have to kind of alter your routines just a bit to protect your QB,” said Hatcher, whose team travels to East Tennessee State for a road game on Saturday. “He had good command of the game (against VMI). I thought he was a good point guard. He got everybody involved, especially early on in the game with touches. But his touch passes on the two post touchdowns were outstanding. And then a couple of the shots that he threw across the field, not many people could make those throws. I think he's getting better each week and we're going to definitely need him to continue to improve to have the offense that we want to have.”

Crittendon is in his fourth season with the Bulldogs but this is his first season as a full-time starter. Crittendon walked on at Samford in 2021. Hatcher was asked during fall camp in August about Crittendon’s progression during his time on campus. Hatcher laughed before telling a story about Crittendon’s early days with the Bulldogs.

“I remember throwing him out there in a skeleton situation, and he'll be embarrassed for me to tell the story, but he goes out there for six straight plays,” Hatcher said. “He didn't read one of them correctly at all, but he was throwing missiles all over the field. They haven’t been balls thrown that hard in the history of Samford football there, in what was Siebert Stadium and now Pete Hanna Stadium. So he's come a long way since then.”

A few minutes later, Crittendon was asked if he remembered that day.

“Yes, I do,” Crittendon said, also laughing at the memory. “It was a very nerve-wracking moment for me, being a freshman out there. First time getting some reps at a college practice. Just going out there, not really knowing what to do, just trying to make a play. And it was an experience that we talked about a lot.”

His first significant on-the-field experience was also a nerve-wracking experience. Crittendon had to go on the field when starting quarterback Michael Hiers, who was in the midst of an incredible season, suffered an injury to his throwing hand while throwing a touchdown pass in the first overtime against visiting Mercer. Crittendon entered at the start of the second overtime series and ran 25 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 50-44 victory and claim an outright Southern Conference title. After a first round FCS playoff bye, Crittendon not only handled most of the quarterback duties but he accounted for 408 total yards and five touchdowns, including a 10-yard touchdown run in overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a 48-42 victory over Southeastern Louisiana. He was the starter in the FCS quarterfinals at North Dakota State but was largely ineffective before giving way to Hiers.

Last season, with Hiers finishing off his college eligibility, Crittendon played sparingly.

“You know, he's been on the team a long time, he's been the backup for a while,” Hatcher said. “When he has been asked to come in, he played exceptionally well, especially in the 22 season where he won the postseason game versus Southeast Louisiana. But he hadn't, I mean, these are really the first four games that he's known he's gonna be the starter. There's a lot of difference now sitting over there and having to get thrust in the game and going out there and playing real well as opposed to having to prepare like you're the starter from a mental aspect.”