Tomco takes preseason lead in QB battle

Jack Tomco simply smiles when he hears the way Southeast Missouri State University coach Tim Billings talks about competition for the starting quarterback position.

The soft-spoken Tomco plans to let his play on the practice field do all his talking -- just as he did last year when he set nine school records during a sensational rookie season with the Indians.

Whether Billings is serious or just trying to keep Tomco from getting complacent -- or maybe even trying to motivate all three quarterbacks -- Tomco hopes to eliminate any guesswork during practice leading up to the Aug. 28 season opener at Division I-A Ohio.

"What do you think," a grinning Tomco said during Thursday's media day at Houck Stadium after a reporter asked if he thought he deserved to be the starter. "But I just want to come out and put all the questions to rest. All I can do is try to prove to the coaches that I deserve to start."

His statistics from last season certainly are of starter quality.

A transfer from Scottsdale Community College in Arizona, Tomco took over for the injured Jeromy McDowell after the 2002 opener and proceeded to pass for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns -- both school records -- while completing 65 percent of his attempts. He ranked eighth nationally in passing efficiency.

"I just made the most of my opportunity when I got it," Tomco, a senior, said. "But the reasons I put up those numbers are the people around me, the wide receivers, the running backs and the five guys up front. It was a real team effort."

Billings, who led the Indians to an 8-4 record in his third season with the team last year -- it was the program's first winning season since 1994 and most victories since 1969 -- said Tomco deserves to be listed as the starter right now.

"After what happened last year, Jack's the starter. He had a great season and he has the edge coming in," said Billings, whose squad began practice Monday. "But we evaluate all our positions, not just quarterback. And we're very fortunate to have three quarterbacks like we have."

McDowell, a junior from North County High School, passed for a freshmen-school-record 2,051 yards in 2001 and appeared primed for an even bigger season last year -- until suffering a season-ending knee injury in the opener. McDowell is healthy and ready to go.

"It's a tough situation for all of us to be on the same team, but at the same time it's a good situation for the team," McDowell said. "Jack had a great year, and he probably does deserve to be the starter. But I'm not going to back down. I'm going to give it my best shot."

And also in the mix is junior Andrew Goodenough, a transfer from Arizona State who played in last year's season opener for the Sun Devils against Nebraska and two years ago was the nation's top-ranked junior-college quarterback. Goodenough participated in spring drills with Southeast this year, so he knows the system.

"I'm just going to play the best I can play and see what happens," Goodenough said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I had a shot" to start.

Southeast offensive coordinator Russ Martin believes having three such talented quarterbacks is good for all of them -- and particularly the Indians in general.

"I know they push each other. They're all three great quarterbacks and great young men," Martin said. "It's a good position to be in. I'd rather have three great ones than none or even one. You need more than one. We saw that last year when Jeromy went down."

All three quarterbacks say they get along well together and try to push each other -- not that Tomco believes he needs the extra motivation.

"It's good, but I push myself hard anyway. I work really hard in the offseason," Tomco said. "We have good competition at every position, not just quarterback. It just gets a lot more publicity at quarterback."

Tomco showed how motivated he was in the offseason by shedding about 10 pounds from his 6-foot-5 frame. He is noticeably slimmer than last year and said he now weighs about 232 pounds.

"I wanted to be a little more fleet-footed," he said. "I can tell a difference in the way I move."

The strong-armed Tomco has attracted the attention of NFL scouts and recently was placed on the initial Sports Network Payton Watch List. That means he is an early candidate for the Walter Payton Award, Division I-AA's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

But right now Tomco isn't very worried about the NFL or individual awards. He's more intent on keeping the Indians' offense humming -- they broke 28 school offensive records last year -- and helping Southeast live up its preseason status as the OVC favorite and the nation's 16th-ranked team.

Despite losing All-American receiver Willie Ponder to the NFL, Tomco said the team's offense "can do just as good or better than last year. Actually, I think we'll do better. And the team has a lot more confidence this year. I really think we can do some great things."

And Tomco plans for it all to happen with him on the field.

mmishow@semissourian.com

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