Troy faces another senior quarterback

TROY — Troy isn’t getting shortchanged this year when it comes to quality, experienced quarterbacks.

The Trojans have seen seniors Tyler Sheehan, Tim Tebow and Joe Webb — all talented, multi-year starters. But Arkansas State’s Corey Leonard is the one that counts. He’ll lead the Red Wolves into Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game against Troy. The winner has a leg up on the Sun Belt race. Troy was picked first, ASU second.

Leonard led ASU to a comeback win at Troy in 2006, but played through injuries in 2007 and 2008 as Troy won. He played most of the 2007 season with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder and played through a kneecap injury in the season finale last year, a 35-9 Troy win.

ASU had just five yards less than Troy, but Leonard lost a fumble and threw two interceptions. He’s happy the Red Wolves (1-1) get Troy (1-2) early this season.

“We’re healthy; they’re healthy,” Leonard said. “Let’s get the questions answered early while both teams are full strength.”

Leonard, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound fifth-year senior, broke NFL quarterback Cleo Lemon’s record with 7,433 all-purpose yards and has 10 regular season games left to go. He was voted the Sun Belt Co-Offensive Player of the Year in the preseason.

But that may not be the highest compliment he’s gotten.

“He throws the ball potentially in my opinion better than Tebow or Joe Webb,” Troy defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell said. “They do a lot of stuff for him, and he makes plays with his feet.”

Stop the presses. Throws the ball better than Tim Tebow? The Tim Tebow? Heisman Trophy winner? The Chosen One? Regardless, Troy coaches have spent plenty of time preparing for him, even though he’s played three games against the Trojans in his career.

“You’ve almost got to have someone looking for him all the time, and that doesn’t always work either,” Rowell said.

Leonard committed to Ole Miss early in the recruiting process, but the Rebels fired then-head coach David Cutcliffe, and he and Cutcliffe’s successor Ed Orgeron didn’t mix. He went with his second choice, ASU, and it turned out to be the best decision for him and ASU.

“I felt like their offense fit my style,” Leonard said. “One thing that I’ll argue you can’t find anywhere else is the family atmosphere. It’s truly special here. I know when I leave, I’ll have 105 brothers.”

There’s a mutual respect for Troy’s senior defenders and Leonard. The quarterback threw for 188 yards and ran for 76 in the 33-26 win in 2006. He threw for just 105 with two interceptions in 2007, a 27-0 Troy win. He threw for 172 last year, but he had the three costly turnovers.

“We’ve had him under wraps the last two years,” Woods said. “It’s his senior year also. All this that we feel, everyone asking us questions as seniors, people in Arkansas are asking him the same questions. He’s got the same thing riding that we do.”

And that’s why Leonard would rather play this game now. ASU last shared a conference title in 2005 and went to the New Orleans Bowl. Troy has won or shared the league title in every year since then.

“We can win this game and know that we don’t have to worry about Troy later on (if a tiebreaker situation had to occur),” Leonard said. “That’s why I love playing this game early.”