Two years ago Omarr Conner was catching passes for Jackie Sherrill’s Bulldogs.
Now he is throwing them for Sylvester Croom, and he could not be happier.
“I’m loving it now,” Conner said. “At first I felt like I was behind; like everyone was in front of me. But I just took a step back and looked at everything and said ‘I can do this.’ Now it’s great. Like coach says, it’s one of the best offenses in the nation.”
Conner is referring to Croom’s West Coast-style scheme of offense.
The scheme is one Croom brought with him from the NFL and revolves around constantly moving the football forward through a series of short passes and runs.
“The system works,” Croom said. “I know 15 NFL teams that are using it right now.”
The Bulldog offense has yet to flourish and reach its full potential under the game plan, but Conner is thriving in it. So far this season, he has put together a 130.4 quarterback rating to go with his 662 yards and 58 percent completion rate.
He has already thrown seven touchdowns, one more than all of last season. His statistical heal, if there is one, is his nine sacks.
“Omarr is doing great, he really is,” Croom said. “We’ve just got to protect him better and start catching balls. I mean, he’s practicing well, understands the system and knows where to throw the football. We’ve just got to give him time to do it.”
Making the right throw at the right time to the right receiver was one of the major criticisms about the young Conner at the outset of last season. At times he has appeared confused and lost in the offense’s West Coast concept.
Even Saturday, as the Bulldog defense confounded the Georgia offense, State’s own offensive unit looked lost and ineffective.
Many fans have questioned Conner’s ability to read the defenses of upper-tier competition.
Conner has the support of his coaches and teammates, though, and simply lets the criticisms roll off him.
“I don’t take it to heart,” he said. “We work hard out here every day together. We are one soul out here. People are going to say what they want to whether we are doing good or bad, so we just go out and work hard every day.”
As Conner matures in the system, his indecision appears to be rapidly dissipating. He is slowly becoming more like the quarterback Croom envisions.
Even his teammates have started to take notice of Conner’s abilities, leadership skills and his improved offensive prowess.
“I think he’s gotten a lot better with his checks and his reads,” senior center Chris McNeil said. “He knows the system, and he’s really become a more vocal leader for us. He really steps up in the huddle and in the locker room, and he’s leading this team like a quarterback should.”
Conner has taken great care to make significant strides toward being a high-caliber quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. He has come a long way, but admits he has a long road to travel toward greatness.
“I can get better every day,” Conner said. “Every day I can learn something new about the offense and even about my own character. I try to pay attention to details, listen to my coaches and pick up every little piece of information that I can. I’m trying to get better and better one day at a time.”