Howell looking ahead

Rob Ludwig

November 15, 2008 01:13 am

— Navarro College starting center Elliot Howell is not a betting man. But he hopes you will be in a few years when he opens a casino with his business degree in hand.
Howell will be starting his 11th straight game for the Bulldogs (10-0) on Saturday when they host Blinn (8-2) in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference championship game at Tiger Stadium.
Howell loves playing football, which is evident every time he walks on the field. Howell, along with fellow sophomores Anthony Morgan, Roy Watts and Zhamal Thomas form an often-immovable force up front for Navarro. They play with the enthusiasm and verve you’d expect from the No.1-ranked team’s offensive line.
Yet, Howell is looking beyond nosetackles, linebackers and safeties. Education is of primary importance for Howell and his 14- and 16-year-old siblings. His mother is a teacher in Dallas ISD and his dad is an engineer for Lockheed-Martin. Both have master’s degrees. Elliot may someday make it three some day soon.
“I want to play football, but my major goal is to graduate from college with a degree in business,” said Howell, an introspective, bespectacled sophomore from Dallas Kimball. He chooses his words carefully and responds not like a warrior from the trenches but a philosophy major.
“When I was in high school, I was not real patient, but I have matured. My dad said I that will know when the right school comes along. That’s why I’m patient about my future. I’d love to keep playing football, but that business degree means a lot to me. I want to open my own business some day, maybe a casino. I’ve only been to (a casino) once and it was an exciting (atmosphere).”
Before Howell can think about blackjack, slots and poker, he’s got a little business this weekend with Blinn, a team that nearly came back from a 21-0 deficit in the Bulldogs’ three-point win two weeks ago.
“We just didn’t finish the game like coach (Nick Bobeck) has preached to us all season long,” said Howell, who is scheduled to graduate in December. “We were lucky we were able to come out with a win (in Brenham). We have to play harder and faster when we play Blinn again or we’re not going to win. We cannot allow that to happen.”
That attitude seems to pervade the entire offensive line. Morgan (Oklahoma State commit), Watts (Houston commit), Thomas (several Division I prospects) and Howell have formed the nucleus of a feisty, workmanlike group that has become the heart of the team. When the offensive line is clicking and is assignment perfect, the whole team gets jazzed.
Howell thanks first-year Bulldog offensive line coach Cody Crill with instilling a mentality that exudes confidence.
“Coach Crill communicates well with us,” Howell said. “It seems like he and coach Bobeck know what the defense is going to do before they do it. I don’t know how they do it, but we seem to always know what’s coming next.
“We’ve got great chemistry on the offensive line. It doesn’t matter who’s in the game, because we’re going to be supportive from the sideline. We never get down when we’re not producing because we know that if we make adjustments and keep working together, we’re going to get rolling again.”
Rolling as in dice in Caesar’s Palace? “No, like winning,” he says with a slight shake of his head. “We’ve got goals and we remind ourselves every day what it takes to achieve them. (Bobeck) keeps us grounded and tells us to take it one game at a time. We’re going to play like a team, not a bunch of individuals (vs. Blinn). That’s why we’ve been successful to this point and that’s why we’ll be successful on Saturday.”

Blinn at Navarro
3 p.m., Saturday
at Tiger Stadium, Corsicana, TX
SWJCFC Championship Game
RECORDS: No.1-ranked Navarro (10-0) vs. No. 6 Blinn (8-2) in JCFooball/NJCAA Poll. Navarro is No. 1 and Blinn No. 9 in JC Gridwire Poll.
RECENT MATCHUP: Navarro defeated Blinn 24-21 to end 2008 regular season. Navarro led 21-0 before the Bucs made a charge with 21 points in the final 18 minutes. The Bucs were driving with less than 2 minutes remaining when QB Terrance Cain was intercepted by Navarro LB Justin Clark when he attempted a middle screen pass.
RADIO: KAND 1340-AM
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Blinn: RB Reggie Dotson, RB Michael Hayes, QB Terrance Cain, WR Justin Jordan, WR Travis Cobb, WR Dexter Ransom, TE Prizell Brown, T Marquise Franklin, K Brad Hicks, DB Terrence Henry, DB Terrence Sweeny, DE Travis Stephens, LB C.J. Parish, LB Vernon Brooks, DB Byron Landor, DE Jared Price, S Justin Goodman, S Byron Landor. Navarro: OL Roy Watts, OL Anthony Morgan, DE Brandon Joiner, OL Zhamal Thomas, FS Ryan Clark, SS Kory Smith, DE Darby Jackson, CB Anthony Brown, RB Justin Sturns, RB Vetric Sam, SS Trevor Drayton, DT Ray Kibbles, WR Rodney Bradley, WR Andre Banks, WR Kevin Diles, QB Milton Howell, RB William Powell.
KEY STATISTIC: Blinn QB Cain has a 183.7 pass efficiency rating this season, having completed 71.9 percent of his passes for more than 2,600 yards and 25 TDs. By comparison, the all-time Division I pass efficiency leader is Hawaii’s Colt Brennan, who had a 186.0 mark in 1986.
UPDATE: The only way to stop Blinn this season has been to limit its offensive opportunities and put pressure on QB Cain. The sophomore from North Shore has completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 2,667 yards, averaging a conference-high 14.3 yards per completion. Cain has 25 TD passes and has been intercepted 8 times . . . WR Jordan is dangerous catching and running the ball. He has a conference-best 72 points this season. Jordan leads the conference with 47 catches and 7 TDs. He has also scored 6 times rushing and on 1 return. He leads the conference in scoring with 97 points . . . Navarro’s secondary will have to be wary not just with Jordan but also Cobb (32 catches) and Ransom (31 catches, 9 TDs) . . . Navarro’s secondary has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 48 percent of their passes and 4.9 yards per attempt. In the last two weeks, the Navarro pass defense has 551 yards through the air and 61.1 percent pass completion . . . Blinn will challenge the Navarro special teams this week. Cobb and Jordan both scored on punt returns against Kilgore last week. Cobb is averaging 10.9 on punt returns and 31.4 yards on kickoffs. Terrance Sweeny is right behind Cobb with 30.5 yards . . . Blinn also has a solid 1-2 punch at running back. RB Brown has gained a conference-high 1,235 yards and scored 8 times of the ground. Brown also has 14 catches and a TD receiving. Brown will be spelled by Mike Hayes, who has 17 catches and 2 TDs to go with his 687 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. Hayes’ total is fifth-best in the conference . . . The Blinn safety duo of Landor and Goodman have 90 and 60 tackles, respectively . . . DE Price led the conference in sacks with 16 to go with 33 tackles . . . Blinn is superlative in the kick game with punter Mike Sprague (41.9 yards per punt) and Brad Hicks (second in SWJCFC in scoring with 77 points) . . . Blinn averages 474 yards a game allowed a conference low 36.5 yards per game rushing and 195 yards overall . . . Navarro averages 277.1 yards on the ground per game and is second to Blinn in total offense (425 yards) and defense (283.3 yards) . . . The Bulldogs will benefit by the return of QB Howell, who missed the semifinal win with a separated shoulder. He has thrown well this week in practice and will likely start. Howell has the most rushing yards of any quarterback in the SWJCFC with 436 yards, including a 92-yard TD run. Howell has completed 57 percent of his passes for 586 yards and 3 TDs . . . Navarro has three backs with more than 450 yards, paced by RB Powell (853 yards, 7.2 average, 8 TDs). RB Sturns has 558 yards and 8 TDs, and RB Sam is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has 8 scores . . . WR Bradley is the leading receiver (25 catches, 19.6-yard average, 7 TDs), followed closely by possession receiver Marcus Jackson (22 catches, 9.8 average). Bradley has four TD receptions in the last two games, including 3 in the semifinal victory . . . LT Zhamal Thomas is back after missing one game when he sustained a deep thigh bruise against Blinn in the regular-season finale . . . LB Graham is the Bulldogs’ leading tackler with 79 to go with 5.5 sacks . . . DE Brandon Joiner has 9 sacks and 54 tackles and will play this week after sitting out the TVCC game with a strained hamstring . . . S Trevor Drayton leads the team with 5 interceptions . . . If Navarro is the slow Blinn’s potent passing attack, it will have to form a stiff pass rush. After posting 40.5 sacks in the first 8 games, Navarro has only 2 the last 2 contests . . . Last season, Navarro hosted Blinn to end the regular season and then in the first round of the playoffs . . . Navarro defeated Blinn 42-18 in the 2007 season finale, holding Blinn’s offense to one TD. In Game 2, Cain was picked off 5 times in a 28-9 loss. Navarro’s biggest problem in those two games was a combined 20 penalties for 174 yards.
— Rob Ludwig