| The option quarterback from the 0-9 team is leading
a Carthage team bent on returning to the playoffs. Carthage photo by Mike Gryniewicz |
There is something in college athletics that’s called
“admission recruits.” The admission’s office
calls a coach to tell him a student-athlete will be on campus
– almost always someone who’s not being recruited by
the school – with a parent in tow and wants to visit the
coach.
Carthage’s Tim Rucks, like many other coaches, got a call
like this several years ago from a player from a 0-9 high school
team from nearby Grayslake, Ill. The team ran the wishbone, not
exactly a fit for the Red Men’s no-huddle, "pass first and
ask questions later” offense. When the coach looked up the
player statistics on the Internet, he was equally unimpressed,
seeing that he threw about four times a game.
But when Evan Jones walked into the office with his father that
day, something just seemed to click between the 6-1, 195-pound
Jones and Rucks. Suddenly, Rucks was faced with ignoring stats and
past records to take a chance on someone who landed on his doorstep
out of the blue.
“About 99 percent of the time, those people don’t end
up being very good football players,” Rucks said.
“There was something about him when I met him. I thought he
acted like a quarterback and talked like a quarterback. I saw a
real competitive nature in the guy. Quarterbacks have to have a
certain moxie and leadership ability. I saw that in him.”
Fast forward to last Saturday with Carthage trailing Lakeland
28-21 with 1:05 left in the game and 80 yards to go for the tying
touchdown. Rucks turns over the entire offense to that former
wishbone quarterback, now a senior, and he goes 4-for-5, calling
mostly his own plays, to score the tying touchdown with 18 seconds
left.
Then in overtime, Jones throws a scoring strike on the first play
and the Red Men defeat the defending Northern Athletic Conference
champions 35-34 on the road.
It’s an amazing story of how Jones has made the most of his
opportunity at quarterback when no one else saw in him what Rucks
saw. Now Jones has blossomed into one of the best passing
quarterbacks in Division III football and has Carthage challenging
again in the tough College Conference of Illinois and
Wisconsin.
“If you have five hours, I can talk with you about how much
he’s meant to this program,” Rucks says about Jones.
“It’s been immense. He’s one of those rare guys
you get to coach. He’s just an unbelievably good person,
leader and role model for anyone in this program. He’s one of
those special kids that come around only once in awhile.”
Jones earned second-team All-CCIW honors last year. He broke his
own school records for most passing yards in a season (3,554),
completions (309), passing attempts (464), touchdown passes (32)
and total offense (3,655). He already owns the school’s
all-time records with 5,435 total yards, 4,253 yards passing and 42
touchdown passes – before this season started.
In one of Carthage’s biggest games against nationally ranked
North Central last year, Jones set school, Art Keller Field and
CCIW records for total offensive yards (567), passing yards (562),
passing attempts (84) and completions (47) and tying a school
record with six touchdown passes.
And you said he was a wishbone/option quarterback in high
school?
“Growing up, I knew I had a good arm and could always throw
the football,” Jones said. “It’s just one of
those unlucky things that you go to a high school where the coach
has a system where he wants to run the ball. I wasn’t going
to be one of those players who has his dad call and say you need to
throw the ball. I wasn’t going to be a problem. We just let
that go.”
Things weren’t exactly all roses for Jones at Carthage.
Coming out of a running system and an injury his freshman year
slowed his progress. Then, during Jones’ sophomore year, the
Red Men hired a new offensive coordinator, Terry Peebles, from
Hanover. By Jones own account Peebles rode the young quarterback
hard, but in the process, things slowly started to click.
“It was difficult because things at training camp
weren’t going very well,” Jones said. “I think
the fact that Coach Peeples stayed on me helped me out because it
instilled a fear of failing. I think that’s what helped me
succeed.”
Rucks said while Jones started nine of 10 games as a sophomore and
set several school records, there were a lot of growing pains as
well, including 20 interceptions that nearly negated his 27
touchdown passes. He lowered the pick number to 14 this past season
and he’s been intercepted once in two games this season.
“We threw the ball so much and we just got on a roll,”
Jones said. “After the season, it was the 20 interceptions
that stood out for me, so I became more focused and determined to
learn the offense a lot better.”
Carthage is hoping to improve on its 7-3 record this year. To do
that, though, the 2-0 Red Men will face Concordia (Wis.). Then,
they must face the likes of nationally ranked North Central and
Illinois Wesleyan and traditionally strong Wheaton and Augustana in
the tough CCIW.
“When we go and play those teams, we have to stay
focused,” Jones said. “We can’t get freaked out
just because we’re playing a nationally ranked team. We have
to stay composed and take care of business.”
Carthage has done it before. In the finale last year, the Red Men
beat then No. 21-ranked Wheaton 35-30.
Rucks said Carthage’s offense hasn’t hit on all
cylinders yet and hopes the last drive against Lakeland was what
the doctor ordered. Jones is 46-for-81 for 575 yards so far this
season.
“Our league is crazy,” Rucks said. “Every week
is like a Super Bowl. We need our offense to be consistent. We have
yet to get a roll with our offense. Evan’s carrying a lot on
his shoulders because everyone knows he’s the man. I hope
Evan doesn’t feel pressure that he has to do it all. Then
again, that’s the nature of the position. If anyone is mature
enough to handle it, it’s Evan. These guys don’t come
around very often.”