Alabama State football: It may be Favor's turn for Hornets

Source: Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.mini storageOct. 09--He's waited all season for this moment.For the second consecutive year, Prairie View may be facing Alabama State's backup quarterback in a key matchup for both clubs. Last year, it was Daniel Duhart subbing for the injured Greg Jenkins. This year, it may be Arsenio Favor's turn to step in after Duhart was injured in the third quarter of Saturday's game at Texas Southern."It's a good opportunity," Favor said. "Anytime you can go out and be able to perform as a starter, it's a good opportunity. Not to wish bad on Daniel. Hopefully, he'll have a speedy recovery."Duhart was blindsided on the third possession of the second half in Saturday's game as Alabama State was enjoying a comfortable 31-0 lead."Duhart is, right now, doubtful," Barlow said. "Hopefully by Thursday, he'll be a little (better), maybe probable. He's got a bulging disc, so depending on how he can handle it, he may be out for a while."Given the fact Duhart got a little banged up, Arsenio will probably be taking several more reps in practice and in the game, depending on how far (in his recovery) Duhart gets by Saturday. Ironically, we just had a conversation with Favor last week because I know that sometimes as a backup, you can get in the dumps -- not saying that he was -- but I just felt it was the perfect time to call him in and explain to him that we still have a lot of confidence in him."Favor, a Southern Mississippi transfer, battled Duhart in the spring and in the preseason for the starting position, but ultimately coaches decided on the former backup to Jenkins, who had more experience in the system."I believe the setback for him was when he hurt his knee this summer, he wasn't able to train and do seven-on-seven with the guys," Barlow said. "But I told him (last week), you're going to win some games for us this year. That's just how it is. Ironically, again, Duhart helped us win the Prairie View game (last season) in a backup role. It's an opportunity for Favor to go out and show everybody we have another guy on the team that's a real good quarterback."Favor has almost the same passing efficiency rating as Duhart and has completed a higher percentage (67 to 59) of his passes, but hasn't seen the playing time this season. He played in several possessions at Jackson State, but was relegated to mop-up duty against Grambling儲存and Alcorn as the coaches went with a Wildcat package featuring tailback Isaiah Crowell.Crowell's extra duty at quarterback took away the zone-read ability of Favor, but the third-year junior from Montgomery said it hasn't been difficult to stay mentally ready for his opportunity."It's not tough at all," Favor said. "That's the whole point of practice, to get ready for your opponent. I'm ready each and every week. You have to prepare yourself like a starter. You can't ever see yourself as a backup to anybody."My head was never down. I'm pretty much a self-starter, a self-motivator, and I have a great family and support staff that keeps me motivated."Saturday's matchup pits the top two offenses in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, with Alabama State ranking first in scoring and rushing and Prairie View ranking first in total offense."Judging from stats, you could say it's going to be a shootout, but I have faith in our defense," Favor said. "Our defense is playing great football right now. On Saturday, I'm expecting to put up a lot of points."Barlow said the Alabama State offense, regardless of which quarterback is in the game, will have to produce to keep the potent Prairie View offense on the sideline."This is another playoff-type of game," he said. "They're in the same boat as us -- they can't afford to have a loss. Our guys have to be able to match the intensity of Prairie View's team. I think you limit their opportunities by us establishing the run and sustaining drives. As long as our offense is on the field, then theirs can't be out there."Favor, a former starter at Jeff Davis before transferring to Stanhope Elmore, said his goals for this weekend's game are simple."Dominate," he said. "Simply put, just dominate. I'm just going to go out there and show everybody what I can do. People from around this area, they kind of know, but they haven't seen it in a while. Just put on a good show for them."Additional FactsALABAMA STATE vs. PRAIRIE VIEWWHEN: 1 p.m. SaturdayWHERE: ASU StadiumRECORDS: ASU (4-2, 4-1 SWAC); Prairie View A&M (4-2, 3-1)ON THE AIR: TV -- none; Radio -- WVAS-FM 90.7TWITTER: @MGMsports; @tagayleHASHTAG: #mgmASUHornetsCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) Visit the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) at .montgomeryadvertiser.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉