Sept. 19, 2006
When Alex Engram found out the Southwestern Athletic Conference named him co-newcomer of the week for his performance in Alabama State's 31-13 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday night, he smiled politely. It wasn't exactly the exuberant response you might expect from a guy who just a week before felt like he had cost his team the game.
"It (the award) is nice," he said. "But we were playing for the win. That's the only thing I was focused on."
Engram completed 11 of 13 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 70 yards on nine carries. His Hornet offense racked up 31 points after scoring only nine points in the first two games combined.
As impressive as Engram's play was, it was his `team-first' attitude that coaches noted.
"He is a leader on this team," Coe said. "The quarterback has to be. We knew that we were close to having our offense click. Alex kept working and kept believing that he and his teammates would succeed. That responsibility is always on the quarterback."
The quarterback position this season comes with added pressure because of Tarvaris Jackson's recent departure. The last three years, Jackson put up mind-boggling numbers on his way to the NFL.
"The way I look at it is that I can't try to compare myself to Tarvaris," Engram said. "We have to focus on this year's team. The guys who were here before set expectations high, but we are the 2006 Hornets and we have to be ourselves."
Despite his desire to define himself and his team, Engram is still connected to the guy he'll be measured against.
"After the game, Tarvaris sent me a text message saying he was proud of how we played and how I played," Engram said. "It meant a lot to me coming from him."
With another SWAC game imminent, Engram is quickly turning his attention from this week's award to next week's opponent.
"If we don't go out and play well this week, what happened last week won't matter," he said. "We want to win every game we have left. I believe we have great players, the best players in the SWAC. We've just got to put it all together."
