COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -Even though Presbyterian’s Tim Webb threw for 648 yards and seven touchdowns last Saturday, he knows there’s room to improve.
Reviewing game film after the Blue Hose beat North Greenville 66-52, coach Bobby Bentley pointed out a receiver that the sophomore missed.
“Well, if had made that pass it would’ve been 50 more yards, it would’ve been 700” yards, Webb recalled.
Sorry, Coach. Maybe next time. Right now, Webb will have to be content with his amazing performance.
Webb was 31-of-40 and wiped out Todd Cunningham’s school record of 542 yards. If Presbyterian were a full-fledged member of the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision instead of in its first year transition out of Division II, Webb’s yardage would’ve bettered the 16-year old record of 624 yards set by Weber State’s Jamie Martin against Idaho State.
“I don’t know,” Webb says when asked about the yardage, “I guess it’s pretty amazing. It just seemed like that afternoon, the offense was clicking and we couldn’t do anything wrong.”
That was certainly true in the passing game. Two receivers, Terrance Butler and Larry Thomas, had three touchdown catches each. Butler finished with 215 yards receiving and Thomas 149.
And it was all led by a quarterback making his second career start.
The Blue Hose (3-3) are playing their first full season of the division formerly known as I-AA under first-year coach Bentley, who was known for high-flying offenses at James F. Byrnes High School in South Carolina.
Bentley’s attack won four consecutive state titles and one of his top high-school passers, Willy Korn, is a highly regarded freshman at Clemson.
What Webb does as well as anyone Bentley has coached is connect with the right receiver at the right time, he said. “We knew going into the game we were going to throw the ball a lot,” Bentley says. “Did I know Tim would throw for 600 yards? No.”
The more time Webb spends learning Bentley’s style and system, the better he feels running it. “It’s really simple to learn,” Webb said.
Webb made an impression coming off the bench in Presbyterian’s 33-20 loss at Western Carolina. The Blue Hose were tied at 20 with the Southern Conference club in the fourth quarter before the Catamounts pulled away.
In the second half, Webb was 10-for-13 with a touchdown, good enough to earn him his first career start a week later against North Carolina Central. Webb responded by going 16-of-23 with three TDs in Presbyterian’s 34-27 victory.
Webb kept things up in a big way against North Greenville. He had touchdown throws of 42, 84, 6, 53, 12, 72 and 70 yards. He needed every one of them, as the Crusaders turned the game into a shootout.
Webb’s big day earned him some national recognition, including a mention in Monday’s editions of USA Today. “That was the most unbelievable thing,” said Webb, from Lugoff, a small town a few miles northeast of Columbia.
Bentley thinks Webb can keep up his play and have an impact for the Blue Hose during an upcoming stretch of FCS opponents in VMI, Coastal Carolina and Liberty – all on the road.
Webb’s been teased by teammates and classmates about becoming a new star. There have been congratulations and calls, but Bentley doesn’t expect the attention to swell his starting passer. “He’ll be the same guy he always is,” Bentley said. “A great kid, the kind of guy you want your daughter to date.”
Webb laughs off the hype. He doesn’t expect to top his yardage totals this week or the next, and doesn’t want to as long as the Blue Hose come out on top.
“I could throw for 50 yards and if we win, I’ll be happy,” Webb said.
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