LU pledge Tatum is looking forward to spread offense

[KFDM COOP]

LU pledge Tatum is looking forward to spread offense

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

PORT NECHES -- Harrison Tatum decided to make a little history for Lamar University but still intended to make a little more first for Port Neches-Groves.

Battling through the ups and downs of a rough, hurricane-filled senior season, the Indians' senior quarterback suffered a painful homecoming loss to Livingston on Friday night, Oct. 10. He watched Texas beat Oklahoma on television early Saturday and then buzzed over to the Montagne Center to make an historic announcement.

The PN-G passer is hereby portrayed and regarded as the first LU commitment to commit to signing a letter of intent in February and accepting a full scholarship offer with Ray Woodard's resurrected Cardinals' football program. Tatum to Lamar is projected to begin in 2009 as a redshirt freshman.

New offensive coordinator Tommy Mainord and new quarterbacks coach James Brown will install a spread offense under Woodard. Tatum will have the advantage of learning more about the spread attack under those coaches before his year of freshman eligibility in 2010 -- the first season in which Lamar returns to I-AA football competition.

The groundwork for Harrison's decision involved gradual exposure between Tatum and Mainord, who formerly served as a running backs and receivers coach at Sam Houston State, as well as a Bearkats' recruiter in the west Houston area. The Indians' field general attended football camps last summer both at Sam Houston State and the University of Houston.

Tatum has been told that Lamar's offense has planned to align from a spread formation. LU's Mainord has been impressed from his study of Tatum in game videos. The opportunity to re-open Lamar's football history and stay in the Golden Triangle appealed to Tatum, a three-year starter at quarterback.

"I was excited about the chance and it looked as if they were interested," Tatum recalled. "They got to know about me as a student. They're going to run the spread. We don't run the spread but he (Mainord) would like to see me in the spread. I liked coach Woodard a lot. Everything's brand new. The benefits of being at LU were really more than someone might think."

So Harrison and his mother Candace got out a pen and paper and jotted down the plusses and minuses of numerous potential choices in Harrison's future. Southland Conference rival Stephen F. Austin State and Mountain West Conference entry Air Force were among the interested football programs.

SFA would be near home at Nacogdoches. Harrison's dad Marty went to the Air Force Academy's football program in the early 1980s.

But LU football will be a special and novel item when Harrison will be here. The Golden Triangle undoubtedly will want to rally for the 2010 Cardinals' return to the gridiron, especially with Woodard and his fine new staff in place.

It's an offer that Tatum could not refuse. It's also an offer that makes another Lamar football star happy. That would be former Indians' and Cardinals' defensive lineman and current PN-G head coach Matt Burnett.

Uhh, but before Tatum leaves, it's time for the New Reservation to see a win and a run at the 4A state playoffs. PN-G would have to run the table in its last three games in order to have a chance for that post-season opportunity to stay very likely.

Can Harrison guide the battered and ripped-up Tribe back into the playoff hunt.... Hey, that's life in the battered and ripped-up Golden Triangle after Hurricane Ike... you just have to clinch your fist, keep your head up, and fight through life's hurricanes.

"Lamar has a very good engineering program and I want to be an engineer," the Indians' senior said. "I would prefer to be in the shotgun (offensive formation) most of the time. And as far as our season goes, I'm a very positive person. I never like to think it's too late. I wouldn't want to say that anyone's given up or that we are out of it by any means.

"We have been putting up the yards. We're not getting into the red zone and scoring enough and we're having too many turnovers."

Read more >>

Tatum is right. PN-G is dead-last on the 20-4A turnover chart at minus 9 right now, yet it ranks in the league's top three numbers in total offense along with Nederland and Vidor. The 6-1, 190-pound senior probably is harder on himself than his parents or Burnett or quarterback coach David Wallace ever could be.

Tatum ranks second among 20-4A passers with 727 yards. He has the highest completion percentage among the league's leading passers and six touchdowns with four interceptions. Knowing Harrison, he probably remembers the four interceptions better than the six touchdowns.

"If I was to blame anybody, I would blame me," he said Tuesday. "I would much rather take the blame than blame anybody else. It's OK with me if I don't throw it once, if we can win."

It's a team game. It's a team sport. The Indians (3-3 and 1-3) have little chance to upset Lumberton (5-1 and 3-1) at The New Reservation on Friday at 7:30 unless each and every purple uniform can follow Harrison's mindset and place the team way above anything else.

None of the Indians can worry about becoming All-Americans or Super Team members. They have to make sure they leave their new carpet with more points than the Raiders. That's going to be hard to do.

Lamar's first new football pledge obviously sounds as if he has a little unfinished business left at The New Reservation.

[Guest abovetherim]

Nice interview and article.

[setxathlete14]

can someone please tell me why lamar is banking on this guy.. that has only completed 47 % of his passes and has more INTs than touchdowns in every season he has played and missed the playoffs!

[Guest coachacola]

can someone please tell me why lamar is banking on this guy.. that has only completed 47 % of his passes and has more INTs than touchdowns in every season he has played and missed the playoffs!

Huh?  Where does it say LU is banking on him?  Lamar is building a team, they need players.  I doubt he's the only quarterback Woodard plans on signing.

[lu cards]

tatum pro's are he has a cannon,smart/good kid.con's are his agility.lamar will have atleast 3 qb's in the program so its a good sign.

[badndn]

can someone please tell me why lamar is banking on this guy.. that has only completed 47 % of his passes and has more INTs than touchdowns in every season he has played and missed the playoffs!

Well he helped lead PNG to the second round last year and a lose to eventual state champ Lamar Consolidated. Don't judge the kid on the stats or lack there of at PNG. If you have seen PNG you would understand why the numbers aren't astounding. But also if you ask anyone who has seen him when they get away from the power game, they will tell you he can sling it and is accurate. He has completed more than 50% for most of the season. The 2/17 against Ozen really hurt.

Besides he is not the only QB that will sign with LU. I would suspect Woodard would also bring in a JC transfer and try to sign another QB or two next year 2010.

[lcm2007ms]

can someone please tell me why lamar is banking on this guy.. that has only completed 47 % of his passes and has more INTs than touchdowns in every season he has played and missed the playoffs!

Well he helped lead PNG to the second round last year and a lose to eventual state champ Lamar Consolidated. Don't judge the kid on the stats or lack there of at PNG. If you have seen PNG you would understand why the numbers aren't astounding. But also if you ask anyone who has seen him when they get away from the power game, they will tell you he can sling it and is accurate. He has completed more than 50% for most of the season. The 2/17 against Ozen really hurt.

Besides he is not the only QB that will sign with LU. I would suspect Woodard would also bring in a JC transfer and try to sign another QB or two next year 2010.

you were right about the JC transfer. We got a good one