Stewart takes a step in spring ball

April 26, 2008

Stewart takes a step in spring ball

Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff

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By now, most people in and around the Temple football program know what quarterbacks Adam DiMichele and Vaughn Charlton can do.

Saturday's annual Cherry and White intrasquad scrimmage at Ambler was a chance for redshirt freshman quarterback Chester Stewart to show what he could do.

Unfortunately for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Stewart, his day did not get off to the best start. A bad snap on the first play of the day had Stewart scrambling for the loose ball and ultimately banging his thumb against a teammate's helmet. He immediately came out of the game and sat on a trainer's table with ice on his thumb for the rest of the half.

Stewart came back into the game in the second half, but not because the pain subdued.

"The pain never went down," Stewart said after the game. "It actually got worse as the game went on. I felt like I was good enough to go back in. The hardest part is getting the snap from the center, but when I'm in there the adrenaline from the game helps me forget about my thumb."

Stewart shared snaps in the second half with junior Colin Clancy for the White team. Stewart looked good at times as he drove his squad down the field. Running a 2-minute offense late in the fourth quarter, he connected on 5 of 8 passes for 71 yards.

Taking over at the White 17-yard line with 1:52 remaining, Stewart hit wide receiver Nyles Bynum for a 30-yard completion before getting 26 more yards on the next play on a sharp throw to wideout Michael Campbell. After completing short throws of five and four yards, respectively, to fullback Lamar McPherson and tight end Matt Balasavage, Stewart threw his first incompletion of the drive when he couldn't connect with Bynum on third-and-1 from the Cherry 18.

Stewart's 7-yard run on fourth-and-1 kept the drive alive, but the game ended four plays later when Cherry defensive back Geore Coleman picked off Stewart's pass in the end zone. The pick sealed a 21-6 Cherry victory, and Stewart finished the afternoon 7 of 15 for 123 yards.

"I didn't play well," Stewart said. "The thumb did bother me out there, but I made some mental mistakes that I shouldn't make."

Stewart is still very much a developing talent. He did not see time at quarterback until his senior season at Dematha Catholic High School just outside Washington, D.C., playing for the same program that produced Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westrbrook.

Saturday's scrimmage concluded Stewart's first season of spring football. Parallels can be made between Stewart's final drive and how he has performed all spring.

"I've had some really good days," Stewart said. "I've also had some bad days."

With DiMichele unable to participate in the Cherry and White game as he continues to recover from the fractured left tibia injury that ended his 2007 season, he has taken on the role of coaching the other quarterbacks, particularly Stewart. He even spent Saturday sending in plays to Clancy and Stewart.

"Having Adam around really helps everyone out," Stewart said. "He is such a great player and a great leader."