By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

Drew Carter spent a lot of time on his back in 2007.

Carter was a freshman quarterback for the LaGrange College Panthers that season, and he took his lumps.

He performed admirably, but on a team that was physically overmatched nearly every week, it was a tough season for the first-year player from Northwest Whitfield High in Dalton.

The Panthers went 0-10 in their second season of college football, and while Carter did well for a guy making the transition from high school to college, the season didn’t leave many pleasant memories.

The experience didn’t deflate Carter, though, as disheartening as that season was at times.

Carter worked hard in the offseason, and he returned for the 2008 season prepared to turn things around.

He accomplished that mission with a flourish.

The Panthers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Birmingham Southern in the season opener, the first win in the program’s history, and they went on to post a 9-2 record that included a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

“It was tough then, but I think I’m better for it now,” said Carter, referring to the 2007 season. “Now, there’s nothing I haven’t seen, and nothing I haven’t gone through. I feel like I’m prepared for anything because of that.”

The story of the Panthers’ 2008 season was a remarkable one, and Carter secured a couple of chapters in that book with his performance.

He averaged better than 200 yards per game, and he threw 26 touchdown passes, and he had at least one scoring pass in every game.

When Carter was asked to deliver, he responded, beginning with a comeback victory over Birmingham Southern.

Carter threw a touchdown pass to Devin Billings with 23 seconds left to secure that victory.

“I really can’t describe what was going through my mind,” Carter said. “I tried to run off the field, and then we had to go for two.”

Carter threw for more than 400 yards in a loss to Shorter the following week, and his steady play helped the Panthers win their final eight games of the regular season, capped by a win over Huntingdon in the conference championship game.

In the NCAA Division III playoffs against Millsaps, Carter threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns.

The Panthers lost that game, but it did nothing to diminish a remarkable season.

Carter said the key to the turnaround was the belief by the players that, despite all the losses, the wins would eventually come.

“We had to stay mentally tough and resilient,” Carter said. “We always had to keep moving forward and know that it was going to happen.”

It didn’t happen during Carter’s freshman season when he was thrust into the starting lineup.

Carter had his moments, and his numbers were respectable, but the Panthers endured another winless season.

Carter said the belief that Mooney showed in him that season meant a lot.

“He never got frustrated,” Carter said. “I know he had the confidence in me, and that helped me keep the confidence in myself.”

As Carter prepared for his second season, he said he felt “a million times more comfortable.”

It showed.

Helped largely by an offensive line that was a year older and a year stronger, Carter looked comfortable as he directed a high-powered offense.

The Panthers put up big numbers, and Carter’s ability to get the ball where it needed to be was a big reason why.

“One of the things that Drew has been able to accomplish is taking his vision level and be able to scan the field and put the ball where it needs to go,” Mooney said.

Senior wide receiver Nick Langley said Carter earned the respect of his teammates by the way he kept his head up during the difficult 2007 season.

“Drew, I can’t even describe how impressed I am with how good he’s been since his freshman year,” Langley said. “He has shown a lot of poise back there taking hits a lot of time, because we had 19-year-olds blocking guys who had been playing college football for four years. He stood in there, made his reads, and delivered the ball where it needs to go.”

Carter said his job is made easier because of the abundance of offensive weapons to choose from.

“It makes it hard on a defense,” he said. “They can’t double-team one guy. We have a plethora of guys that can deliver the knock-out punch.”

Carter also gives plenty of credit to an offensive line that kept him mostly upright in 2008.

“They did a great job up front, and it doesn’t hurt anything that you have an All-American tackle (in Jon Milner),” Carter said.

An unquenching work ethic doesn’t hurt.

Whether it’s on the practice field, in the weight room, or in the film room, Carter is always striving to get better.

“You can never get content,” he said.