|
Dosh banks future on
Pirates
Bonesville.net staff report
|
Patrick Dosh (13) during a Florida practice session. (Submitted
photo) |
|
His winding journey from
Richmond to Greenville involved two rounds of recruiting trips over two
years, with a season-long layover in Gainesville. In the end, Patrick Dosh
finally landed at the destination where he believes he'll have an equitable
chance to prove his mettle.
After spending last season and
spring practice fighting for position in a logjam of quarterbacks at
Florida, the former Virginia prep star has decided to bring his considerable
skills to East Carolina.
Dosh is a mobile quarterback
and that doesn’t include his running ability, which accounted for 945 yards
rushing his senior season at Richmond's Benedictine High in 2001.
A historical footnote should
mention that he played middle school
football with Pirate defensive back Mickey McCoy in Marietta, Ga., before
Dosh's
family moved to Richmond to give him the optimum opportunity to play high
school football.
Dosh initially committed to
Virginia Tech after passing for a Virginia state record 8,648 yards, a total
that surpassed Ronald Curry’s previous state mark.
He also visited North Carolina
the first time he went through the recruiting process. But when Ron Zook
became coach at Florida following Steve Spurrier’s departure to guide the
Washington Redskins, the Gators made a late push.
Dosh visited Gainesville the
weekend before the national signing date in February of 2002 and opted for
the Gators. He redshirted at Florida last
season, working as scout team quarterback against a defense
coordinated by first-year ECU head coach John Thompson.
“He (Thompson) would always tell me, 'Nice
pass.,' if I completed one against his defense when we were practicing,” Dosh
said.
Dosh was psyched to compete for
the starting job in spring practice.
“I went all through spring and
played very well,” Dosh said. “As far as I was concerned I was growing as a
quarterback and learning the Florida system. But I told my dad I didn’t
think I was getting a fair opportunity. I thought the coaching staff already
had a plan for how they wanted things to turn out.
“Ingle Martin and Gavin Dickey
were young quarterbacks and I wanted to get in a better situation.”
Dosh decided to transfer. He
visited Georgia Tech, Hofstra and James Madison, where his father is a
member of the JMU hall of fame. Patrick Joseph Dosh Sr. is the Dukes’ second
leading career rebounder and is fourth on the school scoring list.
“I wanted two Division I-A
options and two Division I-AA options,” Dosh said of his methodical approach
to transferring. “I considered Hofstra because they throw the ball all over
the place.”
Dosh could have played
immediately at a I-AA program. His old friend McCoy hosted Dosh (6-feet-3,
218 pounds) on his official visit to East Carolina several weeks ago and
Dosh felt comfortable about working in the offense directed by new Pirates
coordinator Rick Stockstill.
“Coach Stockstill seems to
simplify the game from the quarterback perspective,” Dosh said. “It’s so
much simpler than Florida on quarterbacks — not to have to worry about so
many hot reads and sight adjustments. That’s huge. You consider he played
quarterback at Florida State and you think, ‘He’s been in our shoes.’
“The offense seems to be 50-50
run/pass and there’s a lot of shotgun, which I love. ... I love to tuck and
run when there’s nothing there. My running ability surprised them at
Florida.”
Dosh ran a 4.76-second 40-yard
dash for the Gators.
He visited ECU again a few days
ago to confirm his decision to join the Pirates program. Dosh will have
three years of eligibility beginning in 2004. His admiration for Thompson
was a key factor in his decision as well as the chance to play on the
Division I-A level.
“If I don’t give myself another
opportunity at this level I might always wonder what would have happened if
I had given myself this chance,” he said.
Dosh’s favorite sports
personality is Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. He turned 19 on
April 22. His favorite actor is Method Man and his favorite musician is Tim
McGraw. A cousin of the two-time all Virginia selection, Joe Fleming, played
in the CFL.
ECU’s returning starter at
quarterback, Paul Troth, will be a junior for the 2003 season.
Copyright 2003
Bonesville.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 01:24:23 PM
|
