Long gone are the days when quarterbacks like Roger Staubach and Fran Tarkenton could run around endlessly behind the line of scrimmage while waiting for receivers to get open.
Defensive players now often are quicker than those they’re chasing, particularly quarterbacks, so the window is shrinking when it comes to finding a target or throwing away the ball.
But the scramble isn’t entirely dead.
And Orem quarterback Cooper Legas is one of a few who can slip away from pursuers and still make something positive happen when all of the normal structure has broken down.
Case in point was a play in Orem’s 28-12 win over Sky View in a Class 4A state semifinal last weekend.
It was just a nine-yard touchdown run for Legas early in the fourth quarter on the scoring summary.
It was third-and-7 with Sky View desperate to get back the ball with minimal damage done. Legas dropped back and almost was swarmed under near the 20-yard line.
But the Tigers junior somehow managed to escape before weaving his way past Bobcats defenders into the end zone.
“That’s what makes him so good,” Orem coach Jeremy Hill said. “Down here, we thought it was done, it was over, and he’s done that a dozen times this year. Should’ve been sacked, but he scrambles and goes.
“Those are backbreakers, you know. As a defensive coordinator myself, if we’ve got the quarterback lined up, we’re done. And then he squirts out and he goes for a touchdown on what should’ve been a 6-yard loss.”
The rushing numbers, much of it through impromptu plays like that but many others through designed runs, are big.
FRIDAY’S STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES <br>At Rice-Eccles Stadium, University of Utah <br>Class 4A • Mountain Crest vs. Orem, 11 a.m. <br>Class 5A • Skyridge vs. Lehi, 6:30 p.m. <br>Class 6A • Bingham vs. East, 2:30 p.m.
Legas has run for 1,028 yards in his 13 games, including 28 yards and two TDs in the state semifinal win.
The Orem quarterback, who is listed at 6 foot 2 and 210 pounds, has his own role models when it comes to playing the position — some older, some current.
“I’ve watched a lot of Steve Young highlights, but I like to watch Baker Mayfield highlights before games,” Legas said about the current Oklahoma Sooners quarterback. “He’s a beast, and I like to watch how he plays.”
And his philosophy is simple.
“I like to scramble a lot,” Legas said. “I hate getting sacked. It’s the worse thing ever.”
It no doubt helps Legas to have junior wide receiver Puka Nacua, a constant threat on the field. And the quarterback has taken advantage, racking up 3,914 yards through the air.
“Those are Cammon Cooper numbers, those are Bronson Barron numbers, those are Zach Wilson numbers,” Hill said, mentioning the signal callers at Lehi, American Fork and Corner Canyon.
“He’s in the top four or five in the state in passing, No. 1 in total yards (4,942). He’s third in the nation in total yards. The kid can throw it.”