Senior film key for Bench
One of the things that made an offseason move from Bainbridge (Ga.) to nearby Cairo so appealing for quarterback Steven Bench was the fact he'd be switching from the veer offense to a pro-style attack.
As luck would have it, though, his new team has needed his legs as much as his arm in two early season games.
Advertisement
"I think I threw for like 30 yards in the first game - with over 100 rushing - and like 80 in the next," Bench said, laughing.
Despite those numbers, Bench is confident that in the long run the school switch will be a positive one and should help him improve his stock. Right now, he claims five offers, but only one is from an FBS program - Rice. Other schools, however, are anxious to watch Bench's senior season film, he said.
One of them apparently is Mississippi State. Purdue is another.
The Bulldogs have been in contact with Bench for some time. While it's not clear if Mississippi State will take a quarterback in this class, it has told Bench it is tracking him.
"One of the coaches told me they had a meeting where they said [coach Dan] Mullen told them, 'Let's make sure we keep in touch with him,'" Bench said. "They want to see my new film. I haven't sent it in yet. I'm sending it this weekend. [Mullen] said, 'When it gets here, make sure I get my hands on it."
Purdue only recently got in touch with Bench.
"They said they're intrigued by last year's film," Bench said. "They're going to be recruiting me. They want to see my new film. They'll go from there."
Rice, which sent Bench his written offer earlier this week, already has one quarterback commit. But, "they said they'll take me," Bench said.
Keith Niebuhr can be reached at kneebs01@aol.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.