Chris Rix - Florida State
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Rix is the man, and he's comfortable with that The 20 messages left on Chris Rix's answering machine Thursday afternoon signaled a significant change in his football career. He was no longer just another heir to one of Tallahassee's most prestigious and scrutinized positions. He was starting quarterback for a college football dynasty. A two-sentence statement from Florida State coach Bobby Bowden earlier that day made Rix, a freshman with no game experience, the man. Jared Jones was gone - dismissed for violating team rules. Jones was Rix's only competition for the spot that came open when Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke graduated. "It's been my goal since I got here, of course," Rix said. "My goal was to work hard and be the starting quarterback in the 2001 season. I was thinking I was going to have to compete against Jared. I feel for Jared. But now that he's not here, I'm going to have to work harder because there's going to be more pressure on me, and more people looking at me. "I was planning on handling pressure come springtime anyway. It doesn't change my work habits. It won't make me get complacent. I guess it's just one less obstacle to overcome. My mind-set hasn't changed any. The public's has, and the media's has." Tallahasseeans who didn't know Chris Rix before likely did on Friday morning. The Californian's regiment was interrupted by television and newspaper interviews, but just briefly. Rix may have become something different to others, but in his mind he remained what he's been since arriving at FSU - Weinke's replacement. Rix made all B's in his first semester, and his thirst for learning was evident the moment he joined the Seminoles. He didn't play in the fall as a redshirt, but he impressed coaches and players in other ways. "Rix is a sharp kid, in two-a-days he was running around like he knew what he was doing," former FSU center Jarad Moon said. "When you go from high school to college, it's not even the same galaxy. So you could tell right then, he is going to be a special player." Rix studied Weinke in practice, in games and in team meetings. Former FSU offensive coordinator Mark Richt, now the head coach at Georgia, found him to be an attentive student in film sessions. After games, Rix would question Richt about why a certain play was not called that had been worked on during practice, or wonder about how the opponent's defense reacted to a certain play. He made things happen in practice against one of the nation's best defenses. None of that came as a surprise to Richt, who recruited the 6-foot-2 Rix out of Santa Margarita (Calif.) High. Rix threw for more than 900 yards and rushed for more than 550 yards as a senior at Santa Margarita (Calif.) in 1999. As a demonstration of his athleticism, he caught 10 passes for 288 yards and earned second-team honors in his league as a wide receiver. He was Rivals100.com's No. 5 quarterback prospect in the nation. "Chris is really a great runner who has a very strong arm," Richt said. "He has unbelievable ability." New quarterbacks coach Darryl Dickey has not had the chance to see Rix on the practice field. He has been at FSU less than a week, and already that is enough to like Rix in other ways. The night he became FSU's No. 1 quarterback, Rix worked late on a class project. He has encouraged veteran players to work out and throw on their own. "He has done an outstanding job off the field," Dickey said. "He works very hard in the weight room. Can't hardly run him out of the weight room. He's doing a great job preparing himself on and off the field. "A lot of people are looking to him to organize and get things ready to go on the field. That's always a sign of a good leader - that he's able to take charge." Dickey challenged Rix to continue to do the right things on and off the field. He couldn't tell him much about what changes, if any, FSU's offense will make. Anquan Boldin probably will move from wide receiver to quarterback, but Rix is the No. 1 quarterback. That means he'll throw the football a bunch in spring practice. "The more I throw, the better," Rix said. "Game experience is what I lack, and people continue to knock me for that. But what can I do about that? I redshirted. "I came in with a plan. I wanted to be the guy as soon the opportunity presented itself, and the opportunity has presented itself." |
