In early July, Trojans Coach Joe Clayton said he really did not have a set quarterback.
The Coach said the job was up for grabs between sophomore TJ Milk and Senior AJ Segura.
At the football camp in the first weeks of July, Clayton hammered the point home by giving sophomore quarterback TJ Milk many of the repetitions at camp.
Segura has been the undisputed quarterback for the past three years.
This slight change in plan by Clayton has got Segura’s full attention. According to Clayton, he has seen improvement in his training and preparation for the upcoming season.
“TJ is a good player,” Segura said confidently. “I don’t really go into the season saying I have my spot and I am going to keep it. I did go into it this year knowing that I was going to compete for my job,” he said. “After the camp, I was getting reps.
“My main concern was what was my role going to be on the team. I was not crying or anything. I just wanted to know what was going on. I told coach my best interest is in the team. We worked it out. There may be some games where Milk can take half the reps and I will be at wing back. So it’s more like a system by community.”
The competition brings to the table some new possibilities. In recent months, the Trojans have added a new wrinkle to their offense. They dropped the pistol and have based their whole offense on the jet sweep.
The formation is based on a receiver who goes in motion and may or may not get the ball in a sweep to either side.
Clayton says this type of offense kept the other teams he went up against off balance at the recent Southern Utah University Football Camp.
This has also given Clayton some ideas in keeping both Milk and Segura on the field. He figures he could use the athletic abilities of both players to decide which one is at quarterback. At the football camp, he found AJ was a very quick running back. So, he can move Segura around to confuse the other teams.
Segura has bought into this plan and likes the new offense.
“The plays are simple, but effective. We were getting a lot of yards-per-pop, when we would run them. The defense is definitely on their heels,” Segura said. “The whole team is very positive. We are all working hard. There is a lot more excitement this year than last year and I feel more comfortable.”
With the new Trojans offense comes a revamped offensive and defensive line led by Jace and Jax Clayton.
Clayton said the new line is faster and heavier. Jace he said put on at least 50 pounds of muscle and mass over the summer. He went from 195 pounds to 250 pounds, maybe more.
Segura said the line has made many improvements.
“The few pass plays I did have at camp, I had time to scan the field. It was definitely refreshing. All the times I have played with Pahrump Valley, I have not had the time to pass, but this year at camp, I don’t think I was ever touched. The line is young kids and they hit the weight room hard,” the quarterback said.