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Rolling with the changes is nothing new to Paul McIntosh — but neither is rolling out of the pocket.
The newest Saluki quarterback has been beating teams with his arms and legs since taking over the offense from Chris Dieker, who suffered a broken left clavicle on Oct. 24 against Youngstown State.
In just less than two games, McIntosh has thrown for 292 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Head coach Dale Lennon said McIntosh has developed nicely since taking control of the offense, and the offense has adapted.
“Let’s just say the threat of being able to run with the quarterback keeper is there, so there is definitely a chance of seeing us run a few more of those,” Lennon said.
Just more than a year ago though, it looked as though McIntosh would be doing more marching than running on fields.
The redshirt freshman first made a name for himself in his hometown of Evansville, Ind., where he was a three-year starter at quarterback at Reitz Memorial High School. In his senior year, McIntosh was named Indiana’s Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year.
Named a three-star recruit by scouts.com, McIntosh originally committed to Ball State, before changing his mind and committing to Army.
Being in a run and option system offense in high school, McIntosh said he thought it was the best school for him. But he said he regretted the decision after realizing what the expectations would be for him in the service.
“It looked like a good fit coming out of high school. And whenever I got there, I realized I didn’t want to spend the next 12 to 14 years of my life in the military,” McIntosh said.
McIntosh said he ended his commitment to Army and decided to transfer to SIU last October after touring the campus and researching the academic programs in Carbondale.
One year later, McIntosh is helping to carry the weight of the SIU football team’s national championship dream on his shoulders — but he said he is not too worried about it with the rest of the team.
“We got everybody else on this team too to help. With the offensive line, defensive line, running game and passing game, we’ll be alright,” McIntosh said. “I’m not feeling too much pressure.”
Lennon said McIntosh’s ability bodes well with the rest of the team. He said McIntosh might not be as strong of a thrower as Dieker, but his speed and judgment skills are beyond an average freshman’s.
Running back Deji Karim said he has noticed one major difference between Dieker and McIntosh.
“Paul is bringing a different thing to the table — he’sa dual threat, and that helps out a lot,” Karim said. “When I’m blocking out there for McIntosh, I have to block for longer, because you don’t know where he will be on the field. He could have thrown it, he could be right there running in front of me.”
McIntosh said Dieker had only one thing to say to him before he took over.
“Just be calm, and play with your instincts. Do what I need to do. Be more of a run threat if I need to.”
