St. Thomas graduate transfer quarterback Andy Peters’ college football career can be defined by a series of opportunities.
Some have worked out better than others. The latest could result in him finally fulfilling his dream of being a Division I starting quarterback.
Peters entered the Tommies’ scrimmage on Saturday in a tight battle with Amari Powell for the starting job. After delivering a standout performance, Peters has gained the edge with the season opener less than two weeks away.
“Absolutely loved the way Andy Peters played today,” Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso said. “He’s learning a new system at the toughest mental position on the field, because you’re responsible for everybody. Since we stopped installing plays (a week ago) and we’ve just been able to play football, you see Andy starting to come into his own.”
Aware of his standing in the quarterback derby, Peters was determined to make the most of Saturday’s opportunity, and he did just that.
“The last week or so I’ve gotten more comfortable with the system,” Peters said. “So, I wanted to turn my brain off today — play loose and play free. It felt so nice. It’s starting to flow a little bit more.”
The 6-foot-3, 222-pound Peters, a native of Boise, Idaho, comes to the Tommies from the College of Idaho. Before he set a dozen passing records at the NAIA school, he was a preferred walk-on at Boise State.
Peters passed on a scholarship to Idaho State to play for Boise State, his dream school. After not seeing any action as a freshman, Peters broke a leg in a skiing accident his sophomore year, costing him the entire season.
At that point, after “reading the writing on the wall’ that he was destined to remain on the sidelines, Peters decided to transfer.
“I just wanted to play football,” he said, “and I didn’t care where it was at.”
While he enjoyed his time at College of Idaho, Peters acknowledged that it was always in the back of his mind that he would like to get another shot at playing in Division I.
“You always want to grow, you always want to get better,” he said. “My last few years at College of Idaho, I felt I like I did that. So, yeah, in my last year, why wouldn’t I go prove to myself that I can do it?”
He was drawn to the Tommies in part because of the chance to earn the starting job.
“That was part of the recruiting, too.” Peters said. “They said, ‘We need a guy,’ so that definitely helped with the decision.”
Peters, who has shown an ability to throw and run the ball, said the next step in the process is to show the leadership skills that most teams look for in a quarterback.
“Now, it (also) comes with being an encouragement to others around me,” he said. “That means speaking up a little more — just trying build rapport with the guys around me. It’s hard when you first show up because you’re trying to focus on what you’re doing.
“Now, as I feel more comfortable, I can progress out and start to help others around me.”
Peters knows the competition isn’t over yet, a point that Caruso made after Saturday’s scrimmage.
“Even though Amari had a rougher day today,” Caruso said, “his last two weeks of practice have been really good. This was not his best day, but he’s played really well for long stretches, which makes us feel good.”
The other side
Caruso was pleased to see how the defense responded on Saturday after getting outplayed in the first scrimmage a week earlier.
“You’re a head coach for a team that’s in fall camp, so you can never be happy, because it’s a zero-sum game,” Caruso said. “But balance is what we work for, and I didn’t think there was enough balance last week.
“Not to say that I’m happy we turned the ball over on offense, but I was happy we were able to create turnovers on defense.”
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