GAINESVILLE — Bruce Miller leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, and calmly, almost matter-of-factly, mentioned current Gainesville quarterback Messiah Dorsey in the same sentence as former Red Elephant greats Blake Sims and Deshaun Watson.
Something like that makes you sit up and listen.
“I’m not saying he’s going to break records, but he reminds me of Blake with his speed and his ability to take any run the distance, and he reminds me of Deshaun in how he is able to handle the offense, and he has a great arm as well,” Miller said.
In just two seasons (2008-09), Sims threw for over 5,000 yards and ran for just under 1,700 yards. Watson then took that to new heights in his four seasons immediately following Sims (2010-13). The signal caller set Georgia High School Association records for total yards in a career (17,134), total touchdowns in a career (218), career passing yards (13,077) and career passing touchdowns (155). He also rushed for 4,057 yards and 63 touchdowns before heading off for a stellar freshman season at Clemson, derailed only by injury.
The thought of a quarterback melded together with the best parts of two of the best quarterbacks in the state over the past seven years conjures up images that should have Gainesville fans on the edge of their seats as well.
The only drawback for Miller and the Red Elephants is that Dorsey only has 10 games, maybe more, to showcase his talent. But he said he is ready to raise the curtain on the 2015 season, which opens with a bang for the Red Elephants Friday night at City Park as they will play host to Class AAAAAA No. 3-ranked Grayson -- a program among a group of early-season picks to win the AAAAAA title.
“I can’t wait to get going,” Dorsey said. “That means a lot to me coming from coach Miller, but I’m not going to try and be those guys. I’m just going to go out and be me and do what I know I can do.
“I do feel like the way I play is kind of in the same mold as those guys, but I have to go show people that I can play at that level. I’m not really feeling any pressure, though. The coaches and the team so far have shown they believe in me and that means a lot.”
Not to be forgotten, Dorsey is following Mikey Gonzalez, who threw for over 3,000 yards in his one season as the Gainesville signal-caller. Dorsey was the leading receiver for the Red Elephants last year while also doubling as the backup to Gonzalez. He will now be the third different starting quarterback for Gainesville in as many seasons.
And, with Dorsey being a senior, it will also mean a fourth different quarterback for the Red Elephants when looking ahead to the 2016 season. Is it a master plan of some kind for Miller?
"No, it's just kind of worked out that way. Really, it's kind of the nature of high school football right now. You see this at a lot of places now," Miller said. "You would rather have a guy for two or three years. But when that happens this can be a result of that."
Dorsey feels his time behind Gonzalez and Watson, and his knowledge of the offense, should play to his advantage.
“I know where everyone is supposed to be,” Dorsey said. “I think I can handle any play in the entire playbook. My plan is to put the ball in play to the right guy. If nothing is there, I feel like I can make things happen running the ball.”
Miller said the best improvement in Dorsey’s game, however, has been from the neck up -- a key element in running the spread attack. So much so he distanced himself in a battle for the No. 1 spot with junior Hunter Sims.
“The maturation Messiah has shown since the spring has been amazing,” Miller said. “We always felt he had the athletic ability to be very good (at quarterback) but understanding which decisions to make are what make the difference. He has really grasped the mental part of being a quarterback. That was probably the biggest factor in him winning the job.
“And it was a wide-open job. But as the summer went along you could see Messiah begin to stand out. He won the job with his overall play in all phases.”
Dorsey and the Red Elephants offense looked in midseason form two weeks ago in their only scrimmage of the fall, a 35-20 win over Jefferson Forest out of Virginia, coached by former North Hall coach Bob Christmas. Dorsey went 16-for-25 for 240 yards and two touchdowns in just over a half of work.
“I thought the offense looked very sharp at times, which is a credit to Messiah and the guys in how quickly they have picked up the offense,” Miller said. “Most of our issues were with the defense. We gave up some big plays and we’ll need to fix those things.”
They certainly will, as the powerful Rams head to Bobby Gruhn Field. Last year Grayson put a 39-0 shellacking on Gainesville in the season opener. Miller said they have not forgotten and hope the Rams are thinking about their showdown with arch-rival Archer in two weeks.
“This year is similar to last year only in reverse. We beat them in a scrimmage the year before and they were waiting in the grass for us last year,” Miller said. “But we also weren’t ready for them at that point of the season. They were big and fast then and they’re just as good this year. It will be a huge challenge for us.
“But I feel better about us this year in the opener. Hopefully (Grayson’s) thinking about Archer and the fact they beat us bad last year and will just be able to do it again with little effort. We’ll be ready for them this time.”
Dorsey said he knows people are looking at the Red Elephants as the underdogs despite playing at home. He said he’s had a different vision.
“Hopefully walking off the field with a 'W,' ” he said. “Everyone in Hall County I know is hoping to wake up on Saturday and see an “L” by us. But I think we have a chance to win if we play our game.
“We would love to show everyone that Gainesville isn’t going anywhere. I don’t think it would be an upset if we win. We’re going in thinking we can beat them.”
