In a movie, when the team's top three quarterbacks go down, the replacement should usually be one of three things. Either it's the 5-foot-8 kid, the punt returner or the kid who never played quarterback before.
So when Bucknell's top three quarterbacks went down, they just followed the script.
What they found was 5-foot-8 Dante Ross, the punt returner who had never played quarterback before.
What they found was a goldmine.
Ross, who had previously played cornerback and special teams, waltzed right into the role of the Bison's starting quarterback two weeks ago, then last week ran for a school-record 268 yards.
But he didn't quit his day job.
Ross also returned three punts and a kickoff, intercepted a pass and made five tackles to go along with his three rushing touchdowns and one passing score.
When Bucknell coach Tim Landis found himself in what he called "a desperate situation" after injuries decimated his entire depth chart at quarterback, he scoured his roster looking for the player whose athleticism made him right for the job.
"He's done a really nice job with it," Landis said.
But then again, the senior has done a really nice job at everything he's tried his hand at.
In addition to his rushing exploits last week, he became Bucknell's all-time leader in punt return yardage. And by taking the Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Week honors, he is now in a class by himself as the conference's only player ever to win Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week during his career.
Still, for the Quakers tomorrow, the focus has to be on the offensive side of this three-headed monster, as two games into his quarterbacking career, Ross is drawing comparisons with one of football's best offensive talents.
"He's a mini version of Michael Vick," Quakers coach Al Bagnoli said. "He's got great vision. He's got great quickness. He's got good burst."
However, one thing that is not up to par with the Atlanta Falcons' starter is his passing.
Actually recruited as a wide receiver out of Robert E. Fitch High School, the Groton, Conn., native is still early in his development as a passer.
He attempted only two passes last week -- compared to his 31 runs in the flexbone offense. One was incomplete, and the other was hauled in by freshman wide receiver Daniel Zvara for a 37-yard touchdown.
Despite Ross' lack of experience, Landis has confidence in his ability to air the ball out, especially when opposing defenses will be cheating in favor of stopping the run.
"We're not afraid to play action pass with him," Landis said.
Bagnoli knows that the Quakers must be looking to contain the speedster, and he has tried to drill that in at practice this week.
"The focus is on trying to corral the kid and making sure that we don't overpursue," Bagnoli said.
With the medical records getting longer and the depth getting shorter under center, it would only be natural for Landis and Bucknell to fear an injury to their last resort.
But that's not stopping them from using Ross on both sides of the ball and on special teams when needed.
"We won't hesitate to play him if the situation dictates it," Landis said.
For most teams playing against opponents with strong quarterbacks, the goal of the defense is always to force a punt or a turnover to get that player off the field.
Not so easy against Ross.
Despite standing only 5-8, he has displayed incredible talent in all facets of the game, blocking a field goal against Cornell and has recorded 105 tackles and seven interceptions in his career.
"When Dante's in the secondary, he's a pretty good cover guy," Bagnoli said. "So we've got to contend with him on both sides."
And you thought 5-8 wide receivers couldn't amount to anything.
