Four years ago at Lafayette, quarterback Marko Glavic was ending a career as the Patriot League's all-time leading passer, and an average-sized kid out of Loveland, Ohio - population 11,219 - was running the Leopards' scout team. Fast forward to 2006, and that kid is now staking his own claim to the history books.
Coming into tomorrow's matchup with the Quakers, senior Brad Maurer, a third-year starting quarterback, has piled up over 3,000 passing yards, almost 1,000 rushing yards and a spot as Lafayette's all-time leader in completion percentage (61.4 percent). He has already started 25 total games.
Oh, and in case Penn fans aren't convinced - he is now coming off the best offensive performance of his career.
His contribution to the Leopards' 31-0 drubbing of Bucknell last week was 252 yards in the air and 73 on the ground, all but one of which came on a game-changing touchdown sprint.
"From the last game, obviously he's a good player," said Penn captain and senior safety Scotty Williams. The opening game of Maurer's senior year, a 25-14 win over Sacred Heart, was a bad-weather affair that produced only 161 combined passing yards between both teams.
"He had an aura about him as a quarterback and as a leader," recalled Lafayette coach Frank Tavani of the first meeting he had with Maurer - alone on his high school field, everyone else home for a snow day.
From a story like that, Maurer - who was not immediately available for comment - could be excused for acting like the big man on campus once he finally arrived.
But according to those who know him, he kept his distance from the glory of college sports while still serving as a face of the Leopards' program.
"On a lot of other college campuses the starting quarterback, especially a player of Brad's stature, would be a celebrity, but at Lafayette he is very nondescript," Tavani said.
He added that most of Maurer's professors are unaware of his prominent and time-consuming job outside the classroom - exactly what Maurer himself wants.
Leopards fans have certainly gotten what they wanted out of Maurer so far. After falling to Appalachian State in the NCAA playoffs last year with Maurer sidelined, the No. 22 Leopards are in position to make another run deep into December with him as a senior.
The last time he played in the postseason was as a sophomore, when Lafayette was bounced in the first round by defending champion Delaware despite a fine 19-for-27 performance from the man under center.
"Brad is experienced, poised and very intelligent, and that's exactly what you hope to have when your quarterback is in his third year as a starter," said Tavani. "It certainly makes the job as a head coach a lot easier to be able to turn the team over to him and let him go."
