Jonathan Guerry didn’t have time to be nervous.
Starting center Austin Quattrochi had just suffered a stinger in his right shoulder and there was no time to waste.
Starting quarterback Austin Davis hurried over to work with Guerry to get a feel for the snap of the football. Four or five snaps later, Guerry can’t remember for sure, and it was back to the action and time to help the Southern Mississippi football team win a Conference USA title in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 fans at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium.
“It’s a major adrenaline rush,” said Guerry, a former standout at New Hope High School. “You have to get in there and get it done, especially in a conference championship game. You definitely get that first adrenaline rush and then it is time to roll.”
Guerry took over at center early in the first quarter Dec. 3 after the stinger left Quattrochi unable to grip the football. After some initial problems adjusting to the crowd noise, Guerry settled down and played a key role in then-No. 24 USM’s 49-28 victory against then-No. 7 and previously unbeaten Houston to win the C-USA title.
The victory helped USM (11-2) set a school record for wins in a season and wrapped up a spot in the 2011 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl against Nevada (7-5) at 7 p.m. Dec. 24.
The game will be the last time Larry Fedora will coach the Golden Eagles. On Friday, the University of North Carolina announced the hiring of Fedora, who is 33-19 in four seasons in Hattiesburg. He led USM to its second C-USA East Division title, and first since 2006. He also helped the program earn the distinction of being one of nine to play in 14 bowl games in 15 seasons.
Guerry, a 6-foot-4, 294-pound redshirt sophomore, played a key part in helping USM earn that honor. In his most extensive playing time of his career, Guerry’s preparation allowed him to make the most of a difficult situation in front of a hostile crowd.
“He is a great practice player,” USM offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said. “He practices hard every day, and he is a hard worker. He is one of the guys who even though he is a backup, he studies film and works extremely hard.”
Guerry was a second-team All-State pick as a senior at New Hope High for coach Michael Bradley. A three-star recruit coming out of high school, according to Rivals.com, Guerry chose USM over Columbus, Stanford, and Duke.
Guerry’s road to the playing field has taken plenty of turns. After playing tackle in high school, Guerry moved to guard at USM and redshirted his freshman season. He appeared mostly on extra point and special teams field goal situations in 10 games as a redshirt freshman.
Entering the 2011 season, Kapilovic said the Golden Eagles wanted to find more experience behind Quattrochi and opted to move Guerry from guard to center. Kapilovic said moving from position to position is tough enough, but it is even tougher in USM’s system because the offense runs most of its plays out of the shotgun and it is the responsibility of the center to make the calls on the line.
Kapilovic thought Guerry could play center because he is a smart and conscientious kid who takes whatever job he has seriously.
“It was unselfish of Jonathan because he was battling for a starting spot at guard, but he was ready to learn the position and to help the team,” Kapilovic said.
But little could have prepared Guerry for his first time in the spotlight. He said centers typically take snaps with the quarterback before the game and at halftime so the players can get a feel for the football. Those times, though, typically are quieter than it was at Robertson Stadium.
“That was the most intense situation he could be put in because that was as loud a place as we have played in,” Kapilovic said. “They couldn’t hear the snap count at first and they were not clicking.”
Kapilovic said the Golden Eagles went to a silent cadence that Davis triggered with a movement. He said Guerry, who had surveyed the defense at that point, was primed to give the count and call and make sure his linemen were on the same page. USM had eight false start penalties, including five in the first half, but Guerry thought the offense handled the adjustment well.
“I didn’t know if Austin was going to be out for a play or what, but I was not that nervous,” Guerry said. “You have to be paying attention to the game and know if your guy goes down you have to be ready to step right in.”
Guerry said he was able to transition from spectator to participant because Kapilovic and the USM coaches preach to the players they have to mentally and physically prepare like they are starters. Kapilovic said he always tells his players “the hardest job is to be on the second team,” but that Guerry handled himself exceptionally well and didn’t let the pressure bother him. As a result, USM outgained Houston 486-428 and Davis threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns.
Guerry experienced a similar situation earlier this season against the University of Texas at El Paso. He said that playing time paled in comparison to the atmosphere and the importance of the game against Houston.
“The UTEP game gave me the confidence to know I could get the job done,” Guerry said. “Coach Kapilovic tells us you never know when your number is going to be called and you don’t want to cost the team a championship. It was funny (Quattrochi’s injury) happened in the championship game, and I was not about to cost this team a championship.”
Guerry said the victory was especially sweet because few people gave USM a chance to win. He said he was proud to play in front of Davis, a quarterback he called “the hardest worker on the team physically and mentally just preparing for the games. He also was proud of the defense for shutting down Case Keenum, who before the game was still considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
USM’s victory derailed those hopes and created holiday in Hawaii for Guerry and his teammates. The team is scheduled to leave Sunday to begin its preparations.
Knowing Guerry, he already is studying and watching film because he knows he will have to be ready to go in if Quattrochi or any of the other linemen need to come out of the game.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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