Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lindsey charting his own path
FAYETTEVILLE — Drake Lindsey doesn’t get caught up in the significance of the name on the back of his football jersey.
The junior quarterback is more focused on the name on the front of his No. 5 Fayetteville jersey.
Lindsey (6-3, 200 pounds) is proud of the legacy associated with his last name, the grandson of former University of Arkansas player Jim Lindsey, who later played for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Drake said he is trying to chart his own course, and so far, based on the statistics he’s put up this season, he’s setting a fast pace.
“When I’m playing, I try not to think about any of that, just try to go out there and play my game,” said Drake. “I just try to play to prove who Drake Lindsey is and try to be the best Drake Lindsey.”
Six games into his career as a starting quarterback, he is proving quite a lot after earning the starting job in the summer. Heading into tonight’s big 7A-West Conference showdown at Bentonville, Lindsey is 140-of-216 passing for 2,130 yards. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is off the charts at 21 touchdowns with one interception and his quarterback rating is 127.7.
He is coming off statistically his best game of the season in last week’s 60-20 win against Fort Smith Southside at Razorback Stadium. Lindsey was 24-of-36 passing for 401 yards and five touchdowns. It was the third time this season he has tossed four or more touchdown passes in a game.
Fayetteville ( 4- 2, 2- 1 7A-West) graduated a ton of offensive talent from last year’s 7A state runner-up team including stellar quarterback Bladen Fike, who passed for 4,098 yards and signed with Missouri State.
Even Bulldogs coach Casey Dick has been surprised that not only has Fayetteville’s offense not skipped a beat, but it’s also actually out-pacing last year’s production. Last season the team averaged 327.8 yards passing per game. This year, the Bulldogs are averaging 362.5 yards per game through the air.
“It’s kind of shocking statistically,” said Dick. “I think anybody from the outside would say that strictly because of who we lost, like Isaiah (Sategna) and Jalen (Blackburn) and (Dylan) Kittell and Bladen Fike. But these guys have done a great job of preparing every week and going out and playing football.”
While the loss of three stellar receivers and a strongarmed quarterback would be enough to cause any team to take a step back, these Bulldogs have actually thrived with new faces in key roles.
Lindsey has a deep arsenal at his disposal in the passing game, led by senior Kaylon Morris (6-2, 190) who missed most of last season after being involved in a car accident the third week of the season. Morris is a dynamic playmaker and leads the team with 51 catches for 956 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Lach McKinney provides a strong complement to Morris with 30 catches for 429 yards and seven scores.
A huge addition to the offense has been sophomore Jaison Delemar, who has excelled in the slot. The Arkansas baseball pledge has 35 catches for 510 yards and four touchdowns.
“I think they each understand their role, which is a big key to having that identity,” said Dick of his receivers. “I think they all do that, and they don’t get frustrated if they don’t get a certain number of catches. If you look at each week, it’s somebody different. They just all do a great job of coming out and putting in the work to get better.”
Lindsey said he developed a connection with Morris and McKinney during the summer in voluntary workouts. That is where they were able to work on their timing, and the numbers prove those days spent under the hot Arkansas sun were worth it.
“I knew Kaylon could be that guy and we already knew what Lach could do,” Lindsey said. “This offseason, like from December through August, I couldn’t name how much we threw without a coach around. We threw a lot. At first, it wasn’t that great, but we just stayed after it and it got better and better.
“With Jaison, because of baseball in the summer he was gone a lot, but he got back for fall camp, and I just knew he was a dude,” said Lindsey. “Like, I watched him with the ball in his hands and I knew. I mean I didn’t have a lot of chemistry with him going into the season, but I just knew he could ball.”
Lindsey is no stranger to adversity. As a freshman, he suffered a season-ending left-knee injury “just horsing around playing basketball.” He was able to recover from patellar tendon surgery through stringent rehab and says his knee is stronger than it was pre-injury.
He will get his first real taste of the “Battle of the ‘ Villes” tonight under the lights of Bentonville’s Tiger Stadium. Last season Fayetteville ended Bentonville’s stranglehold on the 7A-West Conference, winning the program’s first league title in six decades and ending the Tigers’ 35-game conference winning streak. Bentonville (5-1, 3-0) is sitting atop the league standings.
“I know the history of this game,” said Lindsey. “I saw it last year and I’m very familiar with it. I know there will be a lot of people there, so that will make it a big moment for me. I love it. I love playing in front of people. I love showing my skills and all that.”