Altmyer’s sharp outing helps SHS to a big win

Luke Altmyer walked off the field after an interception in the fourth quarter against West Point last season dejected.

The Starkville Yellow Jackets were down 41-14 and completely shellshocked after Altmyer and his team had jumped out to a 14-0 advantage. He was well on his way to a big game and a 2-1 start to the season until the wheels fell off. It was, in his mind, the worst game of his career and SHS head coach Chris Jones pulled him from the game to try to change things up.

While the Jackets closed that lead to within a touchdown, Altmyer couldn’t help but be upset with himself. He let down his team and he let down himself and he had to be better. He was better the rest of last season, but he was never better than his first two quarters of the 2020 season opener on Friday nearly a year to the day he last went up against the Green Wave.

“It meant a lot more than football to me, my family and my teammates,” Altmyer said. “It was super exciting and I couldn’t be more pleased with the coaching staff, my teammates and myself.”

In Friday night’s 40-28 victory, the Florida State commitment had a first half to remember. It began with a designed quarterback run as the team saw an empty set from the West Point defense and Altmyer took off for a 72yard scoring run. He was off to the races from there leading SHS to a 26-7 lead at halftime.

Jones mentioned even last year that Altmyer needed to run the football more to take pressure off of himself and the offense when it wants to pass the football. It showed another element to his game.

“That first play of the game told you a lot about him,” Jones said. “He’s committed to doing whatever it takes for the team. We talked about it all summer, and we talked about it all week. He wanted to run the ball and he showed it. If he can do that, he’s got everything else. He’s committed to it and it changes our whole dynamics on offense.”

Altmyer finished the first half with a dandy scramble and throw to Stacy Robinson for a 23-yard touchdown as time expired and he went to the locker room with a nearly flawless performance. He was 14-of-19 for 286 yards and two passing touchdowns with another one running. That performance earned him OCH Regional Medical Center Athlete of the Week.

That demeanor and dominance against a standout defense like West Point is an upgrade from even the past performances from the quarterback. It showed just how far he’s come and the trajectory he’s taking to Tallahassee for next season. If he can stay on the field

and not on the sidelines from things like the pesky cramps he got in the second half, it’s a special season guaranteed for No. 9.

“That’s just the maturation

of a quarterback,” Jones said. “He’s a senior. He’s a threeyear starter and we expected him to do well. He wanted this game. He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time to redeem himself so I’m proud of him. He’s not an Under Armour All-american for nothing.”