Lorman — Alcorn State quarterback John Gibbs Jr. went down on the second play from scrimmage against Southern University Halloween night in 2015, and the Lenorris Footman era began in Lorman.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound signal caller rallied the Braves, leading his squad to a 5-2 record down the stretch and a Celebration Bowl appearance Dec. 19.

Now, Footman enters the 2016 campaign as the incumbent quarterback, and new head coach Fred McNair said there will not be any change in philosophy from the previous season.

“(The offense) one guy runs, every guy runs,“ said McNair, who served last year as the Braves’ quarterback coach. “We don’t cut the playlist in half, and sometimes we even expand it.”

Footman rushed for 274 yards and scored four touchdowns that day against Southern, and he has been the Braves’ starting quarterback ever since. In his 11 game appearances last season, Footman has amassed 1,142 yards on the ground — good enough for second-most on the team.

As he entered the game last Halloween, McNair told his young quarterback he would come out on the winning end so long as he focused on being sharp one play at a time.

“I want to play within myself, every game,” Footman said. “I try to command the huddle, command the offense and put us in the best position to win the game.”

Footman said he feels comfortable calling himself the leader of this year’s Alcorn football squad as he enters his junior season. He said as a quarterback, you’re forced to be the team’s leader.

“I try to play the game right,” Footman said. “Itry to be an example for the freshmen and even the people above me. I try to lead by example.”

Footman said being a leader requires a voice with the tone of authority. Footman said he tries to build trust by displaying leadership in the huddle and in game situations as he reads defenses and makes plays on the fly.

Alcorn won’t open the season until Sept. 4. Footman, however, is hard at work now in the spring attempting to establish a balance to go along with his prolific rushing game. He averaged 93 rushing yards per game, but his completion percentage sat at 43 percent to the end last year.

Footman said he wants to become a better, more rounded quarterback by honing his timing with receivers during spring practice. Footman said building a better passing attack comes from studying and repetition, and he sees progress when he’s on the field.

“Anytime you get on the field and actually do it, you get better every time you go out,“ Footman said.

McNair called Footman a student of the game. He said it didn’t surprise him when he broke out as a dual-threat last season, and he saw his confidence evolve from Day 1.

“As a quarterback, you really have to develop that confidence,” McNair said. “Don’t let them see you sweat … when the ball leaves your hand, one of three things will happen — it will be complete, incomplete or an interception. What else can you do after that?”

Accompanying the story of any breakout athlete is typically the story of an athlete that fell out of favor. Gibbs was the Braves’ starting quarterback since 2013. In 2014, he led Alcorn State to a Southwestern Conference Championship with 19 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns. Gibbs, however, saw little action post his departure that October game.

Footman said players are constantly competing to move up the depth chart, so it’s nothing personal when one player jumps another. It’s vindication after a daily grind to prove himself.

“I always prepare as if I was the starter, so when I came in, I felt like I was just doing what I was supposed to do,” Footman said. “I didn’t feel like I had taken his spot, I was just trying to help the team win. That’s all it really is.”

Footman is expected to retain the starting job in 2016 as Alcorn State aims to compete for a third-straight SWAC title.

Footman said anything less than another conference crown would seem like falling short. In fact, this season is about taking the next step — winning the Celebration Bowl.

For Footman, the road to repeating begins in the spring.

“The goal this year is to get past the point we stopped at last year,” he said. “It takes hard work, dedication and preparation. We’ve got to put the time in.”