The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Freshman Dufour Latest Blazer To Step Into First-Time Action
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Irvine
uabsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Lee Dufour spent most of his first semester at UAB easing his way into college football. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound offensive lineman appeared on his way to a first-year redshirt despite advancing to second on the depth chart at center by the time fall camp concluded. It looked like some of his best lessons would come from watching talented senior Brian O'Leary take nearly every snap during his final college season.
That plan changed in a hurry.
The change came in the second quarter of UAB's 40-24 loss to Louisiana Tech last Saturday at Legion Field. Dufour was on the sideline, standing with teammate Zach Sims, when he saw O'Leary remain on the field after a big run by Jordan Howard. O'Leary had helped open the hole for Howard but he hurt his knee on the play. UAB offensive line coach Mike Bennefield turned and told Dufour to start taking snaps on the sideline.
Not long afterward, he trotted on the field for the first time as a college football player.
"All the fellow O-linemen were really supportive," Dufour said. "They were like `We know you got it, we know you're prepared.' I got the butterflies out after the first snap and then it was like regular practice during the game."
Actually, it took a quick pep talk before the first snap to help himself get ready.
"We broke the (sideline) huddle and took the field," Dufour said. "I remember, I lined up on the ball and said to myself `This is it, it's real now.'"
Things couldn't have gone much smoother on his opening drive. The Blazers went on to complete a 7-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Howard's 6-yard touchdown run. Dufour not only blocked well on the drive but he had one of the key blocks on Howard's scoring run.
When the drive ended, Dufour sprinted off the field into a host of celebratory hugs and slaps on the helmet from coaches and teammates.
"It was a big rush of adrenaline and everybody was so happy because we scored," Dufour said. "Once I sat down, I was like `Alright, you got the first drive out of the way, we still got work to do.' I just had to calm myself down and realize that `OK, drive one is done, now we got to go back to work.'"
UAB head coach Bill Clark was pleased with the way Dufour played in his first appearance.
"We thought he did really well," Clark said. "Solid is a term we used for him. First, good snaps, that's rule No. 1 and then he held up. We thought he did a good job. He's going to do nothing but grow."
Dufour was a standout offensive lineman at Saraland High School in South Alabama. He played center and offensive tackle with 44 consecutive starts to close out a successful high school career. His team finished 12-2 with an appearance in the Alabama Class 5A semifinals during his senior year. Clark offered Dufour scholarship when still the head coach at Jacksonville State. When Clark came to UAB so did the scholarship offer to Dufour. He was told the opportunity to play right away was a strong possibility.
It didn't take long during fall camp for Dufour to work his way up to No. 2 on the depth chart.
"Every day I just went out and tried to fight as hard as I could," Dufour said. "Being a freshman coming in, I wanted to set a good impression. I think over camp, they saw how hard I fought. I came to work every day and I never quit, I think that's what put me in second spot."
It still looked like he was headed for a redshirt. O'Leary, who is one of the better C-USA offensive linemen, snapped the ball on nearly every offensive play over the first nine games of the season. Dufour eventually fell off the depth chart because it looked like he would be redshirted. As it turned out, that was a big advantage considering he spent every day battling UAB's No. 1 defense as a member of the Blazers' scout team.
"That helped a lot, really," Dufour said. "I'm going against our starting defense so you learn a little bit as far as the speed of the game. A lot of guys have some of the same moves so, watching film, some of our starters have some of the same moves that Louisiana Tech was using. It wasn't like a shock or anything because I'm used to going against A-1s in practice."
Now he's the one working with the first team against the UAB scout team. This week's bye is probably not enough time for O'Leary to get healthy. Clark said O'Leary is doubtful for the team's game against nationally-ranked Marshall and he also could miss the regular season finale against Southern Miss.
"I went from B-1 scout team to A-1 starter really quick," Dufour said. "Even before coming to UAB, Coach Bennefield told me he wasn't promising a redshirt. He said `I might need you to get in because of how low the numbers were over spring.' I was just prepared. I knew any moment I could get in if O'Leary went down. Mentally, I was just making sure I was ready to go so I wouldn't let anybody down."
