AUBURN — Sean Ford might as well have worn his bright red practice jersey to Edward Little’s games last year. Whenever the quarterback stepped onto the field, it was a red alert for opposing defenses that the Red Eddies were going to put the ball in the air.

Ford split time at quarterback with senior Josh Delong last year. Delong got the starting nod and stayed on the field whenever the situation called for quick legs and/or leadership. But whenever the Red Eddies needed to score quickly or pick up a third-and-long or just wanted a change of pace, Delong moved to receiver, Ford joined the huddle and the defense took notice.

The QB duties are all Ford’s this year. The sideline-to-huddle shuttle is over for the senior. When the Eddies open their season tonight against defending Pine Tree Conference champion Lawrence, the Bulldogs won’t need to peer into EL’s huddle to know who will be taking the snap.

The Eddies aren’t making a secret of what they want Ford to do with the ball when he gets that snap, either.

“People still think we’re going to throw the ball this year, which we are,” Ford said. “With our weapons, even if they double-cover one person, I think we should still be able to throw the ball perfectly well.”

With tight end Quin Leary and wide receivers Caleb Spruill, Bryan Uwaechia and Ian Mileikis among those weapons, Ford’s confidence is understandable. Getting on the same page with coach Dave Sterling and learning the offense backwards and forwards also has something to do with Ford being a more self-assured passer whenever he drops back.

“He has the offense down, knows the offensive checks and audibles. He’s been developing and becoming an all-around good quarterback,” Sterling said.

The all-around qualities include leadership, which Ford was a bit hesitant to embrace last year because he didn’t want to step on Delong’s toes.

“If someone messes up or something, he’ll be one of the first people to explain it to them and help them correct it,” Leary said.

Ford’s understanding of the offense didn’t come overnight. He started last season on the junior varsity because he didn’t have a full grasp of it. He had to learn how to recognize defensive coverages and where the throwing lanes were against those coverages.

He quickly showed signs of improvement. In EL’s second game of the season, he led the Eddies on a late-game touchdown drive to clinch a win over Cony. The following week, in a blowout loss to Bangor, he threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Delong for the Eddies’ only score.

“I definitely got used to the speed of the game (as the season unfolded). My confidence definitely went up a lot,” Ford said.

The QB platoon made it difficult to find and keep a rhythm, but Ford still led the team and finished sixth in the PTC with 502 yards passing in his limited action. He credits his platoon partner with helping him succeed.

“He pushed me,” Ford said of Delong. “It was nice having someone to push you. It made me a lot better. He pointed some stuff out that was really helpful.”

Knowing Ford would be the focal point of the offense in 2012, Sterling enlisted EL basketball coach Mike Adams help in getting Ford, a standout guard/forward on the basketball team, prepared for the role.

“I saw him Wednesday and he was saying, ‘Go every drill to your fullest. You want to win every drill,'” Ford said.

“Sean’s come quite a long ways,” Sterling said. “I think after last season, you saw him take a much weightier role in the basketball program as the season progressed and as they got into the playoffs he played extremely well.  That’s led to him having a much higher level of commitment in the weight room and in 7-on-7 football.”

Sterling said college coaches are taking notice of the 6-foot-3, strong-armed quarterback.

“He’s got a very good arm and he’s used to using it. Sometimes he makes the throw that you just don’t expect,” Sterling said. “Sean knows what his capabilities are, and the sky’s the limit as far as where he wants to go with his career.”