Pensacola Times

With former USF quarterback Quinton Flowers being inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday night, we present this story originally published in "The Silver Stampede: 25th Anniversary of South Florida Football.'' 

An electrifying quarterback whose highlight reel will dazzle generations, Flowers was named the 2016 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and led the Bulls to three bowl games, a program record 20 consecutive weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, and a program-record tying 30 wins as a starting quarterback while posting the highest winning percentage of any quarterback in program history at .769 (30-9). Twice named the Birmingham Bowl MVP, Flowers led USF to victories over South Carolina (2016) and Texas Tech (2017) in the bowl to cap the two winningest seasons in program history as the Bulls finished 11-2 and ranked No. 19 in the nation in 2016 and 10-2 and ranked No. 21 in 2017, marking the first time USF finished a season in the AP Top 25. He was just the fourth player in FBS history to post 8,000 passing and 3,500 rushing yards in a career, the sixth to post 70 or more passing and 40 or more rushing touchdowns and finished his career ranking the ninth all-time in FBS history and first in the state of Florida for quarterback rushing yards (3,672). He finished his career as the American Athletic Conference record holder for career total offense (11,802) and owning 42 USF program records. 

In football meeting rooms, the film doesn't lie. It exposes weaknesses that were missed during real-time competition. It highlights great effort. It confirms the obvious.

But during the glorious USF era of quarterback Quinton Flowers, film review was like watching a video game. Or maybe a Road Runner cartoon.

Teammates already had experienced his jaw-dropping scampers and spectacular touchdowns. Another look only enhanced the sensation.

"Most of the time, the whole room would come just unglued,'' Bulls guard Thor Jozwiak said. "You had to see Q's plays several times to just appreciate how amazing and incredible they really were. You can only use words like 'amazing' and 'incredible' so much. With Quinton Flowers, you need a thesaurus.''

"When you see it every day, you almost take it for granted,'' Bulls receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling said. "When you watched the tape, you could just savor it. It was enjoyable. You could spend all day watching Q's highlights.''

After sparse playing time as a freshman, Flowers became USF's full-time starter from 2015-17. He accounted for 11,802 career yards and 112 touchdowns. He finished as USF's all-time leading rusher (3,672 yards and 41 touchdowns), which also ranked him ninth for rushing yards among all-time quarterbacks in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.

He also led college football in once-in-a-lifetime plays.

Fans marveled at the raw athleticism, the improvisation, the start-and-stop instincts, the elusiveness.

Teammates and coaches saw something else.

Mental toughness.

"The way he carried our team with all he had been through in his life, I still can't believe it,'' Valdes-Scantling said.

Tragedy shaped the young life of Flowers, who grew up in Miami's Allapattah section, which is bordered by Liberty City and Overtown.

When Flowers was 7, his father was shot in the neck and killed by a stray bullet, while grilling hamburgers and watching a Miami Dolphins game in the family's front yard. Just before Flowers' senior year at Miami Jackson High, his mother died of cancer.

In 2014, three days before Flowers' first USF starting assignment, his step-brother was murdered in a drive-by shooting after asking a motorist to slow down because children were playing nearby.

"For a long time, I always thought whenever something good happened to me, something bad automatically followed,'' Flowers said. "I remember being in my room crying about it.

"I know you're not supposed to ask God for things, but I would say, 'Why is this happening to me? When do the people I love get taken from me? I don't hurt anybody or cause trouble. Where is the sense in all of this?' ''

Football became his salvation.

"Football is easy for him,'' Flowers' older brother, Nathaniel, once said. "He doesn't fear anything or anyone. When he's on that field, he's free.''

"What Quinton went through would have destroyed most adults,'' former USF coach Willie Taggart said. "You can't imagine the kind of determination and strength he showed to keep pushing forward.''

Sometimes, Taggart was tough on Flowers, ripping into him for a practice-field mistake, trying to get a reaction. The emotions never changed.

"That was one of his gifts,'' Taggart said. "He didn't flinch or get flustered or anything, so the team didn't either. They responded to how he was.''

After his step-brother was killed, Flowers attended the funeral in Miami, then joined his USF team at SMU, where he made his first college start. Jozwiak normally broke down the team in pregame warmups, working everyone into an emotional fervor.

This time, Flowers wanted it different.

"Thor, let me get this,'' Flowers said.

Jozwiak nodded.

"I knew then that Q was going to be our man,'' Jozwiak said. "What a leader. And he always gave shine to the offensive line. With all his accolades, he could've gotten a big head. Whenever he was interviewed, he always, always praised his blockers and said he succeeded because he was surrounded by great players. The offensive linemen loved Q.''

Although blocking for Flowers could be an adventure.

"Technically, our job was to hold our blocks, keep him in the pocket and give him time to throw,'' Jozwiak said. "If he had to scramble, technically that meant something went wrong and you looked for why he had to leave the pocket. But that's when all his great plays happened. He made something out of nothing. We just rolled with it and knew Q would somehow find a way.''

Offensive linemen often had the worst view.

"You had to play off the reaction of the defender you were blocking,'' Bulls center Cameron Ruff said. "You'd watch their eyes. He's looking right, then he's looking left, then he's looking right again. You'd stay on him as long as you could, but you'd wonder, 'What's going on behind me?' Then you'd see the ball go by and everybody's heads would turn.''

"It was a touchdown and the offensive linemen would all look at each other like, 'Well, it must have worked,' '' Jozwiak said. "Then we'd go down and celebrate with Q and the other players. It was an absolute show every week.''

The film doesn't lie. Neither do the numbers. Flowers was 30-9 as a starter. He helped the Bulls to consecutive seasons with double-digit victories, including bowl wins against South Carolina and Texas Tech.

"Q did magical things,'' Bulls running back Marlon Mack said.

The biggest magic was the example he set.

"You would've never guessed about all the turmoil going on in Q's life because once he was in the facility, he was locked in,'' Jozwiak said. "I can't calculate the amount of mental fortitude he showed. He was just a true leader and a pound-for-pound football player. He knew what he had to do. He knew his role. He was just the best.''

Original source can be found here.