|
| With Noah Beaudrie behind center at Adrian, the MIAA has a third team to watch out for. Adrian athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Welcome! Now get to work.
New Adrian quarterback Noah Beaudrie was put to the test – and passed – right away in engineering a late drive that produced the winning points in a thrilling 10-7 victory over NCAA Division I FCS Valparaiso, a non-scholarship program.
“It was a great team win,” Beaudrie said. “The thing we did really well was we didn’t focus on who our opponent was. We just focused on what we could do. We just went out there and competed.”
It was a great Bulldogs debut for Beaudrie, who transferred from Mount Union after last season. The senior passed for 183 yards and the game-winning score.
“When you schedule those kinds of games, you don’t know what will happen. Going in, I thought we were prepared and had a pretty good team, but I had no idea what would happen. You just don’t really know until you get out there,” Adrian head coach Joe Palka said. “As the game wore on and we stayed in there, the more the kids believed.
“Noah really saved his best for last with that last drive he engineered. He held in pocket for three of those throws. The poise he showed at the end was tremendous. They had a tremendous pass rush and they had a really good secondary. But, in the most crucial moment of the game, he came through. What a galvanizing situation for our team.”
Adrian (1-0) controlled the ball for large chunks of the game against the Beacons (1-1). The hosts went ahead, 7-3, though, with 1:25 remaining.
No problem for Beaudrie. He went right to work with his new squad. He found Trey Brueggermann for a short pass, then – zip, zip, zip – he found Ethan Abberger for a 30-yard pass, Braiden Whitaker for a 20-yard completion and Abbergern for a 26-yard touchdown strike in the span of 54 seconds for a 10-7 edge.
“I think it just shows what we’re capable of doing. All the hard work we put in this summer, camp and the fall really paid off,” Beaudrie said. “Throughout the game, we’d have 18- or 17-play drives that resulted in no points. So, we were due for a touchdown. To do it in that type of fashion is very rewarding.
“The defense didn’t stop believing in the offense. Our defense is the reason why we were in that game. No one on offense wavered when Valpo scored,” he continued. “It shows the belief we have in each other and the belief our coaches have for us.”
Being in high-pressure situations is nothing unusual for Beaudrie, who spent his first three collegiate seasons at Mount Union. Last year, he started for the Purple Raiders until an ankle injury late in the regular season kept him out of the lineup for three games. He returned later in the postseason, but played sparingly as the team reached the Stagg Bowl, but fell to North Central, 41-25.
“Pressure is a privilege. It means something is expected of you,” Beaudrie said. “My family has been in a lot of high-pressure situations throughout the years in sports.”
Family was a big reason Beaudrie decided to transfer to Adrian for his senior season. The campus is an hour away from his hometown of Monroe, Michigan. Coming back to the area gave him a chance to rejoin his father’s coaching staff at Jefferson High School, where younger brother, Luke, is a junior quarterback. Noah, who took the 2023 college football season off, coached at Jefferson with his father, Rob.
“I wanted to be closer to home. I wanted to be around my family and brother, who is a junior, and my sister, who is a senior. It was a huge blessing being able to be around and coach him and that was another reason I wanted to come back. I am the co-offensive coordinator throughout the week for that team. We are 2-0 right now, rocking and rolling.
“I am loving every minute of it. Being around my dad and my brothers and still playing football. It’s just a blessing.”
Another incentive is Beaudrie’s familiarity with Adrian offensive coordinator Tyler Palka. The two used to train together when Palka, a quarterback turned wide receiver, was pursuing a professional football career.
“I’ve known Coach Ty since 2021. He was training for the pro world. I was in high school and we’d train at the same facility,” Beaudrie said. “I would throw passes to him and he’d help me become a better quarterback. We stayed in contact after that summer. So, it was a cool full-circle moment to come back and play under him.”
Once at Adrian, the young Bulldogs reassured Beaudrie that his move was worth it.
“From the first day on campus, I have been welcomed with open arms. Building that team chemistry has been great,” he said. “I am loving every bit of it. At Adrian, it’s nothing but smiles. The coaches are definitely getting on us and making us work hard. But, it’s a lot of fun coaching my brother with my dad. It feels like family wherever I go here.”
Beaudrie uses his unique coaching position to help himself as well as improve Jefferson’s players.
“Me playing has definitely opened my eyes to coaching. Since my brother plays quarterback, I wouldn’t ask him to do anything he couldn’t do. I play the position and I understand it. I am living through it and can relate to him,” Beaudrie said. “By coaching, now I see the game from a different perspective, too. It helps me dissect film better and see things others might not see.
“I plan on doing some pro days and want to play at the next level. But, I see myself coaching for the rest of my life, too, just being around the game.”
Beaudrie even started his own company, Jesus+Football, which runs youth camps, has 7-on-7 travel teams and hosts tournaments for high school teams in Monroe.
“Football is a big part of my life. I can’t get enough,” he said. “I think the biggest thing is how football changes lives because of the team aspect.”
Beaudrie believes Adrian is only going to get better, too, with the momentum from the upset win.
“The coaches have done a great job preparing not only me, but the entire team. I am really happy with the coaching staff and really grateful for all they’ve done for us,” he said. “I think football is always evolving. Being at Adrian and learning the offense, I feel pretty comfortable with it and what we’re trying to accomplish. Every week, the game plan changes, though, so there’s a constant learning curve.
“I think there are always opportunities to improve, too,” he continued. “I know I have to do a better job. I was a little inaccurate in that Valpo game. That just comes with getting more experience and getting more time with the receivers.”
Joe Palka believes Beaudrie has just scratched the surface of what he can accomplish this season.
“Our team absolutely loves him. He is just a great leader. But, he hadn’t been in a situation where he had to do it here. So, coming through Saturday really showed the team what type of a leader he is. To have the poise to do that when all the chips were down at the end is incredible. What a rallying point for the team,” he said.
“We’ve been hard on him, but he takes the coaching and continues to get better every day. We’re going to get so much better because he is going to continue to get used to the reads. It’s a brand-new offense. He gets better every day. That’s what’s so fun about it. It’s exciting to see the growth each week.”
