By Roscoe Nance
Howard University quarterback Caylin Newton was nothing less than scintillating last season as he was named MEAC and ECAC Rookie of the Year while leading the Bison to a 7-4 record, only their second winning record since 2005.
Newton, the younger brother of NFL star quarterback Cam Newton, is aiming for bigger and better things for the Bison and himself.
“That’s our motto,’’ he said. “We want more; 7-4 is not good enough.’’
More, in Newton’s mind, would be a MEAC Championship and a berth in the Air Force Celebration Bowl against the SWAC Champion. The Bison are currently a half-game out of second place and their title hopes got an assist from the schedule. They do not play defending champion North Carolina A&T State this season.
It’s difficult to imagine Newton, who was named the starter only days before the Bison’s season opener at UNLV, doing more than he did last season. He emerged as the top dual threat quarterback in the MEAC, amassing 3,185 yards total offense to become the first freshman in conference history to surpass 3,000 total yards in a season.
“I didn’t know what to expect,’’ Newton said, reflecting on his expectations of himself last season. “It was really a shock to me. I wasn’t shocked that I started, but I was really shocked in the moment. It was like ‘now I’m finally here.’ I earned the starting job. I wasn’t given it. It wasn’t time to sit back and be proud. I wasn’t there yet. So it wasn’t like I could relax and enjoy the moment of being the starter. It was, ‘I’m the starter, we got to play UNLV,’ I had to get my mind right real quick. The last game I played was a second-round (high school) playoff game. It was a big jump to FBS-level competition.’’
Newton made the jump as easily he might clear a crack in the sidewalk. Showing no freshman jitters, he led the Bison – 45-point underdogs – to a 43-40 victory over UNLV. The Associated Press said that was the biggest upset in a game with a point spread in college football history, and Newton’s fingerprints were all over it. He racked up 330 yards of total offense – 190 rushing and 140 passing. His four-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, his second of the game, provided the margin of victory. He also threw a touchdown pass.
The victory over UNLV was the first ever for Howard against an FBS program and gave the Bison their first 1-0 start since 2012, which was also the last time they finished above .500. They were 7-4 that season.
The win against UNLV was the catalyst for an improbable season for the Bison, who finished in a three-way tie in the MEAC after being projected to finish ninth among 11 teams last – and for Newton as well. He was named Second Team All-MEAC in addition to being Rookie of the Year.
Those accolades and accomplishment are in Newton’s past, and head coach Mike London says his quarterback is intent on keeping them there.
“Beating UNLV was a springboard,’’ London said. “It was a tremendous confidence booster. But you have to come to play every Saturday. It was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences that you will never forget, having made college football history by overcoming the biggest point spread deficit in college football history. It’s something you take with you, but it’s not going to help you win games this year. It’s another other year and it’s what have you done lately for me. He has done a great job of really helping to get himself into position to help his team again this year.’’
Newton threw for 2,432 yards last season and rushed for 753 yards, second on the team. He is confident he can improve on those numbers and become a more complete quarterback.
“I have to become more balanced,’’ Newton said. “At the beginning of the season (last year), I was a runner. Toward the latter part of the season, I was more so a thrower. As a freshman, I didn’t know how long the season was and how beat up my body would be. If I can find that balance of learning how to play smart, get down when I need to, run out of bounds, I can use my throwing ability early instead of relying on my legs, I’ll be better off.’’
Newton, who had hoped to sign with an FBS program but didn’t get any offers, announced he would attend Howard three days before London was hired.
“It was a big leap of faith,” Newton said of his decision to sign with Howard not knowing who his coach would be. “My dad (Cecil Newton) did research on Howard. He pointed out all the notable alumni. It was one of those God guided me type of things. The positives of Howard and all those things came into play. It overwhelmed me and surpassed any other university and I just went with it.”
Cecil Newton was a controversial figure in his older son’s decision to sign with Auburn following his junior college. London says the elder Newton made no demands nor did he come with preset conditions.
“There were no issues about playing time or this or that,” London said, adding that there had been some talk of the using the younger Newton at safety since the Bison had also signed quarterback Ramar Williams, a highly-regarded transfer from Navy Prep who had been the Maryland High School Player of the Year, to take advantage of his athleticism.
“It was just about the support he had for the program.”
Williams suffered an injury in preseason practice, and Newton leapfrogged him.
“Cailyn started to distance himself with not only what he could do with his legs, but also his arm and how we could spread the field and utilize his skill set,” London said, adding that he never anticipated Newton having the type of season that he did. “We only knew as the practrice went on and the season unfolded that we had something special; our style of offense fits his skill set. Both things fit together.”
In addition to his skill set, London raves about the progress as a quarterback overall.
“Cailyn has done a great job in motivating himself to be a better football player,” he said. “His football IQ has improved tremendously. Last year, a lot of things that were done were done to try to minimize the issues that his youth and inexperience might have caused. But over the course of he year, toward the end of the season and into the spring he has done a good job of learning he offense. More things are going to be entrusted to him such as calling plays at the line of scrimmage and all those things. He has really developed into being a good leader and a good player.”
London adds that Newton’s brother Cam, a former NFL MVP and Heisman Trophy winner in college, has had a positive effect on the younger quarterback’s development.
“It helps that he comes from a family that has the type of sounding board that he can talk about different challenges and issues and get sound advice,” London said.
The younger Newton performance last season helped him emerge somewhat from his brother’s shadow. But he is still known primarily as Cam Newton’s brother in some circles.
“I don’t even notice it anymore,” he said. “I don’t think people understand Cam has been my brother since day one. He’s just Cam. Of course, the hype and attention come with it, but I’ve been dealing with it my whole football career.”
The younger Newton says his brother’s advice to him is, ‘“Man, just be the best you that you can be.”’
“He never has any doubts about me,” Newton said. “He understands I’m a strong person; I don’t get distracted by ‘Cam this; Cam that.’ It’s definitely pressure, but I don’t dwell on it.
Newton acknowledged, “We’re always competing,” adding “I’m not trying to be like him – for what?”
Cailyn Newton is listed generously at 5-11, 195 pounds, while Cam checks in at a legitimate 6-5, 245. It would be foolhardy for him to compete with his brother in terms of trying to do the things he does on the field. But all bets are off in other areas.
“We’re definitely competitive,” he said. “My whole family is competitive as far as working. If you look at social media, he works out three or four times a day. I have to level up to that. One thing I try to maintain is his work ethic. I do drive toward keeping up. This is all year; we go back and forth. It’s like we don’t have time to rest. That’s the competitiveness that we have. That keeps each of us on top.”