Devon Bollinger’s first varsity football game was a start at quarterback for Northwestern Lehigh during his freshman year. In his first two seasons he took his share of lumps as the team struggled to find an identity and Bollinger struggled to find a rhythm. Now in his junior season, everything could be coming together for the six-foot, four-inch signal caller.

An offseason regimen designed to increase his speed and agility, combined with a redesigned offensive line that has plenty of experience, have led coach Josh Snyder to put in a number of plays designed for Bollinger to execute as a runner.

Things worked to perfection in the season opener against Notre Dame that went to overtime and finished with a 42-41 Northwestern win. With 136 yards rushing and 108 yards passing, Bollinger was directly responsible for 244 of the team’s 408 yards of offense.

The addition of Bollinger’s ability to gain yards on the ground creates a problem for defenses.

The Crusaders were unprepared for Bollinger’s ability to pick up significant yards on the ground and when they adjusted their defensive scheme to account for him, it opened up passing lanes. It also created holes for other players to pick up yardage on the ground and Nick Henry rushed for 117 yards giving the Tigers two backs with over 100 yards in a game for the first time in a very long time.

“It’s not just Nick and Justin [Rodda],” said Bollinger of his potential weapons. “Tyler Lobach had nearly 50 yards and didn’t have too many carries and guys like Tyler Slifer, who got hurt early on and [Ryan Haas] and Derek Holmes moved to tight end and he’s doing really well, too.

“This is the deepest team in the three years that I’ve been here, there’s a lot of talent.”

Bollinger connected with Rodda on a 69-yard catch-and-run for the longest play of the night for the Tigers.

While Northwestern doesn’t figure to throw a lot, their passing game could be opened up by the ground game and give them a quick-strike potential. Besides all of the yardage, Bollinger had two passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns against Notre Dame. Defensively, he also broke up two pass plays from Crusaders quarterback Cole DeFranco.

“Devon’s a really great kid and he works hard in practice and he can take everything that he learns and put it to use in a game,” said Snyder. “You saw in that last drive that he’s become the type of player who can take over a drive and be the difference maker in a game. “What we like about Devon, though, is that he is always team first and he’s become a leader because he’s quick to credit other guys and quick to be the guy who is patting them on the back for a good play.”

With a huge win over Notre Dame to start the season, Bollinger is realistic and isn’t quick to rest on that success. Instead, he’s focused on this week’s game at Salisbury and what he and the team need to do to win against the Falcons.

“A couple of guys and I kind of celebrated the win on Saturday, but yesterday we were back watching film and lifting and today we were getting ready for Salisbury,” Bollinger explained. “That win is in the past now and we just have to focus on what’s next and not keep replaying that game. What anybody did in that game was great, but now it’s another week and we’re working hard to be ready for Salisbury.”

Whenever you talk to Bollinger about his success, you’re going to hear a lot about other players on the team. He’s quick to realize that football is a team sport and that his success comes on the back of a lot of other contributors.

In addition to an assortment of talent at the skill positions, Bollinger was quick to talk about how good the offensive line is even before the opening game.

“Those guys up front have really taken on the challenge of creating holes for the ground game and giving me time to throw,” said Bollinger at media day earlier this month. “They’re the best line I’ve had with this team and they’re going to just keep getting better as the season goes on and as we get some games under our belt. I’m really excited about how good the line is going to be.”