"Carlton helped stoke Trey’s fire as his drive intensified to play collegiately. They’d wake up at 5 a.m. to work out at the YMCA before school, with Trey recognizing the importance of outworking the competition at a young age. Even though Marshall, a town of about 14,000, had a proud athletic community, Trey widened his scope."
“He’d be standing there waiting for me (to go to the YMCA),” Carlton said. “Once he committed to something to get better, he just did it. When we left the gym, I’d give him five and say, ‘Hey, we outworked somebody today.’ He’s got that work ethic.”
"When we left the gym, I’d give him five and say, ‘Hey, we outworked somebody today.’ He’s got that work ethic.”
“You just meet some people who are fun to be around and bring good energy and have a presence when they walk into a room,” Stick said. “(Lance) is one of those people. He’s always smiling. He’s got good energy. He was much more mature than guys typically are when they’re coming in. Guys gravitated toward him in all classes, myself included. He was impressive from the day he got there.”
The pair immersed themselves in the rigorous daily quarterback routine, breaking down their opponents by down and distance, situation, personnel groupings, pressure packages, red-zone formations and third-down strategy, and they were responsible for creating film cut-ups to show the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.
Essentially, NDSU quarterbacks were an extension of the coaching staff. They also run a pro-style system, running a variety of plays from under center and calling plays into the huddle rather than using coded cards on the sideline. The quarterbacks are also responsible for pre-snap checks and protection calls.
Lance was already a football junkie, and he was taking a master’s course.
“I think it paid off in the long run for him,” Hedberg said.
Lance’s time on the scout team was brief but memorable. Once the coaching staff recognized his growth, they were determined to get him into a couple games without jeopardizing his redshirt eligibility."
