In October 1982, a promising Boston College quarterback named Doug Flutie threw for a school-record 520 yards in a loss to eventual national champion Penn State.

Dan Lonergan, a member of that Nittany Lions team, still remembers the day vividly.

“He was hard to find, hard to bring down,” Lonergan said. “Very dynamic on the run. A really intelligent player.”

Lonergan made only one start in his college career, serving primarily as backup quarterback on a perennial powerhouse.

When his son, Dylan, found himself in a reserve role at Alabama decades later, Dan knew how to navigate the situation. Most parents can sympathize, but he could empathize.

But Dan also knew Dylan had skills he did not.

“I don’t think I was nearly as good as he is,” Dan Lonergan said. “I kind of expected him to be

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