Of all those who will be excited to hit the CAU Panther Stadium turf tonight for the 2018 Spring Game tonight at 7 p.m., one who won't be putting on the pads will be one of the most excited.

New Panthers offensive coordinator Willie "Satellite" Totten makes his debut for Head Coach Kevin Ramsey and the Panthers, who are concluding spring practice as they get ready for the 2018 football season.

And while it may not be the opener at Mississippi College or a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent like Tuskegee, it's just as big a game for Totten.

"I'm just excited," said Totten.  "I've been knowing Head Coach Kevin Ramsey for awhile and when the opportunity presented itself, I thought it was an opportunity – a growing program that I think is on the rise. I was excited about the opportunity in being an offensive coordinator again.  I've been a head coach and as well as an offensive coordinator and getting the opportunity to again be an offensive coordinator, that's just very exciting to me."

Many may remember Totten as the triggerman for Mississippi Valley State's high-powered offenses of the early 1980s.  Most will remember the man he was throwing to – NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.  A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Totten set more than 50 Division I-AA (now FCS) passing records, with their 1984 team averaging 59 points per game.  Mississippi Valley State's stadium is named in honor of the duo - Rice-Totten Field.

Totten briefly played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and then spent three seasons in the Arena Football League with the Chicago Bruisers, the Pittsburgh Gladiators, and the New Orleans Night.

He first left the playing field for the sidelines as a graduate assistant for legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson, before returning to Mississippi Valley State as a quarterbacks and running backs coach. After a stint as a high school head coach, Totten again returned to his alma mater where he became head coach in 2002, leading MVSU to back-to-back winning seasons in 2005 and 2006.  He left coaching in 2009 and went into administration at MVSU in 2010.  By 2013, he was back on sidelines as a quarterback coach at Albany State and in 2014 at Alabama A&M.

Now he is CAU where he is looking to run a spread offense as they replace All-SIAC players in quarterback Johnathan McCrary and wide receiver Deandre Jackson.

"My philosophy over the years has been to take what the defense gives us," Totten said.  "If the defense gives us the run, we're going to run the football. If the defense gives us the pass, we're going to throw the football.  We want to be pretty much 60 percent pass, 40 percent run.  That could easily change based on the team we are playing.  Over the years, that has been very effective for me and I think I'm going to stick with that.

"We've got some talent," Totten said.  "I feel good about the quarterback situation. We've got a pretty good quarterback in Charles Stafford, although we need a little more depth there.  I think our receiver corps will be pretty good, but we need a little more depth there as well, along with our offensive line. But like the way the guys are approaching it.  I like the way the guys are accepting the transition from what they did last year to what we're doing now. And I like the way the guys have embraced me as coordinator. I think it's going to work out fine."

As for himself, Totten is just happy to be back in the offensive trenches, as well as mentoring, developing and molding young men, both on and off the field.
 
"It's a privilege to coach this game," Totten said. "Everybody doesn't get an opportunity to coach this game and I'm very thrilled and I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to coach and continue to do the thing that I love."

Admission to tonight's game is free of charge.