Things haven't always been as easy as Rocky Butler makes them seem with his magic feet and scholarly grasp of the run-and-shoot.

Once upon a time, Hofstra's quarterback struggled in the classroom and under the weight of the accolades reserved for his predecessor, San Francisco 49ers reserve Gio Carmazzi. But now Butler's glad he traveled the rocky road.

"I was fortunate to be in his shadow," said Butler, the 2000 Division I-AA independent offensive player of the year. "Being behind him, I learned a lot. Joe Montana had to be in somebody's shadow to get where he got."

Butler inherited a strong offense and began to chip away at Carmazzi's legacy, compiling 3,260 all-purpose yards. Butler led the Pride (9-4) to a playoff win in his first season as a starter, a feat which took Carmazzi three seasons. Anyone who watched the 6-foot, 190-pounder would wonder what might have been if Butler had gone to Syracuse after Louis E. Dieruff High School in Allentown, Pa.

"I could have gone to Syracuse and never been heard from again," the fifth-year senior said. "I'm a part of something here."

Butler, soft-spoken with a strong arm, didn't buy into the glamour of Division I-A. When Syracuse suggested a year of prep school because Butler teetered on the brink of academic ineligibility, he chose to hit the books hard in his final semester and qualified to play. He signed with Hofstra coach Joe Gardi, who was then reeling after his only losing I-AA season in 1996.

"Syracuse tried to talk him into prep school; they tried to hide him," Gardi said. "But we knew about his ability."

Northeastern will learn about it as well when the seventh-ranked Pride opens its first Atlantic 10 season at 6 p.m. Saturday at Hofstra Stadium.

Finding a school proved to be the easy part for Butler, who arrived at Hofstra with dreams of national championships. Quickly, he learned the pitfalls of the first half of the student-athlete's equation. His grades dipped "below 2.0," again threatening his eligibility.

"I was overwhelmed by the whole situation," said Butler, who is the first in his family to attend college. "It got to be too much for me. But I learned from it. I can't make the same mistakes twice."

He dedicated himself to improving his grades, so he could concentrate on learning the complexities of the run-and-shoot unfettered. He went home only once a year - for Christmas. But his self-imposed isolation has paid off. He is one of the nation's top quarterbacks and wants to become a teacher when his career is over.

"We haven't missed a beat with Rocky," Gardi said. "He's a model youngster who exemplifies all we're looking for in a student-athlete."

Quarterbacks coach Warren Ruggiero agreed: "Rocky definitely understands all aspects of our offense. He's pretty much in cruise control."

Of course, cruising is easy when you're part of such a strong stable of skill-position players. Senior wideouts Charlie Adams, who has been slowed by a hamstring pull, and Kahmal Roy form one of the nation's best duos, and will open the field for slot receivers Tom Kemper and Erik Lundell. Butler should find plenty of time behind a veteran line that averages 298 pounds.

But no one makes Butler's life easier than the ultratalented group of running backs, particularly sophomore Trevor Dimmie. Last year, he shattered a 13-year-old school record by rushing for 1,319 yards. Dimmie, who moved between would-be tacklers like a pinball, stands 5-7 and weighs 205 pounds (10 pounds heavier than last year). He appears to have retained his speed, and could be even more adept at breaking open-field tackles. Gardi, who prefers a two-back rotation, is high on redshirt freshman James Glee, who is nursing a sore shoulder. During last season's training camp, Glee rated higher than Dimmie.

The super-abundance of backs made it simple to loan two to defensive coordinator Greg Gigantino, who returns to Hofstra after three seasons at Cornell. Sophomore tailback Tyree Johnson moves to outside linebacker to replace Jets hopeful Joe Todd. Johnson and senior Duke transfer Todd DeLamielleure should shore up a unit that returned only senior Kyle Thorne. "I feel useful now," Johnson said of the switch. "At running back, I felt out of place. Now I'm in a position where I can make plays."

Friends Academy product Renauld Williams will make the same switch. After transferring from new conference rival New Hampshire, Williams impressed during Friday's Blue-Gold scrimmage when he broke through the first-team defense for a 78-yard score.

There was as much offseason movement on the defensive line, but Gardi doesn't seem nearly as confident about his front four, calling the group "a question mark." Ted Grinage moved from tackle to end, so Ryan Fletcher is the only Pride lineman to return to his 2000 position. If this group is unable to pressure the quarterback, the Pride secondary could be picked apart as it often was last season. "You have to think about that sack every time," Fletcher said. "You never know when it's going to come."

Somehow, the much-maligned backfield is the most experienced group. Headed by All-America strong safety Doug Shanahan, this group should be a vast improvement from last year, when it ranked 112 of 122 teams against the pass.

"I'm an old defensive coach," Gardi said. "Those numbers shattered me. But I have full confidence that [Gigantino] will bring us back to the dominant defenses of the past."

He'll Have to Wait a Seck. Freshman quarterback Bobby Seck had an impressive camp, but the All-Long Island selection from Kellenberg will likely redshirt.