Tag: wide receivers

What Kayshon Boutte’s season-ending injury means for LSU Tigers

With no Kayshon Boutte, what is next for the offense?

On Monday afternoon, LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron confirmed a report that the team’s receiving threat — Kayshon Boutte — will be out for the rest of the year after exiting Saturday’s game with an ankle injury.

Boutte had eight receptions for 73 yards against the Wildcats when he exited the game with the Tigers trailing 35-14.

It will not be easy to replace Boutte’s skillset or his rapport with quarterback Max Johnson. Boutte is tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns in all of college football with nine touchdowns.

On the year, Boutte has 38 catches for 508 yards and nine touchdowns. After getting the nod for the starting lineup as a freshman in 2020, Boutte finished the season with 45 catches for 735 yards and five touchdowns. He also holds the SEC single-game record for receiving yards after hauling in 14 catches for 308 yards and three touchdowns.

Even through LSU’s struggles offensively at times this year, the Tigers always seemed to rely on and find a way to feature Boutte in the passing attack. How will his absence be felt and what does this mean for the Tigers moving forward?

Other pass-catchers will certainly have to step up. That list starts with Jack Bech and Brian Thomas Jr., the second and third-leading receivers on the LSU offense, both freshmen.

An interesting name to keep an eye out for is freshman Malik Nabers. Nabers has 106 receiving yards on the season but only seven receptions for an average of over 15 yards per catch. The young, downfield threat could potentially see more playing time and could give Johnson and the LSU offense a downfield threat in Boutte’s absence.

The Boutte injury also means the offense needs to prioritize fixing the run game that much more, not that the offensive staff needed any more motivation to do that. The Tigers ran well on Saturday against Kentucky.

Tyrion Davis-Price ran for 147 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns in LSU’s loss to Kentucky. Orgeron said Monday that he was pleased with the way his team ran the football and said the offensive staff tried out different formations to get the running game going. With no Boutte, an emphasis has to be put on the running backs.

LSU is sitting at 3-3 on the season and has six games remaining, including a matchup at home against Florida on Saturday. It’s the first of four games against Top 25 teams (Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas) who will then finish the season with home games against Louisiana-Monroe and Texas A&M.

Injuries continue to pile up for this year’s Tigers team. Boutte is the latest in a string of impact players to go down and an easy way to sum up how LSU will likely cover up their losses on each side of the ball is that they likely won’t. Especially with such a talented player like Boutte. Just when you think LSU’s season couldn’t weirder or worse, it somehow did today with the Boutte news.

Oklahoma’s wide receiver corp “takes pride” in laying themselves down for one another

Speaking to the media Tuesday, Drake Stoops shared that Oklahoma’s Wide Receivers take pride in laying themselves down on the line for one another.

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Every wide receiver wants the ball in their hands. That’s the element of the game that shows up on the stat sheet, and it’s what everyone sees on Sportcenter. The catches or the big runs are the plays that make everyone go wow. At the same time, catching the ball is just one element of a wide receiver’s game. Though receiving ability may be the part that gets all the accolades, it’s blocking that will endear a player to a coach and the fans looking for it.

It’s the little things or the dirty work that often goes unnoticed but can stand out in a big way when watching a play develop. Generally, there’s a wide receiver somewhere on the field blocking to make a play happen on any significant play.

Like this work of art from wide receiver Jadon Haselwood against Kansas State.

On Tuesday, Drake Stoops was asked about blocking and the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver group when speaking with the media. Here’s what he had to say.

I think our whole receiving corp takes pride in our blocking because if we can pick up our blocks then we can spring someone else. And then we hope in turn that that person will spring the block for us so we can spring the big run. So we all just trust each other, we’ve got each other’s backs and we know that we’re going to lay ourselves down on the line for the other one. – Stoops

Blocking takes sacrifice. It’s the ultimate act of service on a football field. Because it says, “I’m going to do whatever it takes to help my teammate.” It’s the embodiment of the “we,” not “me” mentality. And the Oklahoma Sooners do it at a very high level.

Of the top 10 run blockers for the Oklahoma Sooners who have played at least three games, four of them are wide receivers per Pro Football Focus. Mario Williams, Jadon Haselwood, Drake Stoops, and Trevon West lead the Sooners wide receivers as blockers, with Michael Woods just outside the top 10 per PFF.

Because Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners offense want to run the ball as much as they do, the wide receivers must take their job in the run game seriously. The Sooners love to run outside, and a wide receiver winning their blocking matchup makes that much easier. If the cornerback isn’t allowed to pinch down to set the edge and force the runner back inside to where the defensive pursuit is coming from.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receivers are a tight group. They aren’t worried about individual accolades. They’re concerned about getting wins. When your leading receiver Marvin Mims speaks to the media and says, “I’ll do anything for this team I can to help us win.” He said that during a three-game stretch where he had five receptions, matching his week one total.

When one of your best players speaks with humility, it speaks volumes to the rest of the team.

We’ve talked a lot about the talent of the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver corp. It’s the deepest position group on the team. That was true before the season started and has held through the first five weeks of the season. They’re proving it week in and week out. Not only are they proving it on the stat sheet, but also in their willingness and ability to block for the team.

Alabama Football: 5 key issues to monitor heading into Week 4

Here’s what the Crimson Tide need to fix before playing Southern Miss!

The Crimson Tide departed from Gainesville, Florida on Saturday, with a 32-29 victory over the Gators and brought back the third win of the season with them to Tuscaloosa. After a mediocre performance, when compared to a usual Alabama football showing, we must keep a mental note of areas that can be improved. Below, I have done just that to eliminate the guesswork for you. Let me preface this by saying that there is still a lot of football to be played this year, and many of these issues can be polished up and addressed in practice. The sky isn’t falling, yet, but here are some things that should be looked at heading into Week 4:

Seahawks receivers Dee Eskridge, Penny Hart in concussion protocol

Seattle Seahawks wide receivers Dee Eskridge and Penny Hart are in the NFL’s concussion protocol after sustaining hits to the head Week 1.

The Seattle Seahawks had a couple of wide receivers leave the Week 1 contest against the Indianapolis Colts early after sustaining hits to the head. Rookie wide receiver Dee Eskridge and Penny Hart are both now in the NFL’s mandated concussion protocol.

Coach Pete Carroll is unsure how long it will be for either player to return.

“It’s going to take a couple of days to get it done,” Carroll said during his Monday afternoon press conference. “They’re not the same, they’re individual cases and we’ll treat them, of course, individually, but there’s a timeframe sequence they have to follow to make it back.

“So nothing to make a prediction about right now other than we’ll see what happens.”

The Seahawks are set to face the Titans in Seattle’s home opener on Sunday and could very well be without both wide receivers.

Tuesday is a player off day, but Carroll should have some additional information on Wednesday before practice.

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Report: Cowboys WR Michael Gallup to miss 3-5 weeks with calf strain

The Dallas wide receiver left Thursday’s game in the third quarter with what was called an ankle injury; now it’s been called a calf strain. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans have been eagerly awaiting a fully-healthy Dak Prescott slinging it around the yard once again to his three-headed monster at wide receiver. Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup pose a unique challenge to opposing teams, as each has the ability to break out and take over a game. Focus too hard on one, though, and the others are waiting to make a defense pay.

But someone else will have to step up and sit in as a temporary member of the pass-catching trio in Dallas. Michael Gallup will reportedly be out three to five weeks with a calf strain he suffered in Thursday night’s season opener, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Gallup caught four balls in Week 1, racking up 36 yards on 12 targets before leaving the game late in the third quarter with what was called an ankle injury at the time.

Cedrick Wilson saw increased action in relief of Gallup and ended the night with three receptions for 24 yards.

This was to be a big year for Gallup, the former third-round pick from Colorado State. The fourth-year receiver is in the final season of his rookie contract, with many speculating that the Cowboys will be either unable or unwilling to retain the threesome of Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup beyond 2021.

Now it seems Gallup will have slightly fewer chances to either prove his worth in Dallas or increase his stock with a prospective suitor.

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Three offensive keys for Texas against Arkansas

After a solid offensive performance against Louisiana, UT now has an SEC opponent on deck. Here are three offensive keys for Texas on Saturday.

When Steve Sarkisian was hired, his offensive success at Alabama was one of the main reasons. He set all kinds of records over two seasons with some of the best players in the country.

Everybody was excited to see how it would translate in Austin with not as talented of a roster. It was only Week 1 but the level of optimism went up a few ticks by the end of the night.

Texas’ offense was solid against Louisiana, especially in the second half, putting up a total of 38 points. Bijan Robinson was the star of the show (get used to it) while quarterback Hudson Card impressed on his debut.

Next up, an SEC opponent on the road.

Arkansas is going to present a challenge to Sarkisian’s offense right out the gate. An injury to starting defensive end Dorian Gerald and a first-half suspension to linebacker Bumper Pool will play in favor of the Longhorns but should be offset by the crowd expected on hand.

Here are three offensive keys for Texas against Arkansas on Saturday.

First up, Bijan Robinson

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Swinney on WRU: ‘This is going to be a special group’

Dabo Swinney voiced a lot of excitement Tuesday surrounding WRU this fall in his first weekly press conference of the 2021 season. The 14-year Clemson head coach echoed offensive coordinator Tony Elliot’s sentiments for this year’s wide receiver …

Dabo Swinney voiced a lot of excitement Tuesday surrounding WRU this fall in his first weekly press conference of the 2021 season.

The 14-year Clemson head coach echoed offensive coordinator Tony Elliot’s sentiments for this year’s wide receiver group, one he says could go down as one of the most talented groups Clemson has ever seen.

“As I’ve said many times, this is as talented a group as we’ve probably had,” Swinney said. “I told (receivers coach Tyler) Grisham that on picture day, I said, ‘You need to take a picture of this group and pull it out in about six years.’ This is going to be a special group when it’s all said and done. You’ll look back six or seven years from now and think, ‘Wow, all these guys were in the same room.’”

With the likes of Justyn Ross, E.J. Williams, Ajou Ajou, Frank Ladson Jr. and Joseph Ngata along with a few new faces in Beaux Collins, Dacari Collins and Troy Stellato, the Tigers have a lot of talent at their disposal this fall. Despite their depth of talent, though, Swinney recognizes that Ross is simply in a league of his own.

“Justyn is kind of in a league of his own just simply because of where he is developmentally. This guy has played a lot of football,” Swinney said. “He came in here elite and mentally where he is, he’s just in a great place technically, fundamentally, knowledge, system. I mean, you name it, he just gets it.”

The experience behind Ross in this year’s wide receiver room continues to be elite. For Swinney, having guys with game experience like Ladson and Ngata is huge, but the real test will be if they can remain healthy for the season in its entirety.

“Frank and Ngata are elite guys, they just got to be available. It’s really that simple,” Swinney said. “They had just had good freshman years and then last year they just weren’t available, and that’s just the way it is. High level guys, I’ve seen it. I mean, Ngata, this kid is as talented as some of the big guys that have come through here, but consistently doing it on game day just hasn’t happened yet.”

“I’m really excited about what I’ve seen. I thought he had a great spring and he’s had a really good last 10 days or so, but we’ve got to see it on game day. It’s the same thing with Frank. We’ve seen splashes and good moments but (not) consistently being there.”

It is clear that consistency will be key for the Tigers’ wideouts this season, and Swinney is hopeful that his guys will take advantage of each and every opportunity thrown at them and rise to the occasion.

“It’s a really good room, and you’ll see a bunch of guys have opportunities,” Swinney said. “But hopefully those veteran guys will be able to be who we know they are week in and week out for us.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Five areas of concern for Texas ahead of the season opener against Louisiana

Five areas of concern to keep an eye on ahead of Texas’ season opener against No. 23 Louisiana.

It’s finally game week in Austin.

Texas has a big task in front of them with having to take on the No. 23 ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in their season opener.

The Longhorns had a full offseason under a new coaching staff to prepare for their tough first half of the schedule, and to just simply just to train in general as last season the offseason was decimated by COVID-19. However, just because Texas feels as if they are prepared for this matchup, does not mean that it will be a walk in the park by any means. It’s college football, anything can happen.

There is added pressure for Texas to succeed this season for a multitude of reasons. The first being the fact that they hired arguably the best offensive mind in college football in Steve Sarkisian to help them contend, and also the fact that the Longhorns are slated to make the move to the SEC conference in the near future. The target on their back is as big as its ever been.

All the questions of whether Texas is back or not will not be determined by a single game, but it could be a great indicator as to how this era will be different from the last.

The Longhorns got off to a rough start under Tom Herman when they lost to Maryland. Many of the issues we saw in his opening game became a constant throughout the Herman era as the team struggled with penalties and were unable to overcome a slow start.

Granted, this is obviously a much different team, but there are areas of concern that have emerged and could be prevalent in the Week 1 matchup for Texas.

Let’s take a look at some potential issues that could potentially get the Sarkisian era off to a Herman-like start.

Malik Turner, Simi Fehoko among WRs waiting for Cowboys roster decision

Two Cowboys WRs are among many who have done all they could do in training camp and preseason; now they wait to see if it was enough. | From @ToddBrock24f7

And now, the wait.

With training camp and the preseason schedule behind them, the Cowboys coaching staff embarks on two days of long meetings and difficult decisions about who they’ll take with them into the regular season. Some players will launch or extend their dream of an NFL career. Some players will miss the 53-man roster but find a spot on the practice squad, where they’ll keep one foot in the door. For some, Tuesday’s cuts will be the end of the road.

Wide receivers Malik Turner and Simi Fehoko are two of the Cowboys who don’t yet know where they’ll land. Both played well during camp, but both find themselves trying to break in to a position group already bursting with talent. Four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper is a lock, as are second-year phenom CeeDee Lamb and still-rising star Michael Gallup. Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown are proven Dallas veterans. There’s no guarantee the Cowboys will even take a sixth receiver into the season.

For players like Fehoko and Turner, Monday and Tuesday could prove to be the longest wait of their lives.

Fehoko is 23 years old, but it’s his first time with this unique brand of football uncertainty. A four-star recruit coming out of high school who went on to become one of the leading receivers in the history of Stanford’s storied program, the 6-foot-3-inch rookie has never experienced the possibility of not making a football team.

A fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in the spring, Fehoko finds himself on the proverbial bubble. So while the rest of the world viewed Sunday’s preseason finale against Jacksonville as a meaningless exhibition, for Fehoko, it was his last best chance to make an impression.

“For me, I try to make the best out of every opportunity that I get, and today was one of those days where I could just give everything I had,” the Utah native said after the loss. “I felt like I gave my 100 every single time, every time I was out there. The opportunities that I did get, I feel like I made the most of them.”

Fehoko caught just nine balls over the course of four preseason games. He was targeted four times on Sunday, logging three receptions for 21 yards. In-game opportunities are exceedingly rare; Fehoko knows his next chapter will likely be decided by something else. It’s how he looked in every practice, how hard he competed on every snap, how well he did all the unglamorous jobs he was asked to do.

“I had a couple more targets than I normally get, so for me, that’s huge as a receiver. Also, I got to play a little bit more on special teams, and that was awesome as well. Again, made the most of it.”

Turner, an undrafted free agent who’s on his third team and entering his fourth year in the league, knows that all too well. At this level, making it as a wide receiver often means fewer go routes and more grunt work.

“In college, you never expect to play special teams,” the Illinois product said Sunday. “But I kind of learned that if you’re on the bubble, this is what you’ve got to do.”

Turner caught his lone touchdown pass as a pro in 2019 when he started three games for the Seahawks at wide receiver. He was signed by Dallas last season and played in six contests, all on special teams. He snared three balls on Sunday out of five targets, giving him a total of ten catches on the 2021 preseason.

Like every other player on the bubble, he has no way of knowing if it was enough to earn a roster spot.

“I feel like if you ask any football player, they’re going to tell you no. There’s always more to be done,” Turner admitted. “But all I can say is I did the best I could do today and this entire training camp. Hopefully, in the eyes of the staff, it was enough for them.”

So for now, Fehoko and Smith wait, along with Brandon Smith, Aaron Parker, Osirus Mitchell, Johnnie Dixon, T.J. Vasher, and Stephen Guidry. Those wide receivers- and many other Cowboys players across nearly every position group- will learn their football fate by Tuesday afternoon.

“You never know what can happen,” Turner explained. “I’ve been in this situation a couple times. You don’t get too high, [or] too low. Whatever happens happens.”

Such is life on the NFL bubble.

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Clemson’s receiving corps striving for more versatility

It’s not often that wide receivers are compared to offensive linemen, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did just that this week. Of course, it had nothing to do with physical stature even if some of the Tigers’ wideouts are just as tall as their …

It’s not often that wide receivers are compared to offensive linemen, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did just that this week.

Of course, it had nothing to do with physical stature even if some of the Tigers’ wideouts are just as tall as their teammates up front. It had everything to do with the versatility of the group.

“Kind of like the o-line, we’ve cross-trained a lot of guys,” Swinney said.

A deep receiver corps has gotten even deeper heading into the season with the return of Clemson’s No. 1 wideout, Justyn Ross, who’s healthy again after missing all of last season after undergoing corrective spinal fusion surgery. Having Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. back at full tilt helps, too.

Throw in sophomores E.J. Williams and Ajou Ajou as well as true freshmen Dacari Collins, Beaux Collins and Troy Stellato, and Clemson has no shortage of options for its three receiver spots. For most of them, that has meant reps at multiple positions in order for the Tigers to get their best three receivers on the field at any given time.

Ngata was the projected starter at the 9, or boundary (short side), position last season, but an abdominal injury limited his snaps and forced Clemson to move Cornell Powell from the 2, or field (wide side), position. Ladson was the primary option at the 2 until injuries also slowed him down last season, which prompted Amari Rogers to move from the 5, or slot, to the outside.

Rodgers and Powell were the Tigers’ leading receivers last season and are now trying to earn roster spots as NFL rookies. Yet that’s hardly been a talking point for Clemson with everything it’s brought back at the position.

Ross, Clemson’s leader in receiving yards (2018) and receptions (2019) his first two seasons with the program, has played primarily on the outside when he’s been healthy, but Swinney said in the spring the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder would play all three positions this fall. Swinney went as far to say that Ross would start in the slot if Clemson had to play a game then, so don’t be surprised to see Ross line up on the inside often as the Tigers try to find more ways to create mismatches for their big-bodied wideout.

The same goes for Ladson, Williams and Ngata, whom Swinney said is back practicing after battling a hamstring injury that caused him to miss both of Clemson’s fall scrimmages. Ajou, who’s in line for a bigger role after being largely buried on the depth chart as a true freshman last season (two catches), has been getting reps with the first- and second-teamers primarily at the 9, Swinney said, but the Tigers aren’t planning to keep many of their receivers in the same place too often.

“I feel good about (Ajou), but we’ve moved a lot of guys around,” Swinney said. “A lot of 2s. A lot of 5s. So I feel good about our versatility at the receiver position and the ability to, if we need to, move guys around.”

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!