 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki 
Last year Rocket fans saw a lot of new faces at the receiver position. Guys like Nick Moore, Andre Redd, Trumaine Smith, and DJ Nichols took to the field as a Rocket for the first time. David Washington hardly played in 2004, so last year was new to him as well. The lone returner at wide receiver with good experience was Steve Odom and all the pressure was on him to produce. As a result, the Rockets had an up and down year at the receiver position. But as the young players gained experience, the unit came together are started to gel pretty well. The end result was a 44-41 OT victory at Bowling Green and a 45-13 thumping of UTEP in the GMAC Bowl.This year nearly everyone returns at the wide receiver position. The only loss to graduation is Pete Lepley, who did not start any games and caught just 7 passes last season. Everyone else is back. All of the starting receivers are back. All of the young freshman are now sophomores. And a couple of players that redshirted last year will get their chance to play this year as well. What was a very talented, but young and inexperienced unit last season is now a very talented, and experienced unit this season. It makes sense to start with leadership. The only senior at wide receiver for the Rockets this year is Steve Odom. Odom (5-10, 170) has started every game since he was a redshirt freshman in 2003. He has caught a pass in every game in his career, which translates to a current NCAA Division I-A lead of 37 straight games. "I read about it (the streak) the other day in the newspaper," said Odom. He continued, "I never really thought about it. I just play the game." Last season Odom had 55 receptions for 690 yards and 6 touchdowns. Entering his senior season, he is 52 receptions behind Lance Moore's career receptions record at Toledo. He is also just 8 touchdown receptions behind Lance Moore's career touchdown reception record at Toledo. Sophomore Nick Moore (6-4, 192) is expected to be a key contributor this season. Last season he started 9 games and had 24 receptions for 335 yards and 4 touchdowns. Nick is the brother of former Rocket standout Lance Moore. He is also part of a wide receiver pipeline from Westerville South High School to Toledo. In recent years, Lance Moore, Steve Odom, Nick Moore, and Robin Bailey have all come from Westerville South to the University of Toledo. Junior Andrew Hawkins (5-8, 165) had 28 receptions for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns in 11 starts last season. Hawkins is a speedy little guy that excels in UT's spread offense. Quick passes out to the flat that allow him to use his speed is where he is most dangerous.  Junior David Washington (6-6, 220) had 9 receptions for 126 yards and 1 touchdown last year in 9 games. Washington, who started three of those games, missed a couple of games early in the season while recovering from a minor leg injury. As the season went on he got more playing time, and he showed flashes of star power in the GMAC Bowl when he had a couple of catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.Sophomore Andre Redd (5-11, 196) had 8 receptions for 83 yards in 11 games last season. Redd did not start any games, but he was a consistent backup with good speed. Senior DJ Nichols (6-1, 220) had 2 catches for 13 yards in six games last season. He came to Toledo last year from Cerritos (CA.) Junior College where he had 36 receptions for 543 yards and 4 TD's the year before. Nichols started to see some playing time later in the year last season, as he grasped a better understanding of our spread offense. This Spring Nichols has looked pretty good and shown that he can gain yardage after the catch. He could be a key contributor to the team this fall. Sophomore Trumaine Smith (6-4, 211) saw very limited action last season. He has very good size and speed and has the potential to be a solid player for Toledo. He should see some playing time this fall and he is currently listed #1 at the receiver spot used in 4 receiver formations.  Redshirt Freshmen Stephen Williams (6-5, 185), Robin Bailey (6-5, 187), Ryan Tabb (6-2, 191), and Mike Norris (5-11, 182) should all get a long at backup positions. Stephen Williams seems to be getting the most reps this Spring and could get a pretty decent amount of playing time. Senior Chris Peters (5-10, 170) should provide some depth to the position as well.The Rockets have a new recruit coming in that could play some at the wide receiver position. Joe Shuler (6-2, 185) is coming to Toledo with the opportunity to show his skills at both defensive back and wide receiver. "We feel that he has the athletic ability to play on both sides of the ball for us," said Head Coach Tom Amstutz. Shuler was a starter at Apopka High School (Apopka, FL) all four years. He chose Toledo over offers from Mississippi and Temple. There is no doubt that there is a lot of talent at the wide receiver position. There are a lot of tall and athletic receivers on this roster. "These guys are big and tall receivers that can really run and catch the ball," said Amstutz. He concluded, "I'm excited about our receiver position and I believe it is a spot that can really improve a lot this year." Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |