Next wave of wideouts has coaches excited

By Don Williams on December 22nd, 2009 19 Comments Printer-Friendly

Unless one of Texas Tech’s receivers dazzles everyone with a career-best game at the Alamo Bowl, the Red Raiders will finish the season without a 1,000-yard pass catcher for the first time since 2001.

Not that the Raiders appear to be in danger of that becoming a trend.

According to Tech coach Mike Leach and his receivers coaches, help — or at the very minimum, increased competition — is on the way.
Tech’s four true freshmen receivers, all redshirted this fall, have whetted the staff’s appetite for when they can actually be used in games.

“We’ll find out,’’ Leach said this week, “but we have a young group that’s enthusiastic, that works extremely hard and works well together. I don’t see all those (returnees) holding them off. I really don’t. We’ll play the best eight, but I don’t see all the faces that played this year holding off all the young guys.’’

Split end Edward Britton is the only senior receiver the Red Raiders will lose after their season-ender against Michigan State. As for which of the other seven rotation members is vulnerable, Leach and the assistants aren’t naming names.

“They all better watch their (butt) and work hard during the off-season,’’ wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons said.
Since they came aboard in the summer, split end Eric Ward, flanker Derrick Mays, “Y’’ inside receiver Aaron Fisher and “H’’ inside receiver Ernest Celestie have built coaches’ anticipation.

“Mays and Fisher both can really run,’’ inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley said this week. “They run better than anybody we’re playing with right now. Fisher does it as a big body. Mays is the fastest person on this team.

“Ward is the most physical receiver right now in the program, more than anybody we’re playing with. As much as we emphasize blocking in playing at (split end) … that’s going to give him a chance.

“Celestie’s probably the most steady of all of them. He shows up every day and does what he needs to do. Guys like that have always had success here, especially at that position.’’

Fisher (6-foot-3, 182 pounds) plays the position Detron Lewis and Austin Zouzalik manned this season. Celestie (5-11, 175) learned behind Tramain Swindall, Adam James and Cornelius Douglas.

With Britton departing and backup flanker Jacoby Franks in the doghouse for the final two games of the regular season, Ward (5-11, 202) and Mays (6-0, 166) might be coming along at an opportune time. As recruits, the two were on opposite ends of the spectrum, Ward having attracted national interest and Mays having picked Tech over Texas-El Paso.

They’re generating a buzz for different reasons.

Simmons said Mays could help soon, especially on specific plays such as the tunnel screen that tends to be a hot-and-cold feature on Tech’s offensive menu, depending on what year it is. It was a deadly weapon with Nehemiah Glover and Mike Crabtree; with other receivers, it’s been less successful.

Riley said Mays has similar acceleration to Glover and better top-end speed.

He said Tech probably could have benefited by using Mays late in the season, “just because he can do some things running-wise that we just don’t have right now.’’

In the current receiver rotation, flanker Alex Torres and Britton are the best blockers. To illustrate his case that Ward is the most physical receiver in the program, Riley described a block the Wichita Falls Rider product made during a recent bowl practice.

The Raiders were running a sideline-screen drill when Ward blew up an unsuspecting safety.

“I’ve been on this practice field for seven years,’’ Riley said, “and it’s the loudest pop I’ve heard on this practice field — ever. And you can ask anybody else, and they’ll agree. He’s a special player as far as how physical he is. When he puts together everything else, he’s got a chance to be really good, because he will stick his nose in there.’’

Next wave of wideouts
Texas Tech’s freshmen receivers have yet to catch any passes in games, but they have coaches excited by what they’ve done in practice.
-Eric Ward: Expectations might be highest on Wichita Falls blue chip.
-Aaron Fisher: Build and speed remind coaches of Mickey Peters.
-Ernest Celestie: Learning position that Wes Welker, Danny Amendola and Eric Morris played with distinction.
-Derrick Mays: Track star shows toughness to take a hit.

To comment on this story:
don.williams@lubbockonline.com l 766-8734
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735

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