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ECU’s young wide receivers coming of age
By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
The future for East Carolina’s wide receivers looks bright.
After losing wide receiver Jamar Bryant (48 catches in 2007) to a season-long suspension five weeks into the season, and then losing this year’s top receiver, Dwayne Harris (58 receptions for 654 yards) to a season-ending ankle injury three weeks ago, the Pirates were left short-handed on the outside.
They also lost senior wide receiver T.J. Lee to a season-ending leg injury in their 19-16 overtime win over Marshall.
But with their stars out, the Pirates’ young and inexperienced wide receivers have begun to shine.
On Friday, the trio of junior Alex Taylor, redshirt freshman Darryl Freeney and true freshman Joe Womack had a breakout game.
The three combined for 12 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown as East Carolina roared past UTEP, 53-21 in its regular season finale.
“When we began this season, the wide receiver position was considered one of the weakest on the team,” said Taylor, who caught three passes for 55 yards and also added a 40-yard kickoff return for a score in Friday’s win. “Now, I think you’d have to consider it one of our stronger positions with the type of depth we have now. I don’t want to look past the next two games, but when we get Jamar and Dwayne back next season, we’re going to have a very deep and very talented wide receiver corps. The future looks really good.”
Freeney was the biggest star of the three against the Miners. The 5’11”, 196-pounder from Suffolk, Va. hauled in a career-high five receptions for a career-best 106 yards, and caught his first career touchdown pass — a 32-yard strike from quarterback Patrick Pinkney in the first quarter.
“Coach always says, ‘you have to be ready when your name is called,’” Freeney said. “Once I got my shot, I wanted to be ready to make an impact. It feels good to be able to step in and help the team.”
When Harris and Lee went down a few weeks ago, there were a lot of questions. Who would step in and fill their shoes? Who would be the Pirates’ go-to-guy? Would the pass game just disappear?
The trio took the questions as a personal challenge.
And while East Carolina has had to shift its offense to more of a run-oriented game, the young wideouts have helped open up the offense in recent weeks.
“We looked at it as an opportunity to prove people wrong,” said Womack, after catching a career-high four passes against UTEP. “It took time for us to get adjusted, but today we showed what we are capable of. For me, the game is starting to slow down a bit, and I’m getting better at reading coverages. I think as a whole, we keep developing and getting better each week.”
Taylor, Freeney and Womack have combined to make 52 catches for 708 yards in limited action this year.
If Bryant and Harris can return to form next season, the question won’t be, who is ECU going to throw the ball too? Instead, it will be, how is ECU going to be able to get that many wide receivers on the field?
“I think we’re starting to open eyes and people are seeing that we do have some talented wide receivers,” Taylor said. “East Carolina is going to have quite a few good receivers for the next few years.”
After losing wide receiver Jamar Bryant (48 catches in 2007) to a season-long suspension five weeks into the season, and then losing this year’s top receiver, Dwayne Harris (58 receptions for 654 yards) to a season-ending ankle injury three weeks ago, the Pirates were left short-handed on the outside.
They also lost senior wide receiver T.J. Lee to a season-ending leg injury in their 19-16 overtime win over Marshall.
But with their stars out, the Pirates’ young and inexperienced wide receivers have begun to shine.
On Friday, the trio of junior Alex Taylor, redshirt freshman Darryl Freeney and true freshman Joe Womack had a breakout game.
The three combined for 12 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown as East Carolina roared past UTEP, 53-21 in its regular season finale.
“When we began this season, the wide receiver position was considered one of the weakest on the team,” said Taylor, who caught three passes for 55 yards and also added a 40-yard kickoff return for a score in Friday’s win. “Now, I think you’d have to consider it one of our stronger positions with the type of depth we have now. I don’t want to look past the next two games, but when we get Jamar and Dwayne back next season, we’re going to have a very deep and very talented wide receiver corps. The future looks really good.”
Freeney was the biggest star of the three against the Miners. The 5’11”, 196-pounder from Suffolk, Va. hauled in a career-high five receptions for a career-best 106 yards, and caught his first career touchdown pass — a 32-yard strike from quarterback Patrick Pinkney in the first quarter.
“Coach always says, ‘you have to be ready when your name is called,’” Freeney said. “Once I got my shot, I wanted to be ready to make an impact. It feels good to be able to step in and help the team.”
When Harris and Lee went down a few weeks ago, there were a lot of questions. Who would step in and fill their shoes? Who would be the Pirates’ go-to-guy? Would the pass game just disappear?
The trio took the questions as a personal challenge.
And while East Carolina has had to shift its offense to more of a run-oriented game, the young wideouts have helped open up the offense in recent weeks.
“We looked at it as an opportunity to prove people wrong,” said Womack, after catching a career-high four passes against UTEP. “It took time for us to get adjusted, but today we showed what we are capable of. For me, the game is starting to slow down a bit, and I’m getting better at reading coverages. I think as a whole, we keep developing and getting better each week.”
Taylor, Freeney and Womack have combined to make 52 catches for 708 yards in limited action this year.
If Bryant and Harris can return to form next season, the question won’t be, who is ECU going to throw the ball too? Instead, it will be, how is ECU going to be able to get that many wide receivers on the field?
“I think we’re starting to open eyes and people are seeing that we do have some talented wide receivers,” Taylor said. “East Carolina is going to have quite a few good receivers for the next few years.”
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