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380 words on UC's wide receivers
Aug. 6, 2008
(12:49 a.m.) During the next week or so, I'll be examining on a daily basis the Bearcats football team position by position. What you can expect from each unit, who is going to be responsible for keeping the position in the coaches' good graces, who might surprise you this season, what it all means to the rest of the team. We'll break it down by running backs, wide receivers, offensive line, quarterbacks (saving this one as long as possible to see if anything changes with Ben Mauk), defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs and special team. Today: the wide receivers One of the best freshman receivers in the country returns, but he might not be the most important factor for this unit. Marcus Barnett caught a school-record 13 touchdown passes as a rookie last year, but he fractured his ankle in the Papajohns.com bowl, and he missed much of spring practice as he recovered. Instead the most important facet for the receiving corps might be its depth. And if that's not it, it could be senior Dominick Goodman. Goodman, entering his final season, is fourth on the school's career receiving list with 120 career receptions, and with 16 more, he'd move into second place (the No. 1 spot is held by LaDariss Vann with 204). Goodman, of course, will play a major role. But the depth at wide receiver for the Bearcats might be its biggest strength. Along with Goodman and Barnett, Marty Gilyard - who started seven games last year, including an eight-catch, 134-yard game vs. Southeast Missouri State - returns, and he'll be joined by sophomore Charley Howard and Armon Binns (both of whom are looking to compete for starting spots and both of whom very well could win one), and tight ends Kazeem Alli, Adrien Robinson and Ben Guidugli.
"It's exciting to play receiver in our offense, but they run an awful lot in a 24-period practice," UC offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn said. "You'd better have some good solid depth in making sure you don't just wear those guys out, because we are a big-time vertical passing team. Coach Molnar has a nice stable of kids, and the wide receiver position is one of the stronger spots from an offensive perspective."
> The future, though, seems to lie in the hands of Barnett and Gilyard. The former badly injured himself in the last game of the season, and the latter dropped on the depth chart during spring practice. But Quinn is excited about what they have to offer. "The thing you always look for is great competition, and they're both competitors," Quinn said. "They want to do whatever it takes to help this team win. That's what you like, and that's what keeps them ahead of the pack. And they can make plays. They can make things happen after the ball is in their hands." The schedule: Aug. 5 - Running backs Today - Wide receivers Aug. 7 - Offensive line Aug. 8 - Quarterbacks Aug. 9 - Defensive line Aug. 10 - Linebackers Aug. 11 - Defensive backs Aug. 12 - Special teams
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