STARKVILLE – One group got better and better as the season progressed, turning into one of the best units on Mississippi State’s 10-2 team that’s bound for the Orange Bowl.
The other group is basically starting from scratch after losing its best player to a late-season knee injury.
That’s the basic difference between the wide receiver units possessed by bowl opponents MSU and Georgia Tech, as the gap between production of the receivers on each team is as wide as any gap in the Dec. 31 matchup.
Much of that gap is caused by the surge made by MSU’s receivers this season, led by sophomores De’Runnya Wilson and Fred Ross, the Bulldogs’ top two pass-catchers in 2014.
And the gulf between the two units is partly to blame on an injury to Georgia Tech’s top wideout, senior DeAndre Smelter, who was lost for the season when he suffered a torn ACL in Georgia Tech’s 30-24 season-ending win at arch-rival Georgia.
That meant Smelter’s 35 catches for 715 yards and seven touchdowns would not be available to the Yellow Jackets, putting even more emphasis on a ground game that ranks No. 2 in the country.
“DeAndre’s a great, great player, and I feel bad for him, because I know how bad he wanted to finish the season and how bad he wants to play,” said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.
Without Smelter’s numbers, Georgia Tech’s production at the wide receiver position has been anemic, as Tech receivers not named Smelter have combined for 28 catches that led to 385 yards and six scores this season.
By contrast, MSU’s receivers have 228 receptions on the year.
Sophomore stars
Entering the season, it seemed that senior Jameon Lewis had a firm grip on the top spot among MSU’s wide receivers. He didn’t keep that spot.
With Lewis nursing a lower leg injury that cost the Tylertown native parts of five games, Wilson, Ross and a number of talented underclassmen emerged as viable playmaker for junior quarterback Dak Prescott, who tied the single season school record for touchdown passes with 24.
“It’s about stepping up when your number is called,” said MSU coach Dan Mullen of the Bulldogs’ receivers. “We have a lot of guys that we trust and that we feel can make plays. We rotate a lot of guys through, that’s why, at the end of the game, it’s not always the same guy who has given us big numbers.”
Plenty of targets were there for Prescott this season. The Haugnton, Louisiana native completed touchdown passes to 11 different receivers, another school record, and he completed passes to 16 receivers in all. Nine Bulldogs’ wideouts caught at least 10 passes, with six of those being underclassmen.
But while MSU’s passing attack has been varied, Wilson has become the star.
A 6-foot-5, 225-pound matchup nightmare from Birmingham, Wilson was at his best when the competition was strongest. In five games against ranked teams, Wilson delivered 28 catches for 445 yards and four touchdowns, good for over 80 percent of his total production this season.
“When my time comes, I just try to make plays,” said Wilson. “I really don’t think about who the opponent is, I just play ball.”
But the better the opponent, the better Wilson has been. In MSU’s two losses, on the road at No. 1 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss, Wilson combined for 16 catches and 208 yards.
While Wilson has become Prescott’s go-to guy, Ross isn’t far behind. The sophomore from Tyler, Texas caught 24 passes for 387 yards and four scores in 2014.
Looking for answers
On the other side, Georgia Tech has seen no players like Wilson or Ross step forward. Reliant on Smelter for much of the year, the Jackets turned to the senior for more than 60 percent of their pass attempts this season. With Smelter out, the onus is now on a bevy of young receivers and Georgia Tech’s talented crop of running backs to ease the burden of quarterback Justin Thomas, though Tech’s ability to run the football using Johnson’s vaunted triple option offense lessens the blow of losing any receiving threat.
The top target left for Tomas is wideout Darren Waller, who owns 21 catches for 385 yards and five scores.
Follow Dispatch Sports Writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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