In Conference USA, where passing attacks reign supreme, it’s usually quarterbacks and wide receivers who garner all the attention. Tight ends frequently get overlooked.
Not this season.
C-USA boasts three of the nation’s top tight ends in Rice sophomore James Casey, Houston senior Mark Hafner and Southern Miss senior Shawn Nelson. The three rank among the top 65 pass catchers in the nation in receptions per game.
Casey leads the trio with 67 catches for 803 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 8.38 receptions per game (second in the nation). Hafner has 52 receptions for 569 yards and eight touchdowns, and Nelson has 41 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns.
Casey had a superb performance in Rice’s 42-17 win over Tulane on Saturday in New Orleans. He had six receptions for 51 yards and two touchdowns, and a run that went for 45 yards.
The versatile 6-4, 235-pound Casey, who can play six other positions – including quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive end – has also rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries. He’s the perfect complement for dynamic Owl senior receiver Jarett Dillard (856 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns).
"I have a lot more understanding of the offense," Casey told The Houston Chronicle before the Owls’ game against Southern Miss on Oct. 18. "Last year I was trying to figure out what I was going to do as far as my assignments. This year I’m really confident on my assignments, so I can work on the little things … little things I wasn’t even thinking about last year."
Hafner, who is not really considered a tight end in the Cougars’ offense, has been the main go-to guy for Houston sophomore quarterback Case Keenum. His 52 receptions and eight touchdowns are both team-highs.
Nelson is in his fourth year as a starter for the Golden Eagles.
No relief in sight
Southern Miss fans have likely lost all hope for this season.
The Golden Eagles continued their downward spiral with Saturday’s 36-30 loss to Memphis, their fifth consecutive defeat. Southern Miss (2-6, 0-4 C-USA) has dropped four conference contests for the first time in program history and will finish no better than .500 for the first time since 1993.
The Golden Eagles have dropped five consecutive games for the first time since 1976. With only one more loss, their chances of reaching a seventh consecutive postseason bowl will come to a crashing end.
The losses have taken their toll on first-year head coach Larry Fedora.
"They don’t get any easier," Fedora told the Hattiesburg American. "It gets harder and harder. It hurts more and more for me, and I know it does for these guys, too."
Quote to note
Few people probably picked the Memphis Tigers to beat Southern Miss without junior starting quarterback Arkelon Hall and senior backup Will Hudgens, were both injured in the Tigers’ 30-10 loss to East Carolina on Oct. 18.
As it turns out, the combination of third-string quarterback, junior Brett Toney (7-of-13 passing, 102 yards, one touchdown) and true freshman Tyler Bass (10-of-13 passing, 130 yards, one touchdown, one rushing touchdown) was enough to help the Tigers beat Southern Miss 36-30.
The win allowed Memphis head coach Tommy West to deliver a parting shot.
"Nobody picked us in our paper to win it except the kitty … hats off to the kitty,” he told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
