Junior wide receiver Demarcus Ayers is the most experienced member of the Cougars’ receiving corps, and he proved it last weekend against TTU. | File photo/The Cougar
As the Cougars prepare for their matchup with the University of Louisville Cardials, they will be looking to build off of their strong start to the season.
An area of concern coming into the season was the relatively inexperienced group of wide receivers, but they produced well in the first game.
While the one game sample isn’t much to go off of, here are some of the receivers you can watch for during the rest of the year.
Junior Demarcus Ayers (5’11”, 190 pounds)- The junior will be in prime position to lead a thin receiving core. During his career, Ayers hauled in 44 receptions for over 465 yards.
Ayers also emerged as a threat as a kick returner in the past season, making 34 returns for 592 yards giving him an average of 17.4 yards per return.
Ayers had a career game last week against Tennessee Technical University, where he had 10 receptions for 121 yards.
Red-shirt freshman Isaiah Johnson (6’4”, 205 pounds) – After being red-shirted last year, Johnson is expected to become a big red-zone target for quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. this season.
Johnson has wonderful measurables and soft hands. He is expected to be a major contributor on the offensive side of the ball this year.
Sophomore Steven Dunbar (6’3,” 210 pounds)- Coming into his sophomore year, Dunbar was one of four true freshmen to appear in all 13 games in the 2014 season.
He finished last season with 20 receptions for 286 yards, flashing glimpses of potential to be a strong possession receiver.
Dunbar was the ranked as the 37th-best player in the state of Louisiana by ESPN and led his high school to back-to-back titles.
Best of the rest – The group is rounded out by junior Chance Allen (6’3”, 215 pounds), who recently transferred from Oregon and sophomore Linell Bonner (6’0″, 200 pounds), who attended Dekaney High School in Spring ISD.
Junior Kyle Postma (6’3″, 205 pounds) is probably the most intriguing of the group, as he is trying to make the transition from quarterback to receiver.
He started practicing at receiver four days before the season opener and went on to grab four receptions and 82 yards in the Cougars’ win over TTU.
