Junior wide receiver Jeremy Singleton racked up 62 yards on three catches along with two touchdowns Thursday night against Tulane in his hometown of New Orleans, where he was given the rare opportunity for his friends and family to see him play.
“It was great to make some plays and get in the end zone in my city and hometown,” Singleton said.
Singleton, who had not seen much action in previous games with only five receptions in the last five games, snagged his first touchdown this season last week on a 47-yard touchdown pass against Tulsa.
While Singleton did build up some frustration earlier in the season, he touched upon what his thought process was leading up to this game against Tulane.
“As far as staying patient you know that’s life, and football teaches you that,” Singleton said. “I was a little frustrated as coach Holgorsen said, but I put my head down and just kept working and stayed level-headed, stayed peaceful, and just knew that it’s going to come one day.”
As for head coach Dana Holgorsen, he knew Singleton’s time would come.
“I’m very happy for Jeremy,” Holgorsen said.” “This is his home. To be able to come into New Orleans and make some game-changing plays is awesome. I told him I was proud of him for hanging in there. He was a little frustrated after not getting as many opportunities but you just got to hang in there.”
Singleton’s three receptions may not seem much on paper, yet they came in crucial moments of the game and provided the Cougars a momentum shift to pull out the victory against the Green Wave.
“It was awesome,” junior quarterback Clayton Tune said. “He’s a hard worker and he’s one of those guys that doesn’t ever complain and for him to come out and play like that in his home city is awesome. He stepped up and made a lot of great plays.”
Junior tight end Christian Trahan, who grew up in Sulphur, Lousiana, knew what this game meant to Singleton.
“This touches home for him,” Trahan said. “I saw he had a lot of family out there so that’s good for him and I’m glad he had a good game. That was big for him.”
This game was meaningful to Singleton, who spoke about the support he had at Yulman Stadium.
“It was great,” Singleton said. “I got to see a lot of people that usually can’t make it to see games in Houston. A lot of friends and family came out and supported me. I had about 25 to 30.”
Playing in front of around 25 friends and family was important for Singleton. Scoring two touchdowns added to the significance of the game for him.
“The second touchdown was right in front of my mom so I blew her a kiss after,” Singleton said. “I do it for them.”