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Mississippi State’s wide receivers emerge from Dak Prescott’s shadow
By Keith Farner
Published:
He was the face of the Mississippi State offense this year, but QB Dak Prescott wasn’t the only Bulldogs player setting records.
The only team to have two receivers in the SEC’s top five in receiving yards in the regular season, Mississippi State had playmakers able to step outside Prescott’s shadow.
WR Fred Ross, for example, had 12 catches in the Egg Bowl loss to Ole Miss to give him an SEC-leading 81 catches on the season, seven more than the record set in 1970 by David Smith. And those 12 catches were the most in one game since Eric Moulds caught 15 against Tennessee in 1995. That kind of season has led some to wonder if Ross will be among the early entries into the NFL Draft.
With 933 yards, Ross will likely top 1,000 yards in the bowl game — quite a jump from last year’s production of 489 yards and five TDs.
Ross, a Tyler, Texas, native and former four-star recruit, bounced back last season from a shoulder injury that limited him as a freshman. This year, he caught at least 11 passes in four games, including road games at Texas A&M, Missouri and Arkansas.
Ross had help. Defenses couldn’t load up on his side of the field because WR De’Runnya Wilson was on the other side. Wilson led the Bulldogs with nine TD receptions among 55 catches for 822 yards despite an injury scare in the Alabama game.
The trio credits offseason workouts and the disappointment of last year’s Orange Bowl loss for sparking this season’s success.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
