Kent Shelby enters each McNeese offensive huddle with a hefty, albeit hypothetical, sum of money. He looks around to his fellow receivers.
“Basically,” the affable New Orleans native began, “it’s like everyone in the huddle asking for money and you basically just give all your money to them. But you still have a little bit, enough to spend on whatever you want. That’s what I call it, a sharing system that no matter who’s open, no matter who’s ever out, everyone’s going to get a fair share of the ball.”
A season ago, this was Shelby’s offense — no splitting required.
He was Daniel Sams’ primary — sometimes only — receiving threat, catching 36 passes for 668 yards. No other McNeese receiver had more than 400 yards. Shelby was the only one to catch more than 30 balls in McNeese’s undefeated regular season.
“The first day we got here,” quarterback James Tabary said, “I even told him it’s not going to be like that.”
His seven catches in last Saturday’s 48-27 win against Northwestern State gave Shelby 27 for this season, good for only a tie for second on this new-look team that no longer relies on only him to catch passes.
Partly due to the nagging turf toe that sidelined him for the better part of four games in the middle of the season, Shelby’s been the leading receiver in just two games — the season-opener against Tarleton State and last week’s win against the Demons.
It’s disingenuous to speculate Shelby’s stats or where he’d rank among teammates if not for the injury, but his role in offensive coordinator Landon Hoefer’s system would certainly not have changed.
Tabary has no go-to receiver. Having one, he says, makes the offense predictable.
As it runs now, few can foretell anything about this scheme or where Tabary will throw the football.
“It’s not just whatever route we call, one receiver’s going to get it,” Kylon Highshaw says. “It’s everybody’s live and if you win your battle, you have a good chance of getting the ball. It changes everything because everybody’s live, man. You can’t sleep on the route because you might get the ball."
“Even if you got a man on you, you still might get the ball because you never know where James is going to throw the ball.”
Highshaw, he of two receptions last season, has 27 this season, tied with Shelby for second on the team. Kansas transfer Darious Crawley leads with 28.
Two upperclassmen — Damon Gladney and Nick Edwards — have combined for 21 catches and two touchdowns after registering zero of either last season.
“I can’t play all of them at the same time and we only have one football,” receivers coach Kerry Joseph quips. “But when your opportunity comes and your reps come on the field, you have to make them count. Those guys are stepping up and making them count. They work hard in practice, Damon has made plays from day one since I’ve been here. I’ve got to find ways to keep them in the game.”
Gladney, a senior who has neglected to stay healthy in his previous three seasons, remembered the first day of spring practice. Tabary had not yet even left Arkansas State. The Cowboys’ presumed starter was Grant Ashcraft.
Still, Hoefer began to implement his new system.
“It became fun,” Gladney said. “Everyone bought in, receivers knew the ball was going to be spread out. That’s when I realized I was going to enjoy this upcoming fall … If you know there are only certain people getting the ball, not everyone’s all in. But the fact that everyone’s touching the ball, everyone’s happy, so everyone’s buying into the system.”
Including Shelby.
“The last couple of years it was about me, but I learned how to put my pride aside and let other people to eat,” Shelby said. “When you let other people to eat then it all comes back to you.”
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