Aug. 8—CHAMPAIGN — Pat Bryant has become the standard of comparison for Illinois wide receivers during Justin Stepp's tenure coaching that position for the Illini.
Bryant's willingness to block on the perimeter was held up as an example. So was the versatility he possessed that allowed Stepp and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. to line him up in every spot a wide receiver could occupy.
"We did all kinds of stuff with Pat," Stepp said. "We put him everywhere. We lined him up at fullback."
That was a special case, of course, but did lead to the game-winning touchdown against Nebraska two years ago in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers' defense didn't account for Bryant out of the backfield, and he was wide open in the end zone on a first-and-goal overtime play.
Bryant at fullback might have been an outlier, but being able to cycle as many wide receivers as possible through the more typical spots they line up at on game day is Illinois' goal. Stepp has that in this year's wide receiver corps from guys like Collin Dixon, Hudson Clement, Jayshon Platt, Brayden Trimble and even 6-foot-5, 220-pound Alex Perry.
#bryant
Bryant's willingness to block on the perimeter was held up as an example. So was the versatility he possessed that allowed Stepp and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. to line him up in every spot a wide receiver could occupy.
"We did all kinds of stuff with Pat," Stepp said. "We put him everywhere. We lined him up at fullback."
That was a special case, of course, but did lead to the game-winning touchdown against Nebraska two years ago in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers' defense didn't account for Bryant out of the backfield, and he was wide open in the end zone on a first-and-goal overtime play.
Bryant at fullback might have been an outlier, but being able to cycle as many wide receivers as possible through the more typical spots they line up at on game day is Illinois' goal. Stepp has that in this year's wide receiver corps from guys like Collin Dixon, Hudson Clement, Jayshon Platt, Brayden Trimble and even 6-foot-5, 220-pound Alex Perry.
#bryant
26 days ago
