For redshirt senior wide receiver Donte Foster, making highlight reel catches is nothing new.
In high school, Foster was a recipient of the No. 1 play during ESPN’s SportsCenter on the basketball court. Foster made a behind-the-back shot with .05 seconds left in the first quarter before the buzzer sounded.
“The basketball play that was just the luckiest play ever,” Foster said. “Just flipping the ball behind my head and it actually going in, so it was just a luck play and I tried it again twenty times and it didn’t even touch the rim.”
While Foster’s skills and athleticism have dazzled Peden Stadium crowds, he is not the only playmaker who stands out for the Bobcats.
Ohio returns a slew of wide receivers from last year’s squad that contributed offensively, including redshirt junior Chase Cochran and redshirt senior Mario Dovell, who caught three passes for 29 yards during Ohio’s victory at Penn State last season before suffering a season-ending injury later in the game.
Foster added that because of injuries last season, other wide receivers were thrust into roles and performed enough that they have game experience for the upcoming season.
“I believe that even if you’re not a starter you’re going to get playing time and I believe a lot of people found that out last year with our injury situation,” Foster said. “Even the second string is trying to work harder than the starters, just because they want to be ready for that opportunity to get in the game, so we have great depth and we’re going to try to use it to the best of our ability.”
Last season, Cochran had his best game of his career in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, with 162 yards receiving and a touchdown. He finished the season with 22 receptions for 377 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Another wideout that could make a mark is redshirt senior Matt Waters, who appeared in 13 games for the Bobcats last year and had 14 catches for 225 yards.
Redshirt senior quarterback Tyler Tettleton said this could be his deepest wide receiver corps as the Bobcats’ signal caller. The number of returning offensive players has given Tettleton several weapons at his disposal. He also praised the development of the freshman receivers early in camp.
“It’s great to have that depth and it’s great to have him (Dovell) back too,” Tettleton said. “I think it’s been the most depth that we might have ever had, since I’ve been here at that position, so it’s great. Hopefully those guys will stay healthy and really produce and provide a lot for us.”
Ohio wide receivers coach Dwayne Dixon said this is one of the fastest wide receiving corps he has had during his 7-year tenure at Ohio University. He praised the efforts of the upper- and underclassman gelling together.
“I like that the guys are hungry and the older guys are really working to encourage (the freshmen) and show them the ropes,” Dixon said. “They’re not afraid to share the information that they’ve learned.”
“It tells me that the veterans have confidence in what they’re doing and the younger guys are learning and I’m really happy with the progress so far.”
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