Treyce Albin ran to from right to left in a pre-snap motion. As the ball was snapped, quarterback Clay Davis handed Albin the ball.
Albin scored his third touchdown of the night on that handoff, in addition to his previous two long touchdown receptions.
He would have had another, but the ball fell through his hands. Albin has proved to be one of Athens' best players, but there's still room to grow.
“As a dad, I couldn’t be prouder,” said Tim, Treyce’s dad and Ohio's offensive coordinator. “As a coach, he needs some work.”
This season, Treyce has developed into one of the Bulldogs most explosive offensive players. He's also a big part of the Bulldogs defense.
Throughout youth football all the way through his junior season, Treyce was a quarterback. He even was the starting quarterback at the beginning of last season.
He was injured early in the season, however, and coach Ryan Adams and his offensive staff thought they had a better place for Treyce: wide receiver.
Treyce has used knowledge from his time a quarterback to make himself a successful wide receiver, which has shown early this year. Davis has found Treyce for four touchdowns of 40 or more yards just four games into the season.
“You know when the quarterback knows your open,” Treyce said.
With his dad in his 13th season at Ohio, Treyce has grown up in a football home. He's been around the Ohio program for the majority of his life which has helped him learn a lot about the game.
“I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to compete at a high level,” Treyce said. “Division I ball is very competitive, and you see how you have to complete to play football at whatever level.”
Every week Ohio's running backs will come over to the Albin home, something that has had a profound impact on Treyce.
One player in particular, however, stood out to him.
Defensive lineman Marcellis Williamson, who died suddenly in 2011, really connected with Treyce.
“He was a very positive guy,” Treyce said. “He just shared the love of football and how it’s fun.”
Treyce has carried what he learned from Williamson throughout his career.
One of those things was Williamson's positivity that Treyce has tried to carry on. He can keep the Bulldogs motivated and playing with high energy, no matter who is on the field.
“You can feel energies through each team,” Treyce said. "Just feeling how everyone is doing on a particular team and being able to pick them up if the energy is low.”
The big plays that Treyce creates is one way that he knows to pick up his team if they need it. He also knows that he has a lot to work on, just like his dad said.
“I agree because he’s a coach,” he said with a laugh.
