This Jayhawks football catch ranked 2nd on ESPN’s Top 10 plays. It’s part of a KU trend
Trevor Wilson smiles when asked to explain his 42-yard reception last week — the one that ended with him controlling the ball around the opposite side of Duke cornerback Jaylen Stinson’s shoulder pads.
Turns out, it was even more difficult than it appeared on replays.
“You try to pull it in. His helmet pushed it out. It went behind his back, so I grabbed with my right hand,” Wilson said. “He knocked my right hand off. So I had to grab it with my left, then back to my right. Once I got a good grasp on it with my right hand, just pulled it down with both.”
Somehow, the 5-foot-11 Wilson managed to do all that without seeing the football and also in the span of about a second.
In other words ... he certainly earned his spot on ESPN’s SportsCenter Sunday morning, with the program putting his catch in the No. 2 spot on its reel of Top 10 plays from Saturday.
“It’s something that’s been my focus,” Wilson said. “I’m a shorter receiver, so they want to see guys like me go up and get the ball, and that’s what I did.”
It also was part of an encouraging performance for KU’s offense in an important facet.
The Jayhawks produced five plays of 30 yards or more against Duke, which included two 40-plus-yard receptions from Wilson.
Those types of chunk plays weren’t as common for KU a year ago. In fact, the Jayhawks’ ten 30-plus-yard plays in four games this season have already surpassed the total from their 0-9 campaign in 2020 (nine).
“Big plays are keys to victory,” Wilson said. “We need explosive plays to win games, and the stats show that. The more explosive plays, the more points you score.”
They also are an emphasis of KU offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. He’s previously cited two of his main goals are to distort defenses while also catering his offense each season to his team’s strengths.
The Jayhawks might be coming into their own in that regard. KU averaged 7.4 yards per play against Duke — its best mark since 2019 — while also producing a pair of run plays that went for 35-plus.
Wilson’s teammates were impressed — to a point — with his standout catch. After the game, quarterback Jason Bean said it was “pretty good” while running back Torry Locklin labeled it as a “nice one.”
Bean, though, has often light-heartedly been reserved in his compliments for Wilson, as the two are close friends. They also have had a banter back and forth about who is faster, with KU’s mile-per-hour readings favoring Wilson but Bean’s own self-confidence not letting him admit defeat.
“I saw the catch, but Trevor being my roommate, I’m always joking with him,” Bean said with a smile. “And I told him he better have caught it.”
KU certainly will be pleased if that connection continues. The Jayhawks’ six 30-yard passing plays this season are as many as they had a year ago, with Wilson coming down with three of those — tied for the second-best mark in the Big 12.
“I see a lot of development happening,” Wilson said. “I just want to keep building on it and keep pushing forward from there.”
