Young Southern WRs find ways to contribute

• By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Oct 14, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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As Southern wide receivers coach Eric Dooley huddled with his guys last week, he told them at this point of the season there were no more new guys.

And as much as Juamorris Stewart has been the headliner after moving from “H” to “X” in his breakout season, the rest of SU’s receivers, so inexperienced to begin the season, are following suit.

Senior Clevan White, who missed the first game while resolving his eligibility, has 19 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Corderious Gregory, who missed last season with a knee injury, has 11 catches for 185 yards and one touchdown — the game-winner at Alcorn State — and junior Curry Allen has 13 catches for 105 yards and one TD.

“I think they have a couple more gears,” Dooley said.

All of the above are career marks for receivers who hadn’t had much action to date.

White had 20 catches for 196 yards and one TD last season, while Gregory had one catch for 6 yards in 2006 and Allen had never caught a ball.

“I just said, ‘There are no rookies anymore. I consider all you guys veterans. We have to go to work,’” Dooley said. “Everybody understands their role, and that’s why we’re getting the unselfishness. They realize the coverages, and we’re just taking what teams are giving.”

Gregory has a season-best 58-yard catch and White a 42-yarder.

“The thing I see is we have a number of playmakers at that spot,” head coach Pete Richardson said. “With what we’re doing, they can turn 4- or 5-yard gains into 40-yard gains. That’s what we’re looking for. The more they play, the more they want to make those plays.”

The plus for the group is, the threat of those kinds of plays from the other receivers keeps defenses from shifting heavily to Stewart’s side.

“I keep hearing he’s going to attract the defense, and that’s true enough, but I think we have more than one receiver,” Dooley said. “That’s why it’s so tough to say a defense is going to shift its coverage. It’s not a bragging thing; it’s just who do you want to beat you. Because I think all these guys are solid receivers. That’s what gives us a luxury.

“You can get three to four good receivers, but it’s hard to get four good defensive backs. You have a lot of guys who are good defensive backs and are sound, but when you have receivers playing at their level it’s hard to defend.”

Dooley also credited Southern’s developing running game — with punishing threats in Kendrick Smith and Silas Gibbs and even quarterback Bryant Lee, all of whom have had 100-yard games — with making defenses “play that extra guy in the box, where you’re going to get single coverage.”