Will Jerel Myers, Reggie Robinson and the rest of the LSU wide receivers please report to the football field and catch more passes?
The wide receiver corps, a vital part of the passing attack in any offense, has been missing in action this season after last year’s success, with one exception.
Sophomore Michael Clayton has anchored the unit catching 31 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns, good for sixth in the conference.
Myers and Robinson have played like shadows of their former selves this year, combining for only 13 catches for 223 yards and no touchdowns.
Myers has yet to duplicate his numbers from freshman year in 1999, when he caught 64 passes for 854 yards. He earned All -Freshman, All-SEC and Freshman All-America honors.
Robinson returned after missing the entire 2001 season with a neck injury, but has been ineffective in LSU’s attack.
Other receivers have not stepped up either. Redshirt freshman Bennie Brazell has played sparingly, grabbing three catches for 28 yards.
Converted running back Devery Henderson has made a slight impact. His 14 catches for 202 yards and four scores have future visions of Josh Reed written all over them.
Unlike Reed, these receivers do not have the abilities to gain yards after the catch. Some run the wrong routes, others run the correct routes the wrong way.
Whatever the problem is, Clayton alone cannot make up for it or the rest of the squad’s inconsistency that has plagued the offense since game one.
The receivers dropped five catchable passes against Virginia Tech. One ball was deflected into a defender’s hands and many of the throws hit receivers in the hands or in the chest, sealing the Tigers’ 26-8 loss.
As a team, LSU ranks last in the SEC in catches and completion percentage.
The Tigers are also second to last in third down conversions, meaning the receivers are not catching passes when it counts.
Despite the grim first-half performance, there is room for improvement for this group.
If Clayton continues his production and Myers and Robinson return to form and make plays, the offense will improve and give the country’s top-ranked defense some much needed slack.