Any LSU fan who hasn’t been living under a rock the past four years knows the type of raw talent Terrence Toliver has.
 
The LSU senior wide receiver was rated No. 1 in the country at his position in 2007 coming out of high school. After playing sparingly his first two seasons, Toliver showed glimpses of why he garnered a unanimous five-star ranking by various recruiting sites with 53 catches last year.
 
But through three games in 2010, Toliver only has nine catches for 82 yards and no touchdowns — and best describes his career at LSU as “not good.”
 
“Last year, I did all right,” Toliver said, shaking his head, noticeably frustrated. “But my career here hasn’t been like I thought it was going to be.”
 
Toliver stands at 6 feet 5 inches and is a prototypical receiver with his height, speed, good hands and the toughness to move downfield after the catch.
 
For some reason, this has yet to translate into personal success for the Hempstead, Texas, native, even though he won a national championship in 2007.
 
“I see guys like [Alabama junior wide receiver] Julio Jones and [Georgia junior wide receiver] A.J. Green, and they come in as freshmen and make big plays. And I expect myself to be up there, too,” he said. “But it ain’t worked out that way, so you got to go with the flow.”
 
One of the main reasons for Toliver’s lack of opportunities this year is LSU’s run-happy offense. Toliver flourished last year when the running game struggled at times, and he developed a rapport with junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson. But Jefferson has only thrown 57 passes this season.
 
Opposing defenses haven’t helped, either. Since his 53-catch outbreak last season, Toliver has seen his fair share of double coverage, limiting his play-making ability.
 
“Terrence is our No. 1 receiver, our No. 1 threat, so teams are going to double team him naturally,” said sophomore wide receiver Russell Shepard. “It’s a mixture of different things — a corner playing 10 yards off him or a corner pressing him with a safety over the top.”
 
Toliver saw those same looks last weekend against Mississippi State, resulting in five targets and three catches for 35 yards. He nearly scored on a fade route in the corner of the end zone at the end of the first quarter, but Jefferson’s pass landed inches from Toliver’s outstretched hands.
 
Fortunately for the Tigers, Toliver has been a good sport with teammates.
 
“He’s really been cool about it,” said sophomore wide receiver Rueben Randle. “He knows it’s part of the game, and it’s going to come.”
 
When the ball isn’t thrown his way, Toliver now takes a greater joy in blocking — something that has developed since the arrival of first-year wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales.
 
Toliver even made a key block on each of Shepard’s two touchdown runs this season against North Carolina and Vanderbilt, respectively.
 
“I feel like if I’m not catching the ball, I might as well block,” Toliver said. “I take pride in that this year.”
 
Toliver is familiar with wide receivers having a drop off in production because he has seen it happen twice at LSU. When Toliver was a freshman in 2007, former standout Early Doucet was fresh off a junior campaign that included 59 catches for 772 yards and eight touchdowns. Doucet’s numbers took a hit as his catches (57), yards (525) and touchdowns (5) all decreased while he dealt with injuries.
 
The same went for Brandon LaFell, who was a junior during Toliver’s sophomore season. LaFell hauled in 63 catches for 929 yards and eight touchdowns and was projected as a late first or early second round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The extra attention caused his catches (57) to drop, along with yards (792), though he did catch more touchdowns (11). LaFell ended up going in the third round to the Carolina Panthers in last year’s draft.
 
Despite the track record, Toliver still has at least nine games in his career to turn the tide.
 
“You’d have to think when you’ve only played in three games in your senior year, your career could well be in front of you,” said LSU coach Les Miles.
 
 
 
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]