MU’s Perry advises: Press at your own risk

Isolated near the sideline, Jared Perry looked across the line of scrimmage and watched Nevada cornerback Antoine Thompson lurch forward. Here it comes, Perry thought, another taste of in-your-grill press coverage, a wide receiver’s ultimate test of manhood.

"That’s one of my specialties," Perry said later. "I thrive on that. I like to get people in my face."

If Perry wanted to find some redemption after last season’s disappearing act, this was the kind of coverage he’d have to exploit week after week. This much he expected: Defenses are going to center their attention on Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman. They’ll hope another defender can clamp down and handle Perry on his own.

Perry’s response? Bring. It. On.

"That’s where I like to use my quickness," Perry said, "and use my hands and just be as physical as I can."

On Saturday, Perry made the visitors from Reno, Nev., pay like a broken slot machine. He caught six passes for a career-best 98 yards, the biggest payoff coming on the aforementioned play.

Two minutes into the second quarter, on first down from the 27, Perry slipped past Thompson at the line, angled toward the goal post, looked over his right shoulder and snatched a delivery from Chase Daniel. Thompson came chugging into the end zone a few seconds later. A few seconds late.

"It felt really good," Perry said.

A season ago, Daniel and everyone else mostly saw Perry standing on the sideline. After a productive freshman year in 2006, Perry got lost in Missouri’s depth at wide receiver last season and saw his statistics plummet, from 37 catches in 2006 to 13 last year. For receivers, MU’s offense can become survival of the fittest - catch or be caught - and as much as MU throws the ball, Maclin’s emergence meant someone’s role would probably decline.

"Honestly, we had so much depth, somebody was going to fall," Perry said. "I didn’t think it was going to be me, but it ended up being me. I took it kind of bad."

As the competition for playing time intensified, Perry’s performance suffered during practices, scrimmages and the brief appearances he made on Saturdays. Few passes came his way. When they did, he dropped several. When he got on the field, he was rarely one of Daniel’s primary reads.

"It was mental with him," Daniel said. "He got a little bit of a, not a cocky attitude, but like, ‘Hey, I’ve arrived. I’m a freshman all-American. I’ve done a lot of things. I’m going to start. I’m going to make a lot of plays.’ "

"We were frustrated because here’s a young player who wasn’t playing as well," said Gary Pinkel, whose No. 5 Tigers (3-0) finish nonconference play against Buffalo (2-1) on Saturday. "Obviously, our depth at receiver and tight end combined were as good as it’ll ever be in all my years of coaching. He just wasn’t playing up to his ability.

"I’ve always believed in him. But the competition level was so high … you’ve got to produce."

Perry wasn’t happy with his diminished role and meager production but said he never considered transferring. After the Cotton Bowl, Perry talked with his parents in La Marque, Texas, and decided his only recourse was to rededicate himself to the game, especially considering there would be opportunities in spring camp with three-year starter Will Franklin headed to the NFL and classmate Danario Alexander recovering from knee surgery.

Shortly before spring practices began, he sat down with wide receivers coach Andy Hill and delivered a message.

"I told him he’s going to see a different person out of me," Perry said.

The results came instantly. Promoted to starter, perhaps by default with the turnover at receiver, Perry flashed his big-play ability from 2006 and entrenched himself in the starting lineup in time for preseason camp.

"I knew I had to gain confidence from everybody, the fans, the coaches," said Perry, who was voted the team’s most improved receiver during the spring. "I just tried to go out and practice and gain Chase’s respect that way."

In August, a mild shoulder injury cost him a week of practice, but he returned for the opener against Illinois and has already eclipsed last year’s statistics in three games. Only Coffman has gained more receiving yards than Perry (250), and only Maclin averages more yards per catch than Perry (17.9).

"He’s falling back into the I’m-a-good-player mode," Hill said. "The doggone guy did it all spring. He came back really determined to get back to what he considered his old self."

Adding some muscle didn’t hurt. The player teammates called "Toothpick" when he was a freshman is still a twig but tips the scales at 180, up from 160 two years ago. The strength comes in handy against the kind of defense Perry has seen lately, especially press coverage at the line, a tactic Perry has learned to relish.

---

Reach Dave Matter at (573) 815-1781 or dmatter@tribmail.com.

---

Advertisement