Young receivers step up with Cephus in mind
November 11, 2017 | Football, Andy Baggot
Sophomore Kendric Pryor and WR brotherhood provide needed firepower
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — To fully appreciate the moment that came to life near midfield on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, you have to put these two snapshots of Quintez Cephus side-by-side.
One image came to life a week ago when Cephus, the standout sophomore wide receiver for the Wisconsin football team, was seated in a wheelchair surrounded by concerned faces.
A Big Ten Conference victory at Indiana was tempered by the loss of Cephus to a season-ending injury to his right leg.
One by one, UW teammates stopped on the way to the visiting locker room to pay their postgame respects to Cephus, but a cluster of humanity lingered.
It was the other wide receivers.
"That's my brother, man," true freshman Danny Davis said. "It's sad what happened, but he's going to be back stronger than ever."
Cephus, who led the Badgers with 30 receptions, 501 yards and six touchdown catches, is a big loss.
"You never want to see one of your brothers hurt," sophomore Kendric Pryor said. "We all felt for him."
These guys. This team.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 11, 2017
In it together. #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/huYgcleEIB
The second photo of Cephus was snapped after sixth-ranked Wisconsin produced a milestone 38-14 victory over Iowa.
He zoomed out of the north end zone piloting a mobility scooter — his surgically-repaired leg elevated on a padded shelf while his left leg provided the horsepower — grinning broadly as he pulled up to congratulate Davis, Pryor and Co.
There was much to celebrate.
The Badgers are 10-0 for the first time in program history.
They clinched a share of the Big Ten West Division title for the second consecutive season thanks to a 7-0 mark.
They secured a berth in the conference championship game for the fifth time in seven years, all with two regular-season outings to be played.
Today, the West was won. Step one. #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 11, 2017
Wisconsin prevailed mainly because its defense was ridiculously good and, in part, because true freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor had another signature performance (29 carries, 157 yards, one TD).
But it's impossible to overlook how the depleted wide receiver corps came through.
Three veterans are out — Cephus, senior Jazz Peavy and senior George Rushing — leaving a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of youngsters.
They all shined brightly during a resounding come-from-behind triumph over Iowa.
Pryor came off the bench to score the first two TDs of his career and Davis, in his first start in two months, led UW with four receptions for 74 yards.
Sophomore starter A.J. Taylor caught one pass, but it was good for a TD that closed out one of the strangest games of the season.
UW sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw three interceptions — two of which were returned for touchdowns by Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson — but the Hawkeyes were limited to 66 yards of total offense and were 0-for-13 on third-down tries in a game that featured seven turnovers in all.
Kendric Pryor: Freshman Danny Davis: Freshman A.J. Taylor: Sophomore Don't let age fool you. These young receivers are ready to make plays.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 11, 2017
In the calm, but energized din of the Wisconsin locker room, Cephus shared hugs and handshakes with his pass-catching teammates as well as assistant coach Ted Gilmore.
"Today was a big moment for our group because of everything that's happened," Cephus said.
"It was a game where they were going to have to take an extra step, where we couldn't back down at any point in the game."
Pryor, who missed the first four games recovering from injuries following a moped accident in preseason camp, made his big plays in the second quarter.
He scored on a 25-yard run off a jet sweep that gave the Badgers the lead for good at 10-7.
He followed that up with a 12-yard scoring pass from Hornibrook that came just before halftime.
The TDs made Pryor the 16th different Wisconsin player to reach the end zone this season, a list that grew later to 17 when senior outside linebacker Leon Jacobs rumbled 21 yards with a recovered fumble for a touchdown.
Both sequences involving Pryor victimized Iowa cornerback Manny Rugamba, who was flattened by a block by redshirt freshman center Tyler Biadasz on the run and outdueled by Pryor for a 50-50 ball in the end zone.
"We talked about being dominant today," Pryor said, "to show that we got ammo left even though (Cephus) is down."
Undefeated 10-0 ?? Big Ten West champs ?? …but this is just the start #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 11, 2017
Davis didn't get into the end zone, but, man, did he make some big plays. Three of his four catches came on third downs that moved the chains, including two on the same fourth-quarter drive that made it 31-14.
Davis' most memorable catch in that sequence was a 28-yarder on third-and-8 that set up an 8-yard TD run by sophomore tailback Bradrick Shaw. Davis contorted his body along the right sideline to make the catch and get a foot down in bounds.
"I just wanted to get my feet down," Davis said with a big smile. "I thought I did a pretty good job of that."
Davis said he was inspired in part by Cephus.
"I just wanted to make plays like he did," he said.
Pryor said he got a kick out of seeing Davis and A.J. Taylor have big outings.
"It's always good to see your brothers eat," he said.
Cephus said seeing his teammates converge around his wheelchair last week was an emotional lift.
"It was just a feeling of brotherhood," he said.
Cephus said seeing his young teammates come through in his absence was uplifting as well.
"They made me proud, definitely," he said.
The Badgers started 9-0 in 1998 and 2004, but were unable to finish the deal in pursuit of a perfect 10. Pryor said getting over that hump is nice.
"But we're not finished," he said of regular-season games with Michigan and Minnesota followed by a Big Ten title-game assignment. "There's a lot we want to accomplish."
