Lucas at Large: Checking in with Quintez Cephus
September 18, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas, Varsity Magazine
Wide receiver back on field with added strength, size and focus
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Although Quintez Cephus went 672 days between touchdown catches, the 21-year-old Wisconsin wide receiver had not forgotten what it felt like to get into the end zone. In fact, he had no trouble remembering the details of his scoring play 22 months ago at Indiana.
Hitting rewind to Nov. 4, 2017, and revisiting a second-and-7 from the IU 8-yard line, he recalled, "I had an inside fade route from the slot. I knew it was man coverage and I had a lot of room to win outside. I pinned the defender in and went out. Alex (Hornibrook) gave me a (jump) ball and I went up and got it."
Cephus' sixth touchdown in nine games pushed the Badgers into a 14-10 halftime lead that they would not relinquish.
It was his last reception of the '17 season. In the third quarter, he got injured while blocking, which ironically was his strong-suit and pathway to start five games as a true freshman the year before. Cephus got rolled up by one of his 300-pound plus offensive linemen and broke his leg.
After the game, Cephus sat in a wheelchair just outside the locker room door. Each of his teammates stopped and hugged him or offered encouragement or both. Little did anyone know at the time how much he would need such support during his later time away from the program and school.
In Wisconsin's 2019 home opener, Cephus was back — back in the end zone after catching a 36-yard pass from quarterback Jack Coan with 4 minutes and 21 seconds left in the second quarter. The outcome had long since been determined against Central Michigan. But it was still meaningful to No. 87.
"It was an amazing feeling getting back to doing that type of stuff coming from where I was 12 months ago or three weeks ago," Cephus said. "Coming from the injury and not being able to play the rest of that season and then sitting out another season (2018) and finally getting into the end zone …"
He paused and then finished his thought, "That's what you work for honestly."
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With less than two minutes left in the half, Coan and Cephus hooked up on another scoring strike, this one covering 46 yards, highlighting the explosiveness that Cephus brings to the offense. Last season, the Badgers had only two pass plays of 36 or more yards. The longest was 44 to A.J. Taylor.
"I would say he's more explosive now," linebacker Chris Orr said of Cephus (6-foot-1, 207). "You saw that one play where he ran a 'Go' (vertical route). The old Quintez might not have separated. That might have been a jump ball. But now he's separating. He's added some speed and quick twitch to his game."
While out of school, Cephus trained in Arizona with former UW teammate Nick Nelson (a fourth-round pick of Oakland in 2018) and some other NFL players: Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, a first-round selection of Cleveland; and Alabama corner Levi Wallace, an undrafted free agent with Buffalo.
"There were other high-profile NFL guys there and I was able to train and work out with them and they pushed me," Cephus said. "That was really amazing to get that type of training and take advantage of the time that I had off instead of letting it beat me up mentally."
Physically, is Cephus the same receiver today that led the team with those six touchdowns receptions in 2017 despite missing the last five games of the season? "Yes, sir, I am," he said politely. "But I've added some strength to my game. And I feel like I'm a better athlete than I was then.
"I don't know if I have knocked off all the rust. But I'm thankful Coach (Paul) Chryst and Coach (Ted) Gilmore have given me a chance to knock it off at game speed."
Where is he mentally? "I've obviously been through a lot," he said. "But I'm mentally stronger. I rely a lot on my faith to help me in times of adversity. Even out there (in Camp Randall), I feel like I'm serving a higher purpose than just trying to be the best athlete."
Nobody has a closer relationship with Cephus than Gilmore, the wide receivers coach. Gilmore was at his side when Cephus was a second-semester freshman and grieving the loss of his 39-year-old father, who was gunned down and killed in a convenience store parking lot in Macon, Georgia.
Reflecting on the twists and turns in Cephus' personal journey since then, Gilmore said, "He's a strong individual. A lot of people would have been broken. It's a credit to who he is and how he dealt with adversity. He faced it head-on. He's a very, very mentally strong young man."
But the pieces are still falling into place, according to Gilmore.
"I still remind him, when you step on this field, you be you — be yourself with that infectious personality. He's so serious now that he doesn't know when it's OK to relax, and I get it. But I remind him, 'This is your family, this is your football family. It's OK to flash those pearly whites and smile.'"
From a physical standpoint, comparing the before (the injury) and after Cephus, Gilmore said, "Honestly that part of his game hasn't changed much besides him being a bigger kid. Now, you've got Q who's about eight pounds heavier and stronger. And he still plays the same way.
"He's one of those guys who has to remain true to himself and what his strengths are. And that is, his speed, his size, his competitiveness. If he hangs on to that, he's going to get better and better."
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has marveled how Cephus has handled everything through training camp and the first two games. "The energy has always been there, it is infectious," he said. "You just watch him practice and he has a big smile that he runs around with. You see the confidence."
His teammates have also seen a renewed commitment since his return. "You definitely see him appreciating everything more," Orr said. "He comes out every day and works his butt off."
Leonhard understandably suggested that it all may mean more to Cephus. "He's on a different mission," he said. "He's going to play with a different purpose than most guys because of what he went through. If our team can feed off that, it's huge. And he doesn't have to do anything but be him.
"We've all known the potential. It's off the charts."
