Where's Matt Mrazek? Here's the answer

John Leone was probably asked many times during his career as a basketball coach why he didn’t get the ball more to this guy or that guy.

So, it was somehow appropriate that Leone, who now works as the sideline reporter for the football game coverage on the Lafayette Sports Network, should ask about Leopards’ wide receiver Matt Mrazek during Tuesday’s media luncheon.

Mrazek was the target for just one first-half incomplete pass, then none in the third quarter against SHU. He finished the game with three catches in the fourth quarter, one for a touchdown. He and freshman quarterback Sean O’Malley didn’t connect on four other attempts in the final 15 minutes.

This came on the heels of a Monmouth game in which Mrazek had just one catch in the first half. In the second half, O’Malley’s first pass to Mrazek was incomplete, but the two then teamed up for eight straight completions – one a 17-yard touchdowns.

Garrett’s answer is textbook stuff. So, rather than paraphrase it, here it is in its entirety.

“Well, it was a combination of things (against Sacred Heart). Sometimes early, Matt was open and the ball just didn’t go to him. Remember the first third-down call, the rollout, he was short in the flat and Sean could have thrown it to him and he chose to throw deeper to Rocco (Palumbo) and he just missed it. We just went for the bigger play, which is fine because he’s usually pretty good with making that throw. There were some balls that we threw to Matt that were defended, some balls that were thrown inaccurately and some balls that he just missed.

“He didn’t have the results we had at Monmouth, and you have to remember, versus  Monmouth, Matt moved inside in two-minute because Dylan Wadsworth was hurt. So, he got more opportunity there as well at multiple positions. It was just the course of the Sacred Heart) game where he didn’t get the ball.

“As a former receiver, I understand that, because you can have a heckuva game, heckuva game, be open all the time and your stats are two (catches) for 29 (yards). The guy just didn’t throw it to you or he had to move off the spot and throw it and you’re really good but nobody talks to you because you’re only 2-for-29.

“Your production is so dependent on other aspects of the game going well, so there’s no concern. Matt’s a big part of this thing, just like a lot of guys. The fortunate thing we have on offense is we have experience at receiver. They all have different skill sets and we get them the ball in different ways. They all have skins on the wall, they’ve played a lot of football, so we don’t really worry about this guy or that one getting the ball. All the guys can play all the positions, so we just plug them in and it naturally spreads itself around.”

The guy who has benefited most from the new head coach and new freshman quarterback is ironically one who wasn’t on offense a year ago. Nick Pearson was recruited as a defensive back and had just seven tackles in 2016, mostly on special teams. He also was used as a kick returner, getting 111 yards on six returns

.

When Garrett took over, it gave Pearson the gumption he needed to request a position change. And, since Garrett had this no-incumbents approach to every position, he was willing to give the young sophomore a chance to earn time at a position he loved.

Pearson and Mrazek are tied for the team lead in reception with 12, with Pearson getting 165 yards and one touchdown. On Saturday against Sacred Heart, Pearson had nine catches for 107 yards and a TD. And looking through the play-by-play, I noticed that Pearson was an intended target seven other times – five of the passes were incomplete, but on the other two, Pearson drew pass interference penalties, which is every bit as good as a reception.

It seems that Garrett has firmly settled in on his choice of a quarterback, and O’Malley could easily have TWO league rookie of the week citations to his credit. The first week, he was beaten out by a defensive player who made just two tackles (one a sack). I figured the loss to Monmouth was just too much for O’Malley to overcome in the eyes of the voters. And, that’s fine. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.

At the same time, that leaves me wondering: What happens now to all those other guys who, according to the head coach, waged such a spirited battle for the starting job during training camp? I expected to see one of the six of them handling the holding duties for field goals and extra points, but that job has gone to the punter. It didn’t work well in the opening game, but there were no glitches against Sacred Heart. I still think, though, that the passing threat a quarterback-holder might come in handy at some point.

Lafayette also has three more non-league games to play, and I keep wondering if there will ever come a time that Coach Garrett decides it would be beneficial to give some playing time to the guy who would be his “next man in” if …

I was told that Cole Northrup was recruited as a possible “new” Brad Maurer. Maurer, Leopard fans remember, passed for 1,313 yards and six TDs and ran for another 643 and nine TDs in 2004; passed for 1,562 yards and nine TDs and ran for 271 yards in 2005; and passed for 2,239 yards and 13 TDs and ran for 295 yards and five TDs in 2006. The result: three straight Lafayette Patriot League titles and FCS (the Division 1-AA) playoffs.

Ahh, the championship days. In the midst of a 3-and-21 skid in two-plus season, everyone needs a morale boost.