IU Coach Kevin Wilson said before the season started he expected sophomore wide receiver Nick Westbrook to be in the mix on the outside at receiver, but nobody expected it to be so soon.
After IU’s 2015 leading receiver junior Simmie Cobbs Jr. went down with an ankle injury on the first offensive snap of the game, the sophomore was called on to fill the 1,000-yard receiver’s shoes.
Westbrook’s presence was immediate as he caught a 43-yard pass down the middle of the field for the first touchdown of the game — and the second of his career.
The young wideout would go on to catch three passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ 30-20 victory against Ball State Saturday.
“It was unfortunate with Simmie going down and the success that I had from him going down, but coach always says, ‘Next guy up’,” Westbrook said. “I took the most out of my opportunity.”
Aside from a 5-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Luke Timian, Westbrook was the only receiver to grab a pass in the endzone, and he was the only receiver junior quarterback Richard Lagow targeted deep down the field.
Lagow said throwing to the sophomore is easy because he has a 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and speed to go with it. He trusts him, he said, and that’s the most important thing when a quarterback is throwing to a receiver.
“He’s a good player,” Lagow said. “He makes amazing plays.”
One of those plays was a short screen in IU’s own territory, a bubble screen meant for short yardage with a possibility of a big play. With senior All-American Dan Feeney leading the charge as Westbrook got the ball, the sophomore said he knew the play was going to be big.
Westbrook passed Feeney along the sideline, broke a tackle from a defender in open field and ran nearly sixty more yards to the endzone for a 79-yard score.
“I think he’s really good,” Wilson said about Westbrook. “And I think (sophomore receiver) Donavan Hale is really good. I think they are just as good as Simmie but just raw talent.”
Wilson said he thinks Westbrook needs to be more physical and play with a maturity that a season like 2015 developed for Cobbs.
But Westbrook hasn’t had that season yet. He only caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown last season.
The possibility that Cobbs may need surgery on his ankle has Westbrook poised for a breakout season in 2015 Simmie Cobbs fashion: out of nowhere.
For now, though, he’s only caught nine passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in 2016.
“Nick’s my roommate, so I’m not going to hype him,” senior receiver Mitchell Paige said about Westbrook. “But he’s pretty good. He can make things happen. He can really get the ball down the field.”
