Return of Wilson, Bolser bolster receiving corps

Even before redshirt sophomore wide receiver Duwyce Wilson made a leaping touchdown grab to give IU a 31-23 lead against Virginia last Saturday, it was clear to many that No. 81 was a valuable asset to the team.

When Wilson played for Coach Bob Gaddis at Columbus (Ind.) East High School, he was named Mr. Indiana at wide receiver in 2008, and Scout.com ranked him as No. 38 wide receiver in the country.

After former IU Coach Bill Lynch’s staff recruited him, Wilson then stood out in his redshirt freshman campaign, finishing in the top three in catches, yards and touchdowns by a rookie wide receiver in IU history.

At Big Ten Media Days in July, senior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher said the situation in 2011 was going to help Wilson reach even greater heights as a receiver.

“I expect a lot of double coverage since Tandon (Doss)’s gone,” Belcher said. “That’s why I think Duwyce Wilson is going to have a breakout season this year.”

Those expectations were somewhat tempered when Wilson was hurt during fall camp. He quickly fell behind and began the season absent from the depth chart.

He wasn’t the only sophomore to follow a breakout freshman season with an injury-plagued preseason. Redshirt sophomore tight end Ted Bolser missed more than two weeks of practices due to nagging health problems.

“He missed a boatload — about 18 — practices, so he’s kind of playing his way back in,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “He’s got some catching skills if we can protect and deliver it to him. He’ll be in our one tight end set and (senior tight end) Max (Dedmond) will complement him.”

Both Duwyce Wilson and Bolser played in extremely limited roles in the season opener against Ball State, but both made increasingly significant contributions during the Virginia game. Wilson led the team with 60 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Although Bolser’s impact wasn’t seen on the box score, Coach Wilson noticed his effort.

“(Bolser) did well last game,” Kevin Wilson said. “He didn’t have catches, but he did, from a blocking perspective, (play) extremely hard. I think he had about half a dozen ... knockdowns and whatnot.”

Coach Wilson stressed the importance that tight ends are going to play as the season moves along and said they are often an overlooked part of the offense by fans.

“The line gets all the credit and blame. The quarterback gets all the credit and blame,” Coach Wilson said. “But those complementary pieces really help them or hurt them, and we need our tight end group to keep coming along.”

As they both return to the lineup, the pair of sophomore receiving threats look to make the IU offense — headed in part by Co-offensive Coordinator Rod Smith — more potent.

“We’re starting to get a mix of guys healthy again,” Smith said. “Hopefully we can get a little bit more pop to our offense.”