After Tuesday's practice, rising junior wide receiver Kofi Hughes spoke with the IDS. Hughes, who led the team in receptions, receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns, talked about changes in the offense and how the team, especially the quarterbacks and wide receivers, are adjusting.
What are the expectations of wide receivers as opposed to last year?
"I'm not sure as opposed to last year, but I know this year, that we've got a no-drop policy in practice.
Every route, we've got to run faster and faster, we've got to get our assignment right. Now that we actually got to learn the offense back in the winter, we have a lot of time to really practice it and get good at it. It's simple enough that when we master it, we can really fly with it.
I think now, it's just a matter of coming out here every day and practicing as hard as we can and getting that timing down perfectly."
What kind of things did you have to sit down and think about in terms of learning the offense during the winter?
"Our offense didn't change quite that much, a few minor things, but I think every route has a little change to it. It's just a matter of remembering this is the way we're going to do it and just practicing muscle memory, really, because sometimes, the plays are a lot similar just in the fact that you could run it one way, and it's like, 'ah, that's how we did it last year.'
It's just a matter of sitting down, really looking over your plays every day and making sure that you're practicing it the right way."
What kind of changes to the routes have you seen? Is it more reacting to the coverage?
"We're finding the green grass. When you have a dig, it isn't just going to be a regular dig. You're going to have to come out of that dig and you're going to have to find where the open hole is, and that's how we're going to really play with teams."
As you guys search for that open field and have quarterbacks try and find you, is that kind of a difficult transition?
"That's where that timing comes in, being on the same page. The quarterback's got to feel the same open field just like the receiver has, so the receiver's coming out of his break, the receiver has to see the same hole the quarterback's seeing. That's just repetition and practice and we're just getting a lot better and better at it."
Do you feel like the quarterbacks have gotten better at that?
"Definitely. We're still pretty sloppy with it now. We're getting a lot, lot better, but when we first started, the quarterback's seeing one thing and the wide receiver's seeing another, but now, it's definitely coming together, bit by bit. It's just going to take some more practices."
Do you think Tre has an advantage, especially in the spring, with Cameron just getting into camp?
I wouldn't say so. I mean, they've both been playing football for a long time, and we came in and Tre learned a new offense, Cam is learning a new offense, so I'll say that they're pretty equal.
They come to work every day, they're splitting equal reps, so I think they both have a fair shot at that starting spot. They're both doing great. They both have their own way in running the offense in their own way, really.
What kind of differences are there in the way they run the offense?
"Whether it's Tre making that play with his legs...actually, Tre's been holding that extra second in the pocket and making that throw.
Cam just loves that deep ball, he's a slinger. They both make plays in their own specific ways. They're both special in different ways."
Roberson's passing has looked stronger this spring. Is he a pass-first guy now?
"I think that's what he took as a challenge. Whatever the blogs said or whatever people are saying that he's a run-first quarterback and this and that. I'd say he's definitely a pass-first quarterback now.
After practice, he's doing his wall balls, he's getting his arm right, he's getting his elbow up. He's doing everything that he can to make sure that he's going to make that pass when we need him to."
Full audio (about four minutes): Kofi Hughes
