The deep ball is pretty and exciting when its hit; but, when it’s not, it’s no better than a two-yard incompletion. It’s just another way to get the offense off-the-field and ruin a scoring opportunity. Every team needs another kind of wide receiving threat, one that is not looking for the home run, but the standard five-yard out route that keeps the drive alive.
Alabama’s self-proclaimed possession receiver, senior Kevin Norwood, knows this. Loves it. Embraces it.
Norwood has never had more than 125 yards in a single game and has never caught more than six passes in a game, both are numbers that Amari Cooper beat in his freshman season alone.
He is a possession receiver that quarterback AJ McCarron leans on heavily in pressure situations, and more times than not, against LSU.
Why?
“It might just be a Mississippi connection,” McCarron said. “Both originally from the same area in Mississippi. I was born in Biloxi (Norwood is a D’Iberville, Miss., native). So throughout our recruiting process, we’ve always known each other.”
It probably has more to do with Norwood’s talent.
“He’s such a smart player and I know where he’s going to be all the time and he goes up and makes plays,” McCarron said. “As you can see, we’re great friends.”
In the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, McCarron did not seem to care that Norwood did not catch a pass in the Game of the Century Part One. McCarron went to Norwood four times for 78 yards, all of them for first downs. Norwood led all pass catchers in both first downs and receiving yards.
Last year, on what has since been labeled The Drive, McCarron hit Norwood on the first three plays of the possession for 18, 15 and 11 yards, all for first downs, then targeted him again before throwing the screen pass to T.J. Yeldon for a touchdown.
That string of plays was just an indicator to come of out-of-character fireworks to come from Norwood in 2013.
Norwood has made two acrobatic catches this season, one for a touchdown against Texas A&M and another against Tennessee that put Alabama in the red zone.
“We practice that every day, every day,” Norwood said. “The chemistry me and AJ got, it’s real good. When he was pointing, I knew where to go.”
Acrobatic catches are not the goal against LSU. Norwood just hopes to get through what is always the most physical game of the year.
“They’re going to come out playing physical, like every other team,” Norwood said. “This is an exciting game. If nobody’s excited about this game they do not need to be here.
“It’s just the tradition around here, man. It’s just awesome, especially playing against these guys.”
Norwood will be competing against more than the LSU defensive backs, but the playmakers for the other side, as well. Norwood is part of a receiving corps that has to outplay an LSU corps that features big play threats like Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr.
Essentially, just more motivation.
“It’s a motivation for us to go out and play the game,” Norwood said. “It’s a motivation for us to know that when the ball comes our way that we’re going to have to make a play on it. It’s a motivation for us to know that when our opportunity comes we’ve got to make the best of it. We always have motivation.”
For more, you can click here to see video of McCarron talking about Norwood and last year’s game-wining drive, among other things. You can also watch video of Norwood’s interview posted below.
