There were names like Sean Willet and Johnny Jackson thrown about when Rich Rodriguez talked about his wide receiving group before the season opener. But after returning big name players like Dan Buckner, Terrence Miller and Austin Hill helped quarterback Matt Scott throw for 387 yards on 30-for-46 passing (by the way, Scott is second in the nation with 461 total offensive yards to Syracuse's Ryan Nassib) against the Toledo Rockets, there's a chance we underestimated the wide receiving group.
Hill went 139 yards on seven receptions and one amazing touchdown grab, Buckner caught 10 balls for 116 yards and Miller caught six passes for 80 yards. We knew they could do it. We knew they had the athleticism skill and talent. But at least through one short snapshot, it appears they are ready to live up to the hype.
The best news had to be Hill, who struggled with a scary neck injury last season that limited him.
From the look of things, he's starting at wide receiver and getting a lot of snaps. Mentally, diving for that touchdown catch is a sign he's not thinking about getting hurt.
Buckner and Miller? Both are X-factors as uber-talented and big receivers. Their question marks came in the form of whether they were ready to focus and consistently be there for Scott when he needed them. Given the group's size -- all three are bigger than 6-foot-3 and more than 210 pounds -- and physicality, it only comes down to their consistency in catching the ball.
Miller's touchdown grab in overtime shouldn't go unnoticed. While Scott extended the play with his legs, it was Miller who kept working, sitting down in a window that gave Scott the opportunity to hit him in the chest.
One game into 2012, the wide receivers we were a little worried about are proving to us that we underestimated them. But there are still 11 more games on the schedule.
