The bye week allowed more players down the depth chart to receive an increased volume of practice reps, and redshirt freshmen receivers Derek Eusebio and Kaleb Black were some of the beneficiaries of that. The tandem felt that the team was in a positive position with five games remaining in the regular season, with head coach Kenny Dillingham steering them in the right direction.
“I feel good,” Eusebio said. “We’re 5-2 heading into the bye week, and we weren’t super down about last week’s loss. It still hurts, and nobody wants to lose, but this is exactly where we want to be. Coach Dillingham said everything is ahead of us.”
“It’s great every time we get to come out here and have a good time and work with each other,” Black mentioned. "It's been a while since we got to come out here and work as a team as we separate during the season, so it was good to have a little fun with the older guys and with the rest of the team.”
Black and Eusebio both used their faith to keep their mindset in the best place possible. Not seeing the field on game day can be difficult at certain moments, but they’ve found peace with it while also staying ready for the day their numbers are called. Dillingham also motivates them to keep a high work ethic, as it will benefit them in the long run.
“It’s tough sometimes,” Eusebio recognized. “I put a lot of my trust and my faith in God, so I just trust Him and His plan because He tells us not to worry about tomorrow. So I just try to trust Him and put in the work, and Coach Dillingham says if you put in the work, you’re going to reap your rewards.”
Eusebio came to the team last year as a walk-on but didn’t let that define his game. This year, he put on a clinic at Camp Tontozona, with all of his teammates constantly lifting him up, cheering his name every time he caught a pass. Eusebio knows he can compete with every player on the field, as his past in high school taught him that the “walk-on” label can only affect him if he lets it.
“It never really impacted me,” Eusebio expressed. “I came in knowing that I can do exactly what everyone else could do on this field. I played in high school against a lot of these kids; I beat a lot of them, so there’s no difference to me. It was just a matter of getting a chance and an opportunity, and I took it.”
Wide receiver coach Hines Ward came onto the staff this year and instantly made an impact. The receivers displayed an exceptional ability to block in the first seven games, which seemed absent at points last year. That, combined with his countless experiences in his 13-year NFL career, has catapulted the energy level of the wide receiver room.
“I’m sure you can see the difference he’s made,” Eusebio commented. “From last year to this year, we look like a completely different room, just effort-wise. Everyone just bought in, and it’s hard not to buy in when you have a future Hall of Famer telling you to do something. If he did it, then we should want to do it too.”
“You can’t beat the experience he brings into the room,” Black explained. “He has a lot of little things that he tells us every day. It’s like a family in our room, and we call him “Unc.” When it comes to route running, blocking, finishing plays, and things like that, we’re a totally different room now with him there.”
Heading into their second year, Black and Eusebio saw their games take a jump in many aspects. Now, with a year under their belts, the two feel their physical and mental games have improved, and they expect that trend to continue. Ward has assisted in that as the group has become more consolidated on and off the field.
“I got better on my conditioning as a receiver,” Eusebio admitted. “People don’t realize how much you have to be conditioned because, at this level, you can’t take any plays off. It’s not like high school anymore; every play is on film and is being looked at by scouts. That’s improved, but I also feel like it’s an area I can improve on.”
“I feel like the whole room has improved on conditioning,” Black stated. “That dates back to the spring when Hines came in because we’ve been doing stuff that we’ve never even seen since he came in. I also feel like my knowledge of the game improved a lot more in the past year. Still, you can never be too content with your game day in and day out.”
The two, who experienced a challenging 3-9 campaign, can appreciate now being just a win away from doubling that win total and becoming bowl eligible. Black and Eusebio aren’t content with the success and feel the team is far from finished. With a buy-in that Dillingham has talked about all season, these two display the exact energy and motivation that was mentioned.
“It’s cool that we’re in this position,” Eusebio proclaimed. “If you told us last year we’d be in this position, we wouldn't have believed you. But like Coach Dillingham said, we’ve put in that work, and we deserve this. Especially for guys like us that were here last year, we're grateful, but we’re still working and want more.”
“The belief we have in each other and the team is way up,” Black said. “I feel like we can compete with each and every team that we have left on our schedule. We just have to come in and put that work in every day, keep our heads down, and not worry about who’s in front of us.”
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