Led by unselfish, potent WRs, Northwestern scores 42 unanswered points to down Clover
When asked about his team’s receiving corps postgame — a group that broke open and fortified Northwestern’s huge win over York County 5A peer Clover on the road on Friday night — Trojan head coach Page Wofford didn’t know how to start his answer.
So he shrugged and pointed to his side: “What, these three guys?”
Wofford turned and witnessed a funny snapshot: The 6-foot-1, strong junior WR Elijah Caldwell was hunched over with his arms straight out in front of him. His 5-foot-9 senior teammate and speedy slot foil, Gerrell Watkins, was trying to yank Caldwell’s shoulderpads over his head and off his chest. Senior playmaker and emotional leader Calique Cunningham stood off to the side, laughing at the goofy circumstance that was getting caught on camera in real time.
Wofford then chuckled, shook his head and gave a look that appeared to say, “They looked a lot more put together on the field.”
“Put that on tape,” Wofford said and laughed. “But here’s what I’ll say about them: They’re unselfish. Unselfish. They don’t care who scores. They don’t care. They’re happy. Elijah’s happy if Calique scores, Calique’s happy if G-Watt scores and G-Watt’s happy if Elijah scores.”
The Trojans, a group now 2-1 and looking about as formidable on offense as any team in South Carolina this early in the season, scored 42 unanswered points on their first six possessions in Memorial Stadium in Clover to claim a 42-16 win on Friday night. They did so with the brawn of their special offensive line and with the brain of their senior quarterback, yes — but the receivers seemed to put it all together, furnishing steadiness and explosiveness and whatever else this Trojan offense needed whenever it needed it.
“The good teams we’ve had at Northwestern have had receivers that were unselfish and did what they were supposed to do,” Wofford added. “And I’m really proud of these guys and what they’ve accomplished so far.”
Narrating all of Northwestern’s receiving touchdowns
Here’s how Friday’s scoring went down, with a few of those scores narrated by the aforementioned talented and triumphant trio of Trojans.
The first Northwestern touchdown came after a turnover — a Clover fumble jarred loose by Northwestern’s Isaac McClellan and recovered by Northwestern’s William Monroe. Running back Qua Howard ran it in from 19 yards out. 7-0.
The next five touchdowns came via throws from Northwestern quarterback Will Mattison, who ended his night with an efficient 17-of-23 for 243 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions.
With 3:59 remaining in the first quarter, Caldwell took a wide receiver screen down the middle of the field 52 yards, navigating through traffic near the line of scrimmage before breaking free. He then followed that up on the next possession with a 31-yard jump-ball he skied over a Clover defender to grab before crashing into paydirt: “Our quarterback threw a great ball,” Caldwell said postgame with a smile. “He threw it right where only I could get it. And that’s what we’re supposed to do as receivers.”
In the middle of the second quarter, Watkins finished off a long Northwestern drive with an eight-yard fingertip-catch on a slant in the end zone — his first touchdown catch of his senior season. He also then had his number called the next possession, a touchdown catch in the back-right corner of the end zone, where he had to drag his toes on the end zone grass before falling out the sideline: “It was great,” Watkins said of earning that first touchdown of the year. “I feel like I’m getting back in my mode. I just love being out here with my brothers. It’s fun.”
And then at the start of the third, Cunningham got in the mix, skying over his own Clover defender for an 11-yard score. (He’s had a fantastic senior season thus far, too — he’s accumulated 10 catches for three touchdowns, plus one touchdown on a kick return.) Cunningham on his Friday night score: “It’s been really good. But much credit to our quarterback, too. He’s been putting it all on the money. And then the coaches, too, they’ve been play calling and getting us open.”
That Cunningham score made it 42-0.
And, really, that was the game — if it hadn’t been decided already.
Watkins finished with six catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Caldwell finished with five catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Cunningham finished with one catch for 11 yards and a touchdown, and William Brooks added four catches for 54 yards, too.
But final stats? This receiving corps doesn’t care who makes the plays, the players say. They’re just glad they happen at all.
“We get happy for each other,” Caldwell said.
Watkins then interjects: “We know who we have on the team. We accept it. And we wanna win. We wanna win state. So it doesn’t matter who gets (the ball).”
The Blue Eagles didn’t quit, playing with conviction in the second half despite a score that very much could’ve but didn’t deflate the home sideline. They put together back-to-back scoring drives, scoring 16 points on two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions before their last two drives ended in turnovers on downs.
Quotable
Watkins when asked about his toughness, which was on display after taking a few big hits but bouncing right back up on Friday night: “That’s just who I am. I love it. I eat it.” (Teammate Caldwell jumped in to succinctly augment what Watkins was saying: “He’s just a dog, man.”)
Clarification: Northwestern has several non-seniors starting on its offensive line.
This story was originally published September 4, 2021 at 12:07 AM.
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