In the 2002 season, Virginia's current corps of wide receivers surprised fans with their performances foreshadowing the optimistic future of Cavalier football this year.
In the final game of last season, with star receiver Billy McMullen sidelined during the first offensive drive for Virginia in the Tire Bowl, Ryan Sawyer stepped into the limelight. Then a junior, the wideout caught four passes for 41 yards to show the team his ability to make important plays.
In the same game, multi-dimensional asset Marques Hagans also stepped into the showcase of the Virginia offense. With a 14-yard option pass for the first Cavalier touchdown and a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown later in the contest, Hagans was imperative in extending the team's lead over the Mountaineers.
Ottowa Anderson showed his stand-out ability earlier in that season and during the 2002 year, notching 17 receptions for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
These three athletes, seniors Anderson and Sawyer and sophomore Hagans, have led the Virginia offense through the entire 2003 season, creating an impressive trio of receivers for quarterback Matt Schaub to choose from.
"It just feels good to finally be able to show what I can do," Anderson said.
Despite the loss of McMullen to the NFL Draft last spring and the surprising season-ending leg injury of last year's most successful returning receiver, Michael McGrew, the three have combined for 69 receptions, totaling 825 yards and four touchdowns through nine games.
"You got to learn a lot watching Billy," Anderson said of his experience with the former star. "He always worked hard regardless of how good he was. That's just what I'm going to try and do."
Hagans even has served as quarterback in Virginia's time of need, with Schaub out for the first three games of the season and backup Anthony Martinez struggling to find a rhythm in the initial games of the schedule.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, against N.C. State, this remarkable corps of receivers again combined for a central share of the Virginia offense. Sawyer led the group with career high 98 yards on five receptions with a touchdown, in one of the best games of his career thus far.
Sawyer has "become one of our best players," Groh said following the receiver's impressive performance last Saturday. "He had some excellent catches."
Hagans added a career high seven receptions accumulating 67 yards and Anderson pulled in three receptions for 29 yards but more notably, a number of excellent blocks downfield.
"[Hagans] sure was a productive player for us," Groh said. "I'd have to say he really did a lot of things with his game that he's never done before."
With a notable class of receivers ready-in-wait for Virginia, only the essential performances of the trio has ensured their starting positions. Freshman Devon Williams and Fontel Mines have been on the field for a small percentage of the Cavalier offensive plays, but have yet to break into the scene full-time.
"As the two veteran players at the position, Ottowa and Ryan are both by far the most accomplished and the most dependable," Groh said.
As the final games of the Cavalier football season approach, there is great pressure for the starting receivers to continue to perform and step up to lead the team as well as they did at the end of last year. With the 2003 football season largely a disappointment thus far, these big time performances are Virginia's only chance to finish on a positive note.
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