Omarr Conner stood there, staring blankly at the Mississippi State offense as it made every attempt to move the ball on a stiff Alabama defense. He could do nothing except observe as quarterback Mike Henig, Conner’s former backup, took the snaps.
State’s starting quarterback of last season and this season up to this point was on the sideline just watching and waiting to get a chance to use his athletic ability. But it never came. He only played one series in State’s 17-0 loss to ‘Bama.
But an always optimistic Conner didn’t mind.
“It wasn’t terrible,” Conner said. “Mike did a great job. My job was to be No. 2 in that game.”
It’s hard to believe that it didn’t hurt him to watch Henig under center, but Conner’s attitude is what makes him so important to this team, so vital. And it’s one reason coach Sylvester Croom has moved his former starting quarterback to wide receiver for the upcoming game at Arkansas (3-6, 1-5) on Saturday.
“He is a team player. He is willing to do anything and everything,” Croom said.
Of course Croom’s decision to move Conner to receiver was based on just more than simply his attitude. MSU hasn’t had a healthy, dependable receiver in some time. Its top two receivers, Will Prosser and Joey Sanders, have both been hampered by injuries.
“It’s put our passing game on hold,” Croom said as a response to his injury-plagued receiving core.
“On hold” is an understatement. The Bulldogs have only broken 200 yards passing in one of their last five games, and they’ve been kept under 100 yards of passing twice in that span.
Conner will bring things to the receiving core that it has lost with injuries and some things it’s never had-good route running, competitiveness, physical and mental toughness, and above all, a truly good set of hands.
“He’s got hands like catcher’s mitts. Their pretty big,” Croom said. “Omarr brings too much to this football team to be sitting on the bench for four quarters.”
The receiver position will not be new to Conner. In his true freshman year, he played receiver for the Bulldogs in Jackie Sherrill’s final year with the program.
Conner started three games that year and played in 11 of the 12, catching 14 balls for 211 yards.
Though Conner has gained some 20 pounds since that time, he’s used to the position, and he has no problem catching balls instead of throwing them.
“I’ve done it before. I’ll go do it again,” he said. “I made plays then, and I know I can make plays now.”
The 6-foot-1, 221-pounder will be Henig’s primary receiver, and at the same time he will remain State’s No. 2 quarterback. Risky, yes. But at this point in the season, risks have to be taken.
“We got to get him out there somewhere, regardless of the risk. I don’t think a whole lot else can happen that’s any worse than what we’ve already been through,” Croom said, who’s Dawgs have slipped to 2-7 and 0-6 in the Southeastern Conference.