The Red Zone receiver appears to be breaking into the end zone more often this season.
BYU wide receiver Gunner Romney secures a pass from quarterback Zach Wilson (1), defended by Boise State cornerback Markel Reed (8) Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman via AP)
There came a point last season when Fesi Sitake, BYU passing coordinator, could only laugh.
“I get it when it happens twice a year, but literally in every game there were two catches … some things just aren’t meant to be,” joked Sitake. “There are things in this life that I try and force, and it just shouldn’t be and I give up. These guys probably know, ‘you know what, I’m just not meant to score touchdowns.’ “
BYU wide receiver Gunner Romney was responsible for the second largest number of reception yards, but only crossed the goal line twice. Calculate it with bad luck or whatever you want – Romney was constantly stopped just short of the end zone.
Now that star receiver Dax Milne has left Provo for the pro ranks and with two top transfers, what does Romney have to do to become the Cougars go-to wideout?
Sitake said it won’t be anything big. At first, Romney just has to string together an entire season.
“He had a few niggling little things that kept him away last year, but if he can put an entire season together this production will take care of itself,” said Sitake. “He just has to get a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger, a little more IQ in his position.”
Romney had to sit out two games last season and had limited production in a few other games due to minor injuries. Otherwise he put on big numbers – except in the form of touchdowns.
In the 10 games Romney played and competed in, the junior had 767 yards on 39 receptions, an average of 19.7 yards per reception.
Of those 39 receptions, Romney put the Cougars in the red zone 14 times and within the 10-yard line eight times. Now it’s getting a little ridiculous: Romney came within the 5-yard line seven times and the 1-yard line three times.
In the state of Boise, Romney had three consecutive receptions of land on the 5-yard, 1-yard, and 2-yard lines of the Broncos.
So Romney is a red zone target.
Now he wants to convert.
Sitake believes Romney understands that there are more important things than just getting that extra distance. While the focus isn’t just on getting more touchdowns, Sitake still believes Romney’s luck could turn as a side effect of the wide receiver’s natural growth.
While the pandemic froze eligibility last fall, resulting in Romney still being listed as a junior in 2021, Sitake expects the same growth he’s been used to from a player as he transitions from his junior season to his senior season. It won’t be as big a jump as Micah Simon was a few years ago, Sitake said because Romney is already established. But it should still be noticed.
Time will tell if Romney will achieve the expected growth.
“It’s just the little things,” said Sitake. “It’s getting faster, stronger; Continue to master your position; keep studying more film, keep getting faster. If we do all of these things a little more and put together a healthy season, I think that leap will be possible. “
“It’s just a different kind of energy when there are fans in the stands… it’s just a lot more fun to play in such a fun environment. I can’t wait to get back to Lavell Edwards with 65,000 BYU fans. “
Gunner Romney shares his thoughts on the LES return to full capacity 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hhmYbsdQ32
– BYU Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) May 24, 2021
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