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Logan • Heading into the season, Utah State's offense appeared to lack a physical, explosive wide receiver.
No longer.
Sophomore Ron'Quavion Tarver has emerged — seemingly out of nowhere — to give the Aggies a receiving threat who demands attention from opponents, opens the field for teammates and takes pressure off his quarterback.
A sophomore from Belle Glade, Fla., and Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College, Tarver caught nine passes for 143 yards in last Saturday's 27-20 loss to Air Force. In Utah State's first three games, Tarver had seven receptions combined. In the Aggies' opener against Weber State, he didn't have any.
At his weekly press conference, coach Matt Wells said, "I thought Ron'Quavion played really well. He's certainly progressed as he's gotten more game time. … He's earned more reps and more time."
Asked about his performance, Tarver credited co-offensive coordinator Jovon Bouknight, who "… just kept calling my number. So I made a play. That's what I'm supposed to do."
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 210 pounds, Tarver arrived at Utah State in June with enough athletic ability to have an impact. As a high school senior, he averaged 16.7 rebounds per game in basketball. Still, when the season arrived, Tarver found himself in a logjam for playing time.
"You just have to temper your expectations sometimes," Wells said. "We all want guys to be players right now, but kids mature at a different pace."
Tarver didn't play much against Weber State on Sept. 1. But in Week 2, he caught four passes for 37 yards during a 45-7 loss at USC.
Was Wells surprised?
"I don't think that's an accurate word," he said, noting Tarver became more comfortable as the game progressed. "… When you catch a couple of balls in the Coliseum against Southern Cal's defensive backs, you gain some confidence. Then you [can] keep going, week after week."
According to two recruiting websites, two schools offered Tarver a scholarship after his freshman season at Fort Scott — Utah State and Stony Brook, a FCS program in New York.
"He's got strong hands, catches the ball away from his body and has the ability to high-point a ball," Wells said. "He's a little bit faster than you think for a big kid, and fits in really well in this league. I've been happy with his progress."
Tarver isn't the only receiver who produced against Air Force. Senior Andrew Rodriguez caught a career-high seven passes for 64 yards. Freshman Rayshad Lewis had three receptions for 52 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown. Senior tight end Wyatt Houston caught one pass for four yards.
Houston is tied with Rodriguez for third on the team with 11 receptions, just behind Tarver and Lewis.
"I thought Wyatt played well," Wells said. "There wasn't as many [receptions] on the stat sheet as usual, but they had him covered. They covered him pretty good. I think that was a big emphasis for them. But Wyatt played a very solid game. Again, he was a warrior. Blocking. Kind of banged up. Played the whole game. He wasn't coming out."
Said Tarver, "As a group, I feel like we played well. But we left a couple opportunities out there on the field."
One thing is certain. Utah State can't squander many scoring chances Saturday night at Boise State against the unbeaten and 24th-ranked Broncos. The Aggies must play efficiently to pull off an upset, even if bouncing back from the loss to Air Force is difficult.
"Ultimately, you just have to focus on what you know and what you know you're good at," Rodriguez said. "Just focus on winning each day throughout the week and ultimately it prepares you to play to the best of your ability on Saturday."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Ron'Quavion Tarver's game-by-game stats
Opponent Rec. Yards Avg. TDs Long
Weber State 0 0 0.0 0 0
USC 4 37 9.2 0 15
Arkansas State 3 24 8.0 1 13
Air Force 9 143 15.9 0 42