Donte Moncrief had a fine start to his Ole Miss career — 31 catches (a school freshman record) for 454 yards and four touchdowns.
Now, the 6-2, 214-pound Moncrief, more than anyone else, should flourish in the up-tempo spread offense that new coach Hugh Freeze used at Arkansas State. And check out some of these numbers from Arkansas State: The Red Wolves’ leading receiver last season, Dwayne Frampton, caught 94 passes.
Maybe something like that is in store for Moncrief.
Freeze, quite simply, is going to throw the ball more than former coach Houston Nutt. And he’s likely to settle on a quarterback, something Nutt did not do in 2011 (Moncrief caught passes from three different quarterbacks, all of whom started multiple games).
Moncrief never complained, but just went about his business. That did not surprise his new coach.
“He kinda just goes about his work every day,” Freeze said. “He doesn’t have to tell people about it. He just does it. I’m very pleased with him.”
Moncrief has gained weight and increased his arm strength in an effort to better create separation coming off the line of scrimmage. He was primarily a vertical and sideline threat last season, but he did more across the middle during spring practice.
While some have struggled with picking up the offense that allowed Frampton and others to post gaudy numbers at Arkansas State, Moncrief seems set for the challenge.
“It’s basically just being conditioned, being in shape and being able to run full speed,” Moncrief said. “If you can’t do that, it’s going to be hard to play in this offense.”
Progress was evident during the Grove Bowl. Moncrief caught a 1-yard touchdown pass when he had to push off the cornerback, then caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in overtime. He also had a 44-yard reception over the top of the defense.
“Donte came up and made a lot of really good plays,” said quarterback Bo Wallace, a midyear junior college enrollee. “He really helped me out a lot.”
Either Wallace or Barry Brunetti will win the starting quarterback job. Both have already figured out, though, that the quiet one lined up outside and wearing No. 12 is someone that can get the ball over and over and over again.