Throughout last season, Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd was often spoken in the same breath as No. 6 overall pick Julio Jones.
After battling for his eligibility with the Irish, if he continues to play as he did Saturday, Floyd can stand alongside 2012 NFL Draft wide receiver stalwarts like South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery and Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon.
Floyd perfectly displayed why he's such a top prospect in the second half of Notre Dame's 23-20 loss to South Florida. On the game, he had a career-best 12 receptions (on 16 targets) for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ten of the catches came in the second half from replacement quarterback Tommy Rees.
Those four missed targets weren't the fault of Floyd. The first was thrown over his head and Floyd could only manage to get the fingertips of his left hand on the ball. The second incomplete pass thrown to Floyd was thrown deep out of bounds. Rees overthrew Floyd by five yards into the end zone on the third misstep. The fourth miss was perhaps the only one that could be attributed to Floyd. On a crossing pattern, Floyd maybe could have been more patient. Instead, he slightly overran his route and Rees threw the ball behind him.
The reclamation of Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd has begun
The shallow crossing pattern was Floyd’s favorite route of the night. Quickly working to the inside at fewer than 10 yards, it allowed Floyd to use his strength after the catch to generate yards on the easy receptions.
For much of the game, South Florida oddly played off Floyd while still having a safety over the top. When USF put single press coverage on Floyd, he ran right past the cornerback for a 24-yard touchdown catch.
That wasn’t even Floyd’s best catch of the game. His best was his 10th, deep into the fourth quarter. On a quick out pass, Rees threw the ball high. Reacting quickly, Floyd showed off his athleticism getting high off the ground to pull down the catch.
As good as Floyd looked much of the night, there were a couple areas of concern. When Notre Dame ran the ball, Floyd’s blocking effort was inconsistent. He showed good fundamentals and is a strong receiver, but didn’t always try the hardest to put down a block. There were also a couple of pass plays where Floyd ran lazy routes when it was clear the ball wasn’t coming in his direction.
Still, it’s turning out to be a storied career for Floyd at Notre Dame. He’s already the team’s career leader in receptions and touchdown catches. He’ll probably pass
this Saturday as the team’s all-time receiving yards leader.
