Aidan O’Connell will admit it. There were times last year when he looked to David Bell too often.
Can you blame O’Connell?
Bell is good. Really good.
The Indianapolis Warren Central product finished No. 1 in the Big Ten in 2020 in receptions per game (8.8) and yards per game (104.2), notching 53 catches for 625 yards in just six games. Bell also led the league with eight TD grabs. Protracted over 12 games, Bell would have had 106 catches for 1,284 yards and 16 TDs in 2020.
This after a debut in 2019 that saw Bell make 86 receptions for 1,035 yards and seven TDs en route to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
Now, Bell is back for a junior season that drips with All-American promise. And to keep defenses off balance in 2021, the staff plans to move Bell around ... left side, right side, outside, slot.
"(The coaches) do a great job of designing plays for each one of us, not only us, but the backs and tight ends," said Bell. "So, I just think that we are a well-oiled offense."
And it's Bell who keeps it running smoothly. O’Connell knows where to find him.
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“I think against Northwestern, especially, even against Iowa, I had maybe 19-20 targets (to Bell),” said O’Connell. “A lot of those I would't take back. But some of them I would and try to find someone else. It hurts to watch those games. Even wins, loss, doesn't matter. It hurts to watch the reps in the game when you could have gone somewhere else with the ball and it would have been a better play.
“So, I think we're gonna get there. I try to encourage the guys—I’m thinking of TJ Sheffield, who I missed a couple times in that Northwestern game—he’s just streaking down the middle for a touchdown. So those things kind of keep you up. But, you know, it's more important: Are we going hit them this year?”
Bell still will be looked to early and often as the bellwether of a Boilermaker wideout unit that ranks among the Big Ten’s best, even with Rondale Moore off a year early to the NFL.
“Obviously, when you lose No. 4, it’s a lot of yards going off the table,” said junior quarterback Jack Plummer. “But we got a very, very good receiver room. Very good. Obviously David Bell is very good. Young guys are coming in and they are learning the plays really well. It’s like something they’ve never seen before. We’ll be solid at receiver.”
O’Connell will admit it: There were times last year when he looked too often to Bell.
“It's just he can break a lot of plays open, so you want to find the right balance in getting it to him,” said O’Connell. “That being said, that opens up everybody else. We have so many other talented guys that I'm sure you guys are gonna hear their names a lot this year so. It's gonna be a fun year with the whole receiving group.”
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In addition to Bell, there’s junior Milton Wright, sophomore TJ Sheffield and super senior Jackson Anthrop. Want more? There also is sophomore Mershawn Rice, redshirt freshmen Collin Sullivan, Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen and Marcellus Moore. And don’t forget about Marshall transfer Broc Thompson, who has quickly turned heads after catching 33 passes for 562 yards in two seasons for the Thundering Herd.
“Broc is doing good,” said Plummer. “He’s learning the playbook really well. Obviously, he has some game experience from what I know. He brings a little bit of veteran leadership.”
Wright figures to start opposite of Bell on the outside, with Sheffield or Anthrop in the slot. Wright could be poised for a breakout as defenses focus on Bell. Sheffield is another player on the rise, along with Rice. What does the 6-2, 205-pound Rice bring to the table?
“Some explosive plays,” said Plummer. “Mershawn, I love Mershawn. He has done a lot of work from the spring. He really, really looked good in the spring. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team. … He can bring some big plays, some consistency, he has some really good hands, he knows what to do, he’s always in the right spot. He’s a guy we can rely on.”
But it’s Bell who is the straw that stirs the drink in West Lafayette.
“You watch him and it's weird,” said O’Connell. “He doesn't seem like he's running very fast. He doesn't seem like he's super, you know, intense about anything. But the kid has a laser focus. He wants to win football games as bad as anyone.
“He's not going to be a vocal leader, but he's going to do things right all the time. He's not going to be on any discipline lists, he's not gonna be late for class or anything like that. It's guys like that you need to also lead by example.”
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