‘He earned it.’ Inside Quez Watkins’ triumphant return to Southern Miss football.
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When Buster Faulkner arrived in February to take over as the Southern Miss offensive coordinator, the player expected to be his top weapon wasn’t even on campus.
Redshirt junior receiver Quez Watkins had enrolled in classes elsewhere for the spring semester in an effort to get his grades up and become academically eligible for the 2019 season opener.
This all followed a breakout 2018 campaign for Watkins, who had at least five catches in all 11 games last year and finished with 72 receptions for 889 yards and nine touchdowns on his way to an All-Conference USA selection.
Sure, USM was expected to have a deep receiving corps this season. But the offense could only reach its potential with Watkins in the fold.
While Faulkner had never had the opportunity to coach Watkins, he knew what the Athens, Alabama, native had to offer.
“I recruited Quez out of high school when I was still at Middle Tennessee,” Faulkner said. “He was one of the top guys when I was there that we went after. It was right before I left (in 2016 for Arkansas State). I knew his skill set, knew a lot about him.”
Still, Faulkner and the rest of the USM staff could only hope that Watkins would be available for the 2019 season.
“We just prepared like he wasn’t going to be here,” Faulkner said. “We felt like he’d be a bonus when we got him back.”
While Faulkner led the USM offense through his first spring practice in Hattiesburg, Watkins was back home in Alabama getting his academics in order and putting in the work to make sure he didn’t lose a step on the field.
“I have a trainer back at home,” Watkins said. “I was working with him in the weight room and on the field to stay conditioned and stay in shape.”
Watkins returned to classes at USM in June and began working out with starting quarterback Jack Abraham and the rest of the receivers.
“When he came back, he was the same ole Quez,” Abraham said. “He’s just a ball player. You could definitely tell he was working hard when he was gone. He just goes out there and makes plays. It’s really wild.”
‘He earned it’
Watkins had heard that USM head coach Jay Hopson had hired a new offensive coordinator, but he didn’t realize that Faulkner was the same coach who had initially recruited him at Middle Tennessee until they crossed paths again this summer.
“I had to put a face to the name,” Watkins said. “I was like ‘Oh snap, I remember you.’
“He talked about airing the ball out and getting the ball to his playmakers (at MTSU). When I got here and I found out he was the offensive coordinator, that fired me up.”
Even though Watkins was confident that Faulkner’s brand of uptempo offense would be to his benefit, he had to prove himself all over again to the new offensive coordinator.
“He wasn’t starter when he first got back,” Faulkner said. “He hadn’t practiced. He came in and earned it. He worked. That’s kind of what makes him a special player. A lot of guys in his position would be just demanding the ball. He’s not that way. He plays hard. He’s a team guy. He’s everything you want in your go-to receiver. I’m just glad he’s on our team.”
Watkins took the fall camp challenge in stride.
“It kind of makes you appreciate the game more,” he said. “I had to lead from the back. Even though I wasn’t a starter, I was still considered a team leader. I had to stay positive.”
Watkins’ return to the field was delayed when he was held out of the first two games of the 2019 campaign for unspecified reasons. His absence as a big-play threat in the passing game was noticeable — especially in the 38-15 loss at Mississippi State on Sept. 7.
When Watkins returned the next week at Troy, it was like throwing gasoline on a camp fire for the Southern Miss offense. He pulled in seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns as Abraham completed 28 of 36 passes for 463 yards in a 47-42 win.
After the game was over, Watkins had nothing but praise for Faulkner as the new play-caller.
“That’s a very smart man,” he said. “He’s putting us in situations to be very successful.”
All the skills
Even though Watkins has played in two or three fewer games than Conference USA’s other top receivers, he ranks second in the league in receiving yardage at 784 on 37 receptions. His average of 112 receiving yards per game stands fifth in the nation.
With each week, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Watkins is looking more and more like a pro prospect.
“He has long arms, body control. He has skills,” Faulkner said. “That’s what you look for in a wide receiver. He’s obviously fast. When Quez is out on the field, he looks like he’s 6-3, 6-4 and that’s because of his arm length. He says he’s 6-2. He’s probably 6-1. A lot of great receivers in the NFL aren’t 6-foot-4. He’s got great body control. He bursts out of breaks. When the ball is in the air, he’s able to track the ball. He’s able to go up with people on him and high point it.”
The 2018 season counted as a breakout campaign for Watkins, but he has proven much more explosive this year with an average of 21.2 yards a catch — an 8.9-yard improvement from a year ago.
“I think I’ve gotten more consistent getting off press coverage and getting off the line, and getting in and out of my routes,” Watkins said. “I’m just doing a better job of being available for the quarterback.”
In Watkins, Faulkner sees similarities to former Middle Tennessee star Richie James, who is currently a receiver/return man for the San Francisco 49ers.
“He’s a little different as far as Richie was an inside guy,” Faulkner said. “Quez is an outside guy, but they both have that same burst. That same explosion.
“You look across the NFL and receivers come from everywhere, not just your Power 5 programs. The biggest thing at the position is you’ve go to go somewhere where you’ll play and you’re going to get targeted. That’s how you get better. That’s the best thing to happen to him. He’s here and we know we’re going to throw him the ball.”
USM (6-3, 4-1) next travels to Texas-San Antonio (4-5, 3-2) for a 5 p.m. game on Saturday that will be shown on ESPN-plus. The Golden Eagles are a 17-point favorite, and it will be difficult for the Roadrunners to slow down Watkins with Abraham spreading the ball around so well to his receivers.
“A lot of times (Quez) is covered, but Jack is so accurate that he can put the ball slightly here, slightly there. Then, the long arms and the catch radius and things like that take over,” Faulkner said. “Jack has a lot of confidence in all his receivers. Tim Jones is as good as anybody I’ve been around, and then there’s Jaylond (Adams). It’s a group effort. That helps. Quez didn’t get (double-teamed) one time the other night (against UAB). The reason he didn’t get doubled is Tim Jones is in the slot and Jaylond is on the other side. It’s a collective effort.”
