Kevin Barbay had a good feeling Zavion Thomas was primed for a big game last Saturday at Auburn. It only took one play for the Mississippi State wide receiver to begin proving his offensive coordinator right.
“Last week, he had his best week of practice,” Barbay said. “That correlated to his best game so far.”
The Bulldogs already trailed by a touchdown when they got the ball for the first time, so they felt some urgency to respond quickly. Thomas lined up out wide to the right, but motioned toward the formation as quarterback Mike Wright took the snap, faked a handoff to running back Jeffery Pittman and faded back to throw. The long pass was slightly overthrown, but Thomas used his fingertips to gather the ball in and placed both feet in bounds along the left sideline.
It was the start of by far the best game of the sophomore’s collegiate career — Thomas caught nine passes for 112 yards, including MSU’s only touchdown, his first receiving score in a Bulldogs uniform, in the 27-13 loss.
“When the ball goes in the air, it has to be mine,” Thomas said. “It can’t be the (defensive back’s); it has to be mine. Having that mentality makes everything easier.”
Thomas’ game-altering speed was what made him a four-star recruit according to ESPN, On3 and 247Sports out of John Ehret High School, just outside of New Orleans. It took him just 37 catches to reach 1,025 receiving yards as a senior, with 18 going for touchdowns, and he added six more scores as a rusher and another three on punt returns. Still, he had just one other major conference offer, choosing the Bulldogs over Louisville.
MSU used Thomas sparingly as a receiver during his freshman season as he caught just two passes for four yards, but he made an immediate impact on special teams. His 13.5 yards per punt return were good for second in the Southeastern Conference and earned him a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-America team, and he electrified Davis Wade Stadium with a 63-yard return for a touchdown just before halftime against No. 1 Georgia.
Three of the Bulldogs’ four leading receivers in 2022 either transferred or exhausted their eligibility, so Thomas was primed for a bigger role as a sophomore. He actually entered the transfer portal himself last December before withdrawing his name in January, and he hinted at what was to come with an acrobatic touchdown catch during MSU’s spring game in April.
“(Receivers coach Chad Bumphis) was preaching (that), ‘Practice makes perfect,’” Thomas said. “Going out at practice doing everything I had to do set me up for a good performance. I saw everything that Coach Barbay and Coach Bumphis told us throughout the week. Taking advantage every time I got the ball was all I could do.”
After missing the opening game this fall with an ankle injury sustained in camp, Thomas managed 25 yards on his first punt return of the year against Arizona before registering his first three catches a week later against LSU. He showed a few flashes of explosiveness more recently, with five catches for 56 yards at South Carolina and a 31-yard punt return at Arkansas in which he reversed course and brought the ball across midfield.
Last weekend, though, Thomas shattered his season highs in both catches and yards, and for much of the game was the only receiver Wright was finding success with.
“He’s a playmaker,” Wright said after the game. “I’m proud of Zavion. He’s a young guy who has to play a little bit more mature this year. He hasn’t played a whole bunch of football, but he’s a starting receiver and I’m proud of the way he’s come through for us.”
Thomas’ touchdown catch Saturday may have been his best play of all. He lined up in the slot on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Wright looked his way the entire time as Thomas backpedaled in the end zone while looking for the ball. Auburn cornerback Keionte Scott was all over Thomas, even grabbing a fistful of his jersey, but Thomas corralled the ball with one hand and went to the ground before tumbling out the back of the end zone.
After that play, Thomas had 87 receiving yards while the rest of the team had a combined total of five. He nearly hauled in another touchdown on the Bulldogs’ final drive of the game, but his left foot hit the ground just outside the right boundary of the end zone a fraction of a second before his right foot came down in bounds.
“Zavion is an extremely talented receiver, and I was really proud of him and some of the plays he made on Saturday,” Barbay said. “If the ball is in the air, there’s a really good chance he’s going to come down with it somehow, some way. As soon as he touches the ball, he’s got a chance to create explosive (plays). I see the detail in his game improving week by week.”
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