Isaiah Epps is eager to turn last year's close calls into big plays
Isaiah Epps made an immediate impact last year, playing in more games than most of the Wildcats' true freshmen who saw action.
Some of that was his own doing. But Epps was also pressed into service because the unit needed enough able bodies to run a viable rotation throughout the season.
Epps couldn't help but feel like 2017 was a story of close calls.
The tape doesn't lie.
The Jenks, Okla., native caught four passes for 55 yards on the entire season, but there were some moments when it looked like Epps was close to matching that production on a single play. For one reason or another, those big plays didn't materialize. Either a ball was overthrown, a route was disrupted or a defensive back made a great play.
There was one big exception. In a shootout loss against Ole Miss, quarterback Stephen Johnson let a deep ball loose down the right sideline. Epps had a Rebel defender flanked across his chest but he managed to contort his body and face the ball, completing a strong catch that put the Cats on the goal line.
There just weren't enough of those big plays last year.
“I mean there was a number of times, more than I can count on one hand, when it felt like I was so close to finishing," Epps told Cats Illustrated. "I was just coming up a little short last year.”