By ,
Published November 20, 2014
Appalachian State's game-winning touchdown that chopped down No. 1 Georgia Southern on Saturday came off the type of difficult play that wide receiver Brian Quick makes look, well, easy.
The 6-foot-5 senior standout cut into open space across the back of the GSU end zone and leaped high to catch quarterback Jamal Jackson's pass. As he came down, he cradled the ball into his body and made sure he got a foot inside the end line ... all the while Eagles safety Laron Scott was pushing him out of bounds.
"It wasn't as easy as it looked," Quick said after ASU's 24-17 win at The Rock opened up both the Southern Conference and the FCS national picture.
Easy? Nobody thought it was.
Quick happens to expect so much of himself that he believes he's supposed to make all the spectacular plays.
He also caught a 56-yard TD in his four-catch, 119-yard performance, moving within 68 yards of Rick Beasley's ASU career record of 3,124 receiving yards.
A former high school basketball star who's listed by ASU as 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Quick's size, speed and leaping ability will help make him perhaps the first FCS player taken in the 2012 NFL Draft. A difficult match-up for cornerbacks, he could be a second- or third-round draft choice.
He has yet to be named to the exclusive Walter Payton Award (sponsored by Fathead.com) Watch List, but it could happen in the coming weeks for the uber- talented receiver.
In Five-a-Side - In the FCS Huddle's monthly feature of "five questions, five answers" with an influential person in the FCS - Quick discusses his NFL future and his potential Walter Payton Award candidacy.
Let's kick off:
TSN: You're probably going to be the first player drafted from the FCS. Can you talk about those expectations?
BQ: Hopefully, it does happen. I'm definitely playing one play at a time in college. Who knows what the future holds for me. I feel like like if it's meant to be, then it happens. I definitely want to go to the next level. That's my goal, but I have to set this goal right now for college. We have to win the championship.
TSN: Some of your past teammates have gone on to play professionally. What kind of advice are they giving?
BQ: They just tell me to go hard every play because the level that they're at is fast, faster than college. They tell me, 'Don't take a play off, go hard every play.' Your mentality is win.
They said, 'No matter what happens, if you have to go out there on special teams, if you have to block, just go out there and play and give it your all.' That's the advice they gave me.
TSN: What do you think you do best as a receiver?
BQ: I definitely would say blocking. It's definitely a mentality, it's a want to. A lot of receivers, they're thinking, 'Oh, I've got to catch the ball all the time.' So I think block first. I'm a receiver, so I have to catch the ball - that's a must. As a receiver, if you block first, that will be easier for you, and then we can open up the room, and then we want to pass the ball.
TSN: What do you have to improve on?
BQ: I have to improve on everything. I feel like I haven't reached my potential yet. Right now I definitely have to come out of my comebacks. A lot of people think they can run good routes. In my head, I feel like it can be better. There's a lot of things that can be better.
TSN: With what you're doing this year, do you feel worthy of being on the Walter Payton Award Watch List?
BQ: I really wouldn't know. It would be nice, it would be real great for me. As of right now, I'm a team player. A lot of people asked me why I chose football. That's one of the reasons why I chose it. It takes everybody on the field to win the game.
I'm not too big on individual awards, but if they want to recommend me for things like that, I would love that.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/five-a-side-appalachian-state-brian-quick