Vaun Ross was irritated. He dropped two passes in Allegheny’s 36-28 loss to Wabash on Sept. 18 and wanted to do something to ensure it didn’t happen again.
The following Tuesday, during a rainy practice in Meadville, the Valley graduate continually rolled the ball in a puddle and smeared his hands over the wet turf. By adding the extra layers of difficulty, he forced himself to concentrate on looking the ball all the way into his hands and squeezing it in hopes of eliminating future drops.
Never mind that Ross tied a Gators program record with 14 receptions against Wabash. It was the drops — and the loss — that stood out.
“That hurt a little bit,” he said. “That got me going and motivated to start catching the ball.
“It (the number of catches) really didn’t matter to me because all that was on my mind was winning. Just getting the ball and do what I do. That’s what I was focused on.”
Ross, who said he doesn’t remember catching more than two passes in a game at Valley, is part of a young, maturing Allegheny roster. Coach Rich Nagy has 74 players who, until the 2021 season opener against Thiel, never played in a college football game.
The North Coast Athletic Conference canceled last season because of the covid-19 pandemic, so the majority of Allegheny’s players are learning on the job. Count Ross and quarterback Jack Johnson among them.
Both sophomores, they have known each other since the first day they stepped on campus. They lived right down the hall from each other, enabling them to form a connection off the field. On the field, they spent the year away from formal competition working on their timing and getting a feel for each other’s tendencies.
That work showed up against Wabash. Johnson threw a school-record 73 passes, with nearly a third of his 43 completions going to Ross. Ross had 109 yards — his longest reception was 24 yards — and a touchdown (16 yards).
Throwing 73 passes wasn’t necessarily Nagy’s plan against Wabash. It was a matter of taking what the defense was giving.
“We went in with the plan of having to spread it out to be able to run and do some things,” said Nagy, who uses a run-pass-option offense. “With the outside RPOs, I think that’s one of the things that got those pass numbers up.”
Said Johnson: “All week, we talked about attacking space, and they just kept giving us space on the outside. So whenever I could get the ball to (Vaun), I just tried to.”
Ross’ average yards per catch against Wabash wasn’t going to set any records, but getting the ball to him on quick passes proved to be effective. Johnson said it played to one of Ross’ strengths.
“I think where Vaun stands out is what he’s able to do once he gets the ball,” Johnson said. “Vaun is tough to bring down, so he’ll definitely get you yards after catch.”
For the season, Ross has a team-leading 25 catches for 155 yards and a TD. He knows he is just scratching the surface, and one record-setting performance does not guarantee future success.
He said he will keep his head down and continue to work as he and the young Gators (1-3, 0-3 NCAC) try to build a contender.
“(The record) gave me a lot of confidence, but I don’t want to get too big-headed,” Ross said. “I just have to stay humble.”