University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Snug As A Bug
August 19, 2016 | Football, Featured Writers
By Turner Walston
Johnathan 'Bug' Howard doesn't like it when people assume he's a basketball player, but at 6'5" and 220 pounds, well, he looks like one. That frame and those sure hands have played a vital role in the Tar Heel football offense over the past three seasons, and Howard has one more year to continue to make an impact.
"Does it feel like I'm a senior right now?" he said after practice on Thursday, repeating the question and reflecting with a laugh. "Not really." It was only when the Tar Heels reported to camp this fall that the realization really hit home, when his younger teammates chided him. "Dang, Bug," they said. "This is your last year." And with that seniority comes a leadership role, both vocally and by example, and an expectation to produce.
"I've gotten a lot bigger (over the years)," Howard said. "A lot faster, a lot stronger. I just feel more comfortable being in the leader role, so that's much improved for me."
Last season, Howard was fourth on the team with 29 catches. Ryan Switzer and Quinshad Davis had 55 receptions apiece, and Mack Hollins had one more than Howard. But with Davis having graduated and Mitch Trubisky now at quarterback, Bug could take a bigger bite out of opposing defenses.
Howard's length and fingertips have made some tremendous grabs through the course of his career, and certainly Trubisky will look his way when the Tar Heels need an important first down. Howard demands attention from defensive backs. He helps the Tar Heels spread the field laterally, with Hollins streaking downfield and Switzer available inside. Howard can creep along the sideline and quite literally make the grab right over the top of his assigned defender. That kind of versatility in the receiving corps is enough to make opposing coordinators, well, bug out.
Quarterback Marquise Williams was the engine of the Tar Heel offense for two and a half seasons. In 2015, he was second-team All-ACC and twice the conference's Offensive Back of the Week. Williams too has graduated, but Trubisky, a redshirt junior, steps behind center as a quarterback specifically recruited for this offense. Where Williams' second option often seemed to be to take off and run –something he did quite effectively – Trubisky, while certainly capable of running, is more likely to check down, to go through his progressions and find the second or third option through the air.
"Whatever we've got, I'm just going to go through progression, go through the timing however quick or slow it's got to be for the offense," Trubisky said after Thursday's practice. "Whenever I've got to pull it down to pick up a first down I will, but I'm going to do my job and play my role in the offense."
"With Mitch you never give up on a play," Howard said. "You're not really sure if he's going to take off and run, because he'd rather just pass the ball to us and let us do all the running and taking the hits."
That discipline behind a veteran offensive line means that Howard and his fellow receivers should expect the ball. "I feel like [Mitch] has a stronger arm than Quise did," he said. "If your head isn't around in time the ball might hit you in the face."
So expect to see Howard tip-toeing along the sideline, making key grabs for the Tar Heels, and also drawing defenders to help his teammates get space. He'd like to see his own numbers go up (Howard set a career high with 42 catches in 2014), but he knows that the role of a receiver is not just to receive, that he can impact the result with more than just his hands. "I've always been an unselfish guy," he said. "I'll do anything to help the team win. If that's me blocking, holding a kick, it doesn't matter, just as long as we get the win. I have individual goals too, but I put the team first."
And if he's open, well, surely Howard will put a bug in his quarterback's ear.
Players Mentioned
