Consistency improving, Fresno State receiver Darrell Fuery ready for spotlight

There are many sets of eyeballs on Fresno State wideout Darrell Fuery this week and he knows it, is prepared for it, and ready to handle it.

Aaron Peck already is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his foot following a fall camp injury. Delvon Hardaway has started to do some drill work in practice and running routes on air, unattended to by vexatious defensive backs, but still is a few weeks away coming back from a knee injury suffered during spring practices. Da’Mari Scott, who explored a transfer following the 2014 season, remains on a redshirt track after returning to the team over the summer.

By default, Fuery is the most experienced outside receiver the Bulldogs will have on the field Thursday in their season opener against Abilene Christian.

He has played in one game. He has yet to catch a pass – and it is worth nothing that last season a quarterback (Brandon Connette) and a linebacker (Jeff Camilli) both did.

On top of that, Fuery is entering his redshirt sophomore season, and in his third year in the program should be ready and able to make an impact on the football field.

“In spring ball, I feel I was ready to play,” he said. “I’ve just been waiting on my moment, waiting on my chance, waiting for my name to be called. It’s here now, so it’s time to perform.”

The Bulldogs, coach Tim DeRuyter said, need that – not only from Fuery but the position group as a whole. Redshirt freshman KeeSean Johnson is listed as the starter at the X receiver, ahead of Fuery. Junior college transfer Josiah Blandin is No. 1 at the Z receiver spot ahead of freshman L.J. Reed.

They can make the going a little easier for quarterbacks Zack Greenlee, Chason Virgil and Ford Childress. Or, they can make it much more difficult, as it was at times last season when the Bulldogs receivers dropped passes, were too easily nudged off routes and did not bring the physicality needed when blocking on the perimeter to make the bubble-and-bullet game go.

And, for Fuery, DeRuyter is not looking at the opener against the Wildcats and the following games at Mississippi and against Utah as a three-game audition for additional playing time.

“It’s a one-game audition each week,” DeRuyter said. “He has an opportunity on Thursday to show us and if he doesn’t somebody else will be in there. But I’m hoping he puts those things together to where he can have a very consistent game playing down in and down out whether he’s blocking or having an opportunity to make a play. He has shown he has the capability – we just have to see it consistently.

“He has the opportunity and he needs to take advantage of it. He has the athletic tools. He shows flashes.”

Fuery in the past week on the practice field has been gaining on that. Sunday was a good day for him, as he made several strong plays against coverage in seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 periods. On one play, Fuery went high to make a catch and held onto the football when clocked from behind by a defensive back, and still hung onto the football when that defensive back tried to strip it from his grasp as he was going to the ground.

“He has definitely gotten better, but he still is not where we need him to be,” DeRuyter said. “(Outside receivers coach Joe Wade) has to continue to push him and I know he doesn’t want to accept anything lower from himself. We don’t want to coach him less. But he has got to continue to show us daily. Out here (Sunday), he did some things where you start saying, ‘Hey, he’s starting to get it.’ But we have to see it consistently.”

Fuery said he is ready to take that strong practice onto the field.

“The coaches have me ready. I feel prepared,” he said. “I feel more comfortable with the playbook and I know that my coaches need me to do my job. It’s time to play now.”

This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Consistency improving, Fresno State receiver Darrell Fuery ready for spotlight."