'Wouldn't feel right': Jordan Watkins was not going to miss one game for Ole Miss, teammates
What Jordan Watkins described as a “freak accident” during the bye week led to the Ole Miss receiver breaking his hand and potentially missing time during a key stretch of the season.
Though Watkins was not going to let two surgically-placed plates in his right hand slow him down or cause the Rebels to be without its top receiver. So Watkins toughed it out against Auburn and Vanderbilt.
Watkins suffered the broken hand 10 days before the Rebels played at Auburn. The Louisville transfer wanted to make the trip and be on the field in any capacity if he felt he would not be a hindrance to his teammates.
Missing a game is just not in Watkins DNA.
“I just felt like it would be better if I was out there with my guys instead of sitting on the sideline or even sitting at home watching the game,” Watkins said on Tuesday. “It just wouldn’t feel right to me. I don’t think I’ve missed a college game my whole career and I wasn’t going to start that day. That was kind of my mindset going into it.”
Watkins played nine snaps on offense and also returned a handful of punts against Auburn. He had a small cast put on his right hand that is also heavily taped.
The cast was an obstacle in Watkins path to get on the field. He had to convince Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin that he could be a positive and not a negative on the field. This involved having to make catches at the hotel the morning of the Auburn game.
So Watkins got with a trainer and started playing catch in the hotel ballroom. Though that was not going to be enough to satisfy Kiffin.
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Enter quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“I had one of the trainers throwing to me and (Kiffin) was like, ‘Nah, that’s not going to cut it,'” Watkins said. “Then we had Jaxson. We pulled him out of breakfast and he came and was ripping it.”
Watkins passed the test and has been cleared for the past two games.
Despite being not much more than a decoy for Ole Miss against Auburn, Watkins was productive against Vanderbilt.
Watkins had three catches for 44 yards in the 33-7 win over the Commodores last weekend.
When it comes to the cast it is not much of a mental hurdle for Watkins to get over. In the two games he has played with it he has given little thought to it but acknowledged
“I knew I was going to be limited going into the Auburn game. Just really wasn’t thinking about it, really,” Watkins said. “I was more focused on the team and just coming out with a huge win on the road. Place like Jordan-Hare (Stadium) it’s a crazy, crazy environment so I was focused on helping the team and getting a win.”
With two limited games Watkins continues to lead the Ole Miss passing attack with 39 catches for 580 yards and two touchdowns. He is one of three receivers with more than 500 receiving yards along with Tre Harris (536) and Dayton Wade (522).
