Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV IN ELY:

Payne out to prove he’s more than just the ‘fade’

Sophomore receiver puts concussions behind him, ready to display well-rounded arsenal

UNLV in Ely: Day 3

Ryan Greene/Las Vegas Sun

UNLV receivers Phillip Payne (4) and Ryan Wolfe talk strategy before running a skeleton drill on Friday morning during practice at Broadbent Park in Ely.

Ely Day 4: The Pass Rush and the Payne

Both the defensive line and wide receiver Phillip Payne create buzz in the Rebels Saturday morning scrimmage in Ely.

The Rebel Room

UNLV in Ely: Day 4

On Day 4 of action in Ely, the Rebels went through a situational scrimmage, and Ryan Greene brings you some highlights, key numbers and a look at Phillip Payne, who is bouncing back from last year's season-ending concussion.

ELY — In UNLV receivers coach Kris Cinkovich's eyes, the best thing to happen to sophomore wideout Phillip Payne during Saturday's scrimmage wasn't the two spectacular catches he made, but rather the one routine catch he didn't.

Payne, who scored seven touchdowns as a freshman in 2008 by employing his knack for clowning defensive backs on fade patterns in the red zone, caught two more in impressive fashion at Broadbent Park in Ely.

However, later on, after getting his hands on a bullet thrown by Omar Clayton off a slant route, he was popped by sophomore safety Chris Jones, who jarred the ball loose in the process, drawing noise from his defensive teammates on the nearby sideline.

Believe it or not, it was the first true hit the 6-foot-3 Payne had absorbed since a concussion-inducing undercut against New Mexico on Nov. 13 of last year ended his stellar inaugural collegiate campaign.

"I'm glad he took that hit today, because if it was in his head, it's gone now," Cinkovich said, referring to any hesitation Payne might have carried over from last season in terms of going over the middle. "He's fine. I don't think it's been an issue with him. I really don't.

"He was (upset) because he let the ball come out. That's good. That's what a competitor should be mad about. He'll be fine."

Payne can admit that the big stick from Jones helped him. It made the Western High product realize that the 15 pounds of muscle he's added since arriving on campus last summer will come in handy this season, especially when he's more of a target for opposing defenses.

"I was kinda mad I dropped the ball," said Payne, who stayed on the ground for a second with his face down before effortlessly popping back up. "When I got up, I thought to just get up so I didn't look like I was hurt. Then when I got up, I realized I wasn't hurt.

"If I'm going to get the ball in the middle of the field, I'm gonna be in that spot. I don't know if I got bigger or it wasn't as hard as the other ones, but that one didn't hurt as much."

Signs that the concussion issues from late last season are not on Payne's mind can only help the Rebels, who will rely on him in an expanded role this time around.

Payne's freshman numbers — 29 catches for 436 yards and the aforementioned seven scores — weren't nearly as memorable as the fashion in which some of those moments were delivered.

The pinnacle of his season came in the third and fourth games of 2008. First, he hauled in the game-tying touchdown in SportsCenter-worthy one-handed fashion to send the Rebels to overtime against No. 15 Arizona State in Tempe. UNLV ultimately won the game, 23-20.

Click to enlarge photo

UNLV receiver Phillip Payne (18) makes a one-handed catch for a touchdown against Arizona State defensive back Pierre Singfield late in the fourth quarter on Sept. 13, 2008. The Rebels won the contest, 23-20, in overtime.

A week later, on a fade, he sent Iowa State packing on UNLV's first play in overtime, capping a 34-31 triumph with the 25-yard score.

The end of the season for Payne wasn't nearly as pleasant as the start, however. Plus, it didn't really come on his terms.

In a 42-35 loss at BYU on Oct. 25, Payne held onto the ball on a 22-yard toss from Clayton in the fourth quarter, but was rocked with a helmet-to-helmet blast from Cougars defensive back Andrew Rich. He came back into the game, but missed the following week's game against TCU with concussion-like symptoms.

In his return against the Lobos one Saturday later, Payne had his legs taken out from under him in mid-air, landing him on his head and ending his freshman season with a concussion.

Click to enlarge photo

UNLV wide receiver Phillip Payne gets upended by New Mexico cornerback Anthony Hooks on an incomplete pass during the Rebels' 27-20 victory over the Lobos at Sam Boyd Stadium on Nov. 8, 2008. Payne suffered a season-ending concussion on the play.

"When Phillip got the second one, there was talk that Phillip could maybe play in the last game of the year, and coach (Mike) Sanford and I said 'No way, he's done,'" Cinkovich said. "There was no sense in risking that for him. He was fine in the spring, he's fine now."

Payne agrees that physically, he's fine. He hasn't really had time to think about it, either, as his main goal this offseason was becoming a more complete wide receiver — not just a guy opposing teams need to worry about in the red zone and on the perimeter.

"Coach (Cinkovich) preaches to me every day about not just being a fade guy, but being a slant guy, an all-over-the-field guy," Payne said. "I do want the ball more. Whatever I can do to help the team win is what I'm trying to do."

A big part of Payne's development over the course of the winter and spring months was learning how to separate with more ease off the line. Part of that came hand-in-hand with his added upper-body strength.

Cinkovich pointed out that, especially in the red zone last season, opposing defensive backs would out-muscle Payne on the bump, delaying his ability to find his spots in the end zone.

"(The concussion) made me want to work harder, because it can be taken away from you at any point in time," Payne said. "I try not to worry about it at all. If it happens, it happens. If not, that's great."

At 6-foot-3, a well-rounded Payne would be the ideal top complement to star senior Ryan Wolfe, who at 6-2 and 210 pounds will be working the middle of the field more and more this season. He enters his final go-round with the Rebels as the program's all-time leading receiver, with legitimate shots at multiple Mountain West Conference records.

Still, no matter how much Payne progresses elsewhere, the fade is still what helped him make a name for himself, applying his unique ability to go up high, not get distracted, and draw the ball in calmly with hands that act like strong refrigerator magnets.

Both of his touchdown grabs on Saturday came via the bread-and-butter call.

First, he took one off the top of junior cornerback Warren Zeigler's helmet on the right side from three yards out. Then, on the left, he welcomed 6-foot-3 freshman corner Courtney Bridget to his world, pulling down a 12-yard score in the back-left corner of the end zone.

"He takes pride in making those plays, but I also think he's taking pride in being a complete football player," Cinkovich said. "We didn't throw him some of that stuff today, but he's developing that intermediate game that he needs to be successful for us.

"If you watch him block , he takes pride in that, too. He's really a competitive guy, and football is important to him. He has that easygoing demeanor, off the field in particular, so you don't know that about him, but he's prideful, and he's got some toughness to him, so we expect great things from him."

Payne's mean streak was best put on display during Friday's morning full-pads practice.

During a team red zone drill, he and sophomore cornerback Kenny Brown slapped helmets and exchanged some words at the end of a play which went to the other side of the field.

As Payne was walking back towards the huddle, he turned to Brown and proclaimed "Next time, I'm gonna put you on your (expletive)."

A play later, a fade was tossed to Payne, who casually hauled it in one-handed with his left mitt. He then quietly returned to the line of scrimmage.

"He's a fighter," Cinkovich said. "He got whacked by Chris today, and that embarrassed him. That's a teammate, so you don't do anything, but stuff like that makes him mad, because he's competitive and that's what's gonna make him a great player for us, as long as he keeps that hunger."

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