Tight ends, as a rule, have rarely been an integral part of the Georgia Southern offense.
That all changed with the arrival of Clay Helton who has transformed the Eagles offense from one which was run heavy to the current version which leads the Sun Belt Conference in passing at 318.71 yards per game.
The Eagles’ Davis Brin ranks 11th in the NCAA in passing at 303.16 yards per game while receivers Khaleb Hood (57-590) and Derwin Burgess, Jr. (44-466) are third and 19th, respectively, nationally among receivers. Georgia Southern and Colorado are the only two teams with two receivers among the top 20.
Despite the gaudy stats put up by Hood and Burgess the Eagles’ tight end rotation of Jjay Mcafee and Keaton Upshaw, a pair of sixth-year seniors, are also key components of the SBC’s second-best offense behind Texas State.
McAfee has 19 catches for 147 yards but Keaton, who was injured early and did not play in the first two games of the season, is getting healthy and providing a big lift and depth for the offense, Helton said. He has 13 receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
“Oh my gosh, you talk about kind of getting healthy in depth,” Helton said prior to last Saturday’s Louisiana game. “All of a sudden you see what a healthy Keaton Upshaw can do and to watch him perform on Saturday (against James Madison) was tremendous.
“We’re starting to get healthy at tight end and running back,” Helton said. “Those are two critical areas for this football team. I’ve always thought the running backs and tight ends take a huge pressure off the quarterback.
“It’s great to have Keaton back and obviously we know Jj is the second leading tight end in the conference. You try to find the one-on-one mismatches a tight end can create.”
Upshaw, who graduated from Kentucky where he started eight games and played in 36 in four years, had four catches for 66 yards against the Dukes and in the 38-28 win over the Warhawks he added a pair of catches for 20 yards and a touchdown.
At Kentucky the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Upshaw’s role when he was on the field was primarily as a blocker in a Wildcats offense which annually ranks among the top rushing teams in the country.
It was Helton and offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis’ approach which attracted the Lima, Ohio, product when he was deciding where he wanted to use his remaining year of eligibility.
“The transfer here has been great, being around great coaches, great players,” Upshaw said. “This is the most unselfish group of teammates I’ve ever been around.
“They love to fight for one another, to compete with each other. Even the coaching staff, they love to fight for each other, to be there for each other. It’s just amazing to be around these people.”
While Upshaw has embraced the Eagle Way he’s also enamored with the opportunities the offense offers him as a tight end.
“The opportunities in this offense is one of the reasons I came here,” Upshaw said. “You know you are going to get opportunities to be successful. Coach Ellis does a great job of getting the ball to the best players to make plays and do great things for the team.”
If statistics are any indicator Upshaw and the rest of the Eagles receivers could put on a show for the TV audience. The Panthers rank next to last in the conference, just ahead of James Madison, in pass defense, giving up 275 yards per game.
