Billy McMullen

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Oct. 18, 2001

By Trent Packer

In sports, “go-to-guy” is an athlete who can be counted on to make a play when a situation demands steel nerves and precision execution. He is the player whose number is called on the final play of the game, when nothing less than a touchdown will help. University of Virginia wide receiver Billy McMullen is quickly becoming the Cavs’ go-to-guy. The junior leads the nation in touchdown receptions with nine, and is at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference in receptions with 47, and in receiving yards (588). Every time he steps on the field, he has the ability to change a game.

Take, for instance, his last-second touchdown catch against Clemson in UVa’s improbable 26-24 win over the then 18th-ranked Tigers. Consider also his 60-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter of the Cavaliers’ contest with Maryland. Although Virginia went on to lose the game, McMullen’s reception came at a crucial time for the Cavaliers. He eluded a number of Terrapin defenders and found the endzone.

UVa coaches recognize McMullen’s tremendous capabilities and are seeking to make use of his outstanding receiving skills as much as possible.

“Billy wants the ball,” head coach Al Groh says. “He wants it and he’s willing to go get it. He’s got a good ball sense.

“He had to go up and get it and take it away [ on his touchdown catch] at Wisconsin. He had to really go get it on the pass at the end of the half against Richmond and he had to go get the two he had at Clemson. He’s got great purpose and he’s very positive. He’s got the confidence that if he does the right things, [things are] going to turn out the way he wants them to.”

Although McMullen has more than doubled his offensive output from a year ago, his meteoric rise to the top of the receiving charts should come as little surprise to Cavalier faithful. As a freshman, McMullen hauled in eight touchdown passes, surpassing Hermann Moore as the most prolific first-year receiver in UVa history. It appeared as if McMullen would follow in the long line of NFL-caliber receivers such as Moore, Germaine Crowell and Terrence Wilkins that Virginia produced throughout much of the past decade.

Last season, however, McMullen failed to match his rookie performance. Nevertheless, his acrobatic catches and abundant skills consistently left fans and teammates in awe, and forecast greatness to come. This year, McMullen asserts, he has rededicated himself to football and his efforts are paying immediate dividends.

“I’m working hard on every play,” McMullen says. “The offense is more in sync than it was last year. We’re getting the ball to our receivers [and] we are getting our timing down, so it just converts to the game.”

As part of his new work ethic, McMullen spent the summer fine-tuning his receiving techniques. His off-season workout regimen included daily exercises with quarterbacks Bryson Spinner and Matt Schaub. These daily sessions allowed the young quarterbacks and their top receiver to learn exactly what to expect from each other and to coordinate their timing on the field.

“I worked harder,” McMullen says of his off-season approach this year versus his approach in past seasons. “The quarterbacks and I threw with each other everyday. I told them what I wanted from them and they told me what they wanted from me. So now when we get on the field, it is just like second nature.”

McMullen has also spent a great deal of time studying film. In fact, head coach Al Groh says that McMullen has continued to be a frequent visitor to the football offices throughout the season, where he watches film and dissects his performances as a means of improving his play.

“I think Billy and Angelo [Crowell] have really done the same kind of stuff,” Groh says. “They are two players who, if I came in for a workout in the late afternoon in June or July, they’d be in the weight room, sometimes for a second workout. Their attitude is ‘in that building is where football is and that’s where I want to be’.

“They both worked tremendously hard during the summer and they have a lot of purpose to what they do. I think they realize that [junior year] is the year where if a guy is going to be a great player, that starts to show. [If one] could put young players in Crowell’s and McMullen’s shadows, I think they would learn some impressive things.”

In addition to his off-season and weekday preparation, McMullen is also approaching games differently. He prepares himself mentally for every contest, oftentimes picturing himself in game situations.

“My game preparation is a lot different this year,” McMullen says. “There is more visualization, seeing weaknesses and strengths.”

The results of McMullen’s focus have been readily evident on game days. The junior is working hard to get open on passing plays, and has been a force as a blocker when the Cavaliers choose to run the ball. Like McMullen said before, he is not taking any plays off. Moreover, the junior has made a commitment to catching the ball. No matter where a pass is thrown, McMullen has shown the ability to out-jump, out-hustle, and out-run his opponents to make a catch.

In Virginia’s first game of the season against Wisconsin, McMullen snatched a Spinner pass out of the hands of a Badger defender for a touchdown. In a similar situation against Duke, McMullen appeared to steal the ball away from a Blue Devils defender in the endzone for yet another touchdown reception.

“I am going out and getting the ball more,” McMullen says. “I want the ball more, so I am fighting for the ball more.”Additionally, McMullen cites more intense practices as a primary factor in his and the offense’s early successes.

“There is a faster tempo in practice,” McMullen says. “We are getting our timing down, so it just converts to the game.”

While McMullen has been pleased with his increased production from a year ago, he still remains focused on team goals. Instead of concentrating on breaking single-season records or remaining at the top of the national charts, McMullen contends that his goal is to help his team be as productive as possible.

“[I want] to win,” McMullen said when asked what goals he hoped to achieve during the 2001 season. “[I want] to keep competing and to win the ACC.”