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July 16, 2003
Many Cavalier fans see Billy McMullen’s departure as a loss; however, one UVA football player sees it as an opportunity. Ryan Sawyer, a rising fourth year wide receiver, is expected to break through and replace the irreplaceable McMullen.
“He’s waited his turn and has put in the grunt work the last four years. He’s ready to emerge as the number one player,” said former teammate Stan Norfleet.
However, Sawyer sees his role more as “a special teams player who steps in at receiver, like Steve Tasker used to do in the NFL.”
As many of you may remember, Sawyer replaced McMullen in the bowl game last year when McMullen suffered an injury. In that game, Sawyer caught a career-high four passes for 41 yards, all of which resulted in first downs.
While getting ready for the upcoming season, Sawyer is “mainly focused on being a receiver.” His goals are “50 catches, 10 touchdowns, lot of tackles on special teams, and to win the ACC.”
Overall in the 2002 season, he caught 11 passes for 195 yards, averaging 17.7 yards per reception. Two of his receptions resulted in touchdowns while eight went for a first down. He also ranked eighth among ACC players with at least 10 receptions. He graduated last year with a degree in Religion and now is a continuing studies graduate student.
When asked about his greatest memory from the past four years, he referred to the 2002 Wake Forest game. Sawyer said “I caught two touchdowns and one was tipped up into the air. It was an exhilarating to have two key plays in such a close game.” Based on the goals, determination, and work ethic of Sawyer, he’s going to have more stories like the Wake game to add to his list of great plays and greatest memories.