The senior receiving trio of Gerell Robinson, Mike Willie and Aaron Pflugrad garner most of the attention from Sun Devil fans. And for good reason.
They’ve combined for 1,225 yards and 11 touchdowns through the ASU football team’s first seven games.
But there’s a fourth senior pass catcher Brock Osweiler looks to on Saturdays: George Bell.
The second-year Sun Devil out of Southwestern Community College has nine catches for 101 yards this year.
The State Press recently caught up with Bell to talk about his position on the team, the receivers’ improvements in 2011 and his second season in Tempe after transferring from junior college.
State Press: You kind of fly under the radar a little bit as the No. 4 receiver, how do you define your role on the team?
George Bell: I’m just another person out here trying to get some wins. That’s what it all comes down to. I don’t really pay attention to stats. The team goal is to win so whatever I get called to do, that’s what I’m going to do to the best of my ability.
SP: How much pride do you and the other receivers take in your run blocking?
GB: It’s important. If you look at a lot of runs and the swing passes that get thrown to where we’re at, if we can get a block and they can get the sideline, then they can get big yardage and possibly score. It’s real prideful for us that we can help the team without even touching the ball.
SP: As a team, there hasn’t been as many dropped passes this year as opposed to last season. What do you credit that to?
GB: We’ve been out here at practice catching so many more balls. We’re more comfortable with the ball in our hands. And we’re more comfortable with the ball coming in from different directions. We’re adjusting to it a lot better now. We used the jugs (machine) a lot this offseason and all that thrown into us wanting to win so badly has made the difference. Every ball in the air this year, we feel like it’s ours.
SP: On a personal level, what was the biggest transition for you coming into ASU from the junior college ranks?
GB: Getting used to the game speed was tough. From JC to here is completely different. Last year I had a lot of mistakes because I was still thinking about things while I was lining up. I wasn’t sure where to go and where the linebacker was going to shoot. In JC, you can see right away where everybody is going.
SP: So how long do you think that took for you to get used to?
GB: The game I really caught on was the UCLA game last year. But even before that I had some good outings. It just depended on the defense. Some stuff would throw me off a little bit and that was frustrating. This year I’m much better at seeing things.
SP: What do you hope to accomplish the rest of this season?
GB: Just keep contributing. Just keep helping this team win. That’s what we’re here for.
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
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