Much is being made of the decision to sit MoMass and Kenneth Harris in favor of starting Mario Raley and AJ Bryant at South Carolina. The reason given was drops, but there has to be more to it than that (Martrez Milner is still starting after all).

The more important point is Eason’s intent to send a message to Massaquoi. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if this were a one-game thing.

I didn’t make a big deal out of it at the time because it was just the spring game, but I only recall one catch from him at G-Day too. Oliver shut him down for much of the game.

He’s proven he has the hands, and that should make him our best receiver. A drop or two won’t change that; we’ve seen what he can do, especially against Auburn. Because of his hands he’s now drawing attention from defenses. If he can’t make an impact and get open against that kind of extra attention, he might as well be a third-down possession receiver.

The message is much more than a reaction to a drop or two against WKy. It’s more along the lines of "if you’re the #1 receiver, start making plays."

Playing time for and development of other receivers will only help Massaquoi in the long term. If someone – Durham, Raley, Bryant, Goodman, whoever – can turn into a dependable and consistent receiving option, teams won’t be able to focus on MoMass, and he’ll have more room and freedom to make those plays.