It is always nice to have a surplus of athletes on a football team. Guys who you just try and find ways to get their hands on the ball and let them give the team a boost. That is exactly what Gabe Henderson is for Liberty.
In high school Gabe was a standout quarterback, but was moved to wideout in his first year with the Flames. He was then moved back to quarterback and was redshirted for his sophomore season before once again being moved to receiver last year. This season Henderson has made significant headway at the position, finding success in the slot. Against Richmond he totaled 66 yards on 7 receptions, looking like a very reliable option in the passing game. He was able to find holes in the defense and took what they would give him, resulting in a career high performance.
We’ve always known how talented Henderson is, but it seems like it has been tough to find ways to get him the ball effectively. It could be that Liberty will finally be able to maximize his potential with his current role in the offense. Henderson gave us his thoughts on this Tuesday afternoon:
“I like to use my athletic ability to get in between defenders. Now I can finally focus on one position, and give my all at that position.”
Despite having great shiftiness, it is impressive how Henderson is always looking to go vertical after the catch. He values every yard, an ideal trait a quarterback is looking for on 3rd downs and other tough yardage situations.
Henderson also told us that he believes that the wide receivers will all have chances to have great games over the course of the season. “The sky is the limit for us, if you try to stop Petey (Peterson), Dante (Shells) is going to get open, if you try to stop Dante, Petey is going to get open. You can’t play one guy, you have to play us all fairly.” All three of these breakout receivers have unique skill sets, making them one of the better rounded receiving groups. They will definitely continue to cause problems for opposing defenses.
Henderson is also a very solid return option. He won’t get many opportunities this season with All-American Kevin Fogg heading up the return game, but from what I saw in spring practices, it is very likely that Henderson, along with D.J. Abnar, will be at the helm of the return game next season.
Gabe was obviously extremely disappointed in the outcome of Saturday’s game at Richmond. He had this to say about the result: “To me personally, it was probably the worst I’ve ever hurt after a game, mentally and physically. You know, that was the old coaching staff, it was a tough game, but you can’t dwell on the past too long, you have to get prepared for Kentucky Wesleyan.” He also mentioned that he did get a chance to talk to coach Rocco after the game and “it was good to see him.” Gabe told us about some positive takeaways as well, saying that the receivers had done a good job blocking, a concern of theirs going in.
On Kentucky Wesleyan, Henderson was very adamant about not taking them lightly. “They’ve got athletes just like we do, we cannot overlook them. We need to play hard to come out with the victory.” Hopefully this business like attitude will help the Flames get back on track as they move forward.
We appreciate Gabe for all the great quotes and info and are excited to see what he can do in 2013.
