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The Path For Chris Lawson's Emergence Began to be Paved Last Season
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- The Path For Chris Lawson's Emergence Began to be Paved Last Season
(Dylan Widger/Imagn Images)
SEATTLE — In the Washington Huskies' 17-10 win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Oct. 31 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., second-year wide receiver Chris Lawson took center stage when the team needed him the most.
The San Francisco native made a crucial catch on fourth-and-18 and caught the go-ahead 25-yard touchdown to put the Huskies ahead 10-7.
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Lawson made a spin move on the touchdown catch. His first move after the catch, whether it be a spin or a juke, has become a key part of his game, albeit something his position coach has admonished him for in the past.
"The spin move on that touchdown is funny because he did it a few weeks ago and I ripped him in my meeting," UW wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings said in a weekly news conference Tuesday . "I was like 'that move ain't gonna work.' Let's just get a feel. So first thing he did when he scored, he just looked at me and was like 'I thought you said it wasn't gonna work.' So it was a cool moment. Chris is playing at a high level. It's a lot of fun to see."
Lawson finished the day with 12 catches for 155 yards (both career-highs) and a touchdown.
Through eight games this season, Lawson has reeled in 44 passes for 638 yards and three touchdowns. He already has more than four times as many catches, nearly six times as many yards and three more touchdowns than he did last season.
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This season, Lawson is second on the team in receptions, leads the team in receiving yards and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns.
Last season, Lawson struggled to get on the field as a true freshman and played only 89 snaps. He caught 10 passes for 115 yards and didn't find the end zone.
With Lawson low on the depth chart in the wide receiver room last year. With the injuries on the depth chart in the cornerback room, the team gave Lawson a brief trial run on defense on the scout team in practice. He received two snaps on defense in fall camp.
Lawson had played both wide receiver and cornerback in high school and was recruited as four-star prospect, and initially had aspirations to play both at the college level.
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"I kind of wanted to always be like a two-way player," Lawson said in a news conference Tuesday. "And then, once I got here, it was kind of like, I was with the offense more. Last year, in fall camp, I probably got two reps with the defense just because I asked to go out there."
Luckily for Lawson and Washington, that change didn't stick.
Even with UW dealing with a week-to-week quarterback competition between Elijah Brown and Demond Williams Jr., Lawson has been a consistent and go-to target for both.
Some of Lawson's ability to be a reliable target for his quarterbacks is due to his prior experience as a defensive back. He's able to recognize where a member of the secondary might be after a catch and adjust accordingly, whether that be on his routes or after the catch.
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Another highlight for Lawson is his consistency.
Despite only having 89 snaps under his belt entering the year, Lawson's biggest moments have come when the lights are the brightest, such as the win against the Huskers.
In Washington's 25-21 loss against the Southern California (USC) Trojans on Oct. 3, Lawson made several catches to extend the team's final drive before the Trojans ultimately got a stop on fourth down just outside the red zone.
"One of the biggest things (for him) is the stamina of playing a full game," Cummings said. "I think, when it's your first time being the full-time starter, you can get worn down as the game goes. So you see his conditioning and his comfort of playing a full game has gotten better throughout the games this season. Now, he's able to be as fresh as he can be in the fourth quarter when we need him to make those clutch plays. I just think that comes with experience. ... Now that we're a few games into the season, he's starting to hit his stride with that."
Lawson will have a chance to continue his high-level showing in UW's homecoming game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Husky Stadium.
