CONWAY -- On Central Arkansas' first offensive play last week, quarterback Ryan Howard took a snap, turned to his left and flipped a short screen pass to Dezmin Lewis. The 6-4 senior receiver made a move around a cornerback, calmly stepped over a would-be tackler along the sideline and proceeded to sprint the rest of a 90-yard touchdown to give the Bears an early lead.
"I was actually shocked they called it the first play," said Lewis of the play that is currently the longest in an FCS game this season.
Up next
Central Arkansas vs. Nicholls State
WHEN 3 p.m.
WHERE Estes Stadium, Conway
RECORDS Central Arkansas 1-3, Nicholls State 0-3
COACHES UCA: Steve Campbell (1-3 in first season at UCA; 127-41 in 13th season overall); Nicholls State: Steve Axman (0-0 in first season, 48-41 in eight seasons overall)
SERIES UCA leads 6-2
TV None
RADIO KHLR-FM, 106.7, in Benton/Little Rock; KUCA-FM, 91.3, in Conway
INTERNET ucasports.com
Approaching milestones
Central Arkansas wide receiver Dezmin Lewis has eight regular-season games remaining in his career and is approaching several school records. Lewis has caught 22 passes for 360 yards this season, and if he maintains his current pace, he’ll break the career-yards mark held by Michael Norvell and leave UCA second in all-time receptions.
STAT;LEWIS(PL);RECORD;HOLDER
Receptions;155(5th);213;Michael Norvell, 2001, 2003-2005
Yards;2,083(5th);2,797;Aaron Fairooz, 2003-2006
Touchdowns;16(6th);30;Ron Mallett, 1978-1981
The timing might have been a surprise for Lewis, but that it was called for him shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.
Three-and-a-half years after taking his first visit to Conway about a week before signing day, Lewis now finds himself winding down one of the most consistently productive careers in UCA's history. Heading into Saturday's 3 p.m. Southland Conference opener against Nicholls State, Lewis leads the conference in receiving yards (360) and is second in receptions (22).
His fast start to his final season has put him in position to threaten UCA career records, too. With eight regular-season games remaining, Lewis is fifth all-time in career receptions (155) and receiving yards (2,083) and tied for sixth in touchdowns (16). If Lewis maintains his current pace, he'll break Michael Norvell's career yardage mark of 2,797 and finish second all-time in career catches, which also is held by Norvell with 213.
Lewis said he doesn't spend too much time thinking about the statistics, adding that he wasn't even aware how close he was until UCA's Twitter account mentioned his name among them last week.
"I saw I moved to fifth all-time in receiving yards," Lewis said. "Honestly, I haven't looked at anything. I'm just going to continue to go out there and continue to make plays for my team. Whatever records I happen to break, I just thank God."
None of this is a surprise to offensive coordinator Nathan Brown, who was on staff when Lewis was a late addition to the 2011 signing class. As Brown recalls, UCA's top receiver on their board that year was Courtney Whitehead, who committed late to Air Force.
After one year at Air Force, Whitehead eventually made his way to UCA, but his initial switch allowed the Bears to turn their attention to Lewis, a receiver who had all the measurables but slipped through the cracks in the highly populated Dallas suburbs thanks to underwhelming high school statistics.
While playing in a run-oriented offense at North Mesquite High School, Lewis caught 19 passes as a senior. Brown remembers then-recruiting coordinator Cody Moore putting on a tape of Lewis after Whitehead committed to Air Force and not seeing much in the way of plays, but enough to know they wanted him in the fold.
"He didn't get a lot of chances to make plays and shine on the field," Brown said. "But we took a peek at him and said we've got to get him up here and offer him. And really, the rest is history."
Lewis started as a true freshman, catching 27 passes, an accomplishment Brown applauds because UCA's offense is so much more sophisticated than the high school scheme he came from.
"That was a total surprise," Brown said. "It was really just fades and curls. That's all he ran."
But Lewis caught on just fine while blossoming into a preseason first-team All-Southland selection last season. When first-year Coach Steve Campbell arrived on campus in December, his mind went first to one of the most highly recruited junior college receivers last year.
At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College last year, Campbell coached D'haquille Williams, who signed with Auburn and is leading the Tigers in receiving this season.
"As soon as I saw him, I said 'He looks just like 'D'haquille physically,' " Campbell said. "Dezmin may be an inch taller. They're both thick kids. Muscled up. ... If D'haquille is the No. 1 junior college receiver in the country, then we've got one that's an inch taller who can fly."
If Lewis stays on his current path he might have similar pro prospects as Williams while also breaking records. Brown said whenever pro scouts come through town, questions about Lewis always come up.
"They've heard about him," Brown said. "He is the total package. It's always an uphill climb coming from a smaller school, but I think if anybody gives him a chance, they're going to be very pleased."
Sports on 09/25/2014