Chris Harper
Three touchdown catches, 21 receptions, 324 yards and a yards-per-catch average of 15.4; versus one touchdown catch, 28 receptions, 317 yards and a yards-per-catch average of 11.3.
When it comes to Chris Harper vs. Bryce Treggs, the numbers don’t lie.
Harper averages a touchdown per game; Treggs averages a touchdown every three games. Harper’s total yards trump Treggs’ total, despite Harper catching seven fewer passes, which translates into four more yards a reception for the former.
Don’t get me wrong, Treggs is worthy of the praise that has been showered his way since his 13-catch season debut against Northwestern three weeks ago. After all, Treggs leads the team in receptions and, with his blinding speed, appears to be a perfect fit for Sonny Dykes’ rapid-fire offense.
But the Bear Raid offense is precisely why Treggs has accounted for seven more catches than Harper. Dykes’ system thrives on getting the football to receivers as quickly as possible in order to create more green grass ahead of them. A good amount of Treggs’ receptions have been as a result of quick screens utilized by Dykes. This isn’t criticism of Treggs at all, but it explains why he has caught more passes than Harper.
But if you’re looking for the wideout that has come up with the most important catches, look no further than Harper. The sophomore may not have received as many screen passes, but he does make them count.
Against Ohio State on Saturday, Cal dialed up the perfect play to get the ball in the hands of Harper with blockers ahead of him. And after Harper exploded past his teammates, he did the rest. Instead of waiting for his final blocker, Harper shot forward and outran the closest Buckeyes, extending the football to the pylon as he crashed out of bounds. It was a big-time play from Cal’s big-time receiver.
And on the other hand, there was Treggs — despite picking up his first touchdown catch of the year in the third quarter — who couldn’t haul in a perfectly placed dime from quarterback Jared Goff as he fell to the ground in the corner of the end zone.
Getting his hands on the ball showcased Treggs’ athletic ability. Making the catch would have been a spectacular play, and it’s difficult to put too much blame on Treggs for failing to come down with the ball. But failing to secure the ball on the way to the ground showed an inability to finish when Cal needed it most. Great receivers are expected to make that catch.
Treggs might be more athletic, faster and a more dynamic playmaker. He also wins the award for most entertaining personality. If you’re active on Twitter, you probably know him by his Twitter handle, Trigga. And if I want a receiver to end up on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, I’ll choose Trigga — sorry, Maurice Harris, your one-handed touchdown catch is still No. 1 in all of our minds. But if it’s fourth and goal and I need a touchdown to force overtime, I’ll take Harper 10 times out of 10.
Regarding the player who has had the better season, you can make a case for both wide receivers. But if you want to make the case using empirical evidence, it can only be made for one pass catcher.
Even #TriggaKnows.
— Sean Wagner-McGough
Bryce Treggs
From pulling out did-you-see-that juke moves to referring to himself in the third person on Twitter, Bryce Treggs has superstar written all over him. After an inconsistent freshman campaign, the sophomore wideout is enjoying a breakout season: The 28 receptions and 317 receiving yards through the first three games rank second and 13th, respectively, in all of Division I football.
Treggs’ own individual breakout overlaps with that of another Cal sophomore: Chris Harper. The wideout saw more success than Treggs did in his freshman year, leading the Bears in receptions and yards. This year, Harper has amassed seven more yards than Treggs. Their resumes appear almost identical. Simultaneous breakouts inevitably lead to an eternal question: Which of the up-and-coming players is better?
Unfortunately, this question requires interpretation. Does “better” refer to production or does it refer to talent? To best answer that question, I’ll address both sides.
First, their production. As I mentioned above, both players are nearly equal in receiving yards. Harper has the advantage in yards per catch and touchdowns, averaging 15.4 yards per catch and catching three touchdowns versus Treggs’ 11.7 yards per catch and one touchdown. Look at the numbers, and Harper gains the slight edge. Granted, the sample size is only three games, but Harper significantly outproduced Treggs over their freshman year campaign as well. It’s difficult to argue that Treggs has been a bigger contributor than Harper, at least at this point in time.
But when you compare physical skillets and the players’ projectable futures, it’s a different story. In all of the physical measurables — vertical leap, straight-line speed and footwork — Treggs has Harper beat.
The coaching staff seems to agree. Whenever a play is called specifically for a receiver, it’s almost always called for Treggs. He catches more screens than Harper and does more with them.
Part of the coaching staff’s reliance on Treggs as the primary playmaker rests in the aforementioned physical superiority over the rest of the wide-receiving core. But Treggs really shines once the ball is in his hands.
His vision and footwork make Treggs a big play threat every single time he touches the ball. He’s demonstrated an ability to weave through traffic and find seams with the best of college football. He can make a guy miss with a spin move or a change-of-pace hesitation. Harper, although great at finding open space in the middle of the field, just isn’t as adept at picking up yards after the catch.
One may refute this point by comparing Harper’s and Treggs’ respective yards-per-catch averages — as previously mentioned, Harper racks up 15.4 yards per catch while Treggs sits at 11.7. But that simplistic of an analysis obscures the fact that Treggs is given many more opportunities to make plays in space, while Harper makes most of his catches downfield after finding himself open.
Harper may be the flavor of the week, but Treggs is like cookies and cream: bound to be the best forever.
— Michael Rosen
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