FOOTBALL Thomas making a splash for MSU at wide receiver

Last season, Zavion Thomas dipped his toe in the water of Southeastern Conference football and was a valuable asset to Mississippi State's special teams, but the talented sophomore is now making a splash as a receiver.

The Louisiana native broke through with the best afternoon of his Bulldog career last week at Auburn when he had nine catches for 112 yards and the first receiving touchdown of his career.

Thomas was one of the few bright spots for a Bulldog team that struggled in the 2713 loss on the Plains.

“He was the most explosive player on our team,” MSU head coach Zach Arnett said about Thomas. “He had over 100 yards receiving. First play of the game was a tremendous catch. I thought we had some creative ways of getting him the football. With the clock changes, you don't get as many snaps. You want to maximize every single one of them and get the ball in the most explosive player's hands. It's no surprise when you see the way he returns punts. We'll continue to find ways to get him touches.”

To have a game like that, players have to have a great week of preparation and that's exactly what happened for Thomas.

Working with wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis and offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay got him ready for the matchup and he executed when his number was called. Thomas has learned that practice is one of the most important parts of a team's success each week and preparing is key.

“Coach Bump preaching ‘practice makes perfect' and me going out there in practice and doing everything that I've got to do set me up for a good performance,”