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Brookhaven receiver tall order for defenses
Bearcats exploit mismatches caused by 6-5 Cumberland
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHRIS PARKER | THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Heading for a score on a 58-yard pass play against Mifflin last weekend, Brookhaven’s Jeff Cumberland creates all sorts of problems for undersized opponents. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
At 6 feet 5 and 220 pounds, with 4.48 speed for 40 yards and a vertical leap of 38 inches, Brookhaven split end/tight end Jeff Cumberland is a chess match waiting to happen.
"It starts right after we get the ball for the first time," Bearcats quarterback Mike McGee said.
"A team would be dumb not to double-team a player as talented as Jeff. Our coaches immediately recognize what teams are going to do in terms of defending him and adjust accordingly. We might split him out for matchups, or take advantage of other mismatches he causes. It’s nice to have those options."
Cumberland might be the most explosive weapon in central Ohio. The senior has 25 receptions for 801 yards (a 32-yard average) with 13 touchdowns for a run-oriented offense scoring 45.6 points per game.
Increasingly aware that defenses were rolling safeties and outside linebackers near the line of scrimmage in order to shadow Cumberland, Brookhaven’s coaches began finding more creative ways to get him in open spaces.
"He’s such a great athlete, we’ve put a lot of thought into plays and certain formations where we can get people to defend Jeff one on one," Bearcats coach Tom Blake said.
"Sometimes we’ll flex our tight ends out, so he’ll go into motion into a split formation. We see how the defense reacts, and if we get that matchup, you can bet we’re going to try to throw it to him."
Recruiters took notice of Cumberland during a University of Southern California combine last summer. That’s where he clocked his impressive 40 time.
"I went to one at Michigan State, but I thought I could do better so I went to the one at USC, too," Cumberland said. "I think I showed people that I wasn’t necessarily just a tight end; that I can play split end, too. I actually prefer playing wideout because I get to work against a lot of shorter defenders."
Blake said his phone began ringing off the hook after Cumberland’s showing at USC.
"I got calls from USC, Oklahoma, Miami of Florida. . . . All the big ones," he said. "Everybody wants this kid. Who wouldn’t? He’s got all the tools. Some people want him at split end, some at tight end, even a few at defensive end. He’s got a lot of room to fill out yet, too."
Cumberland said USC, Miami, Minnesota, Michigan State and Ohio State particularly interest him. But he has yet to fulfill the NCAA’s academic requirements and might have to spend a year at a junior college or prep school.
A guarded person of few words, Cumberland nevertheless has developed a strong rapport with McGee, a senior and heady leader who has lost just three games in three years as a starter.
"I just tell Mike to throw it up there and I’ll get it," Cumberland said.
He was only a secondary option, albeit a dangerous one, on Brookhaven’s Division II state championship team in 2004.
McGee said Cumberland has improved leaps and bounds.
"It seems to me like he’s gotten faster and a lot more explosive," McGee said. "He’s seen other guys here go Division I and he’s worked hard to get to that level.
"It seems like about every pass I throw to him is a touchdown. But the coaches want me to be selective in how much we throw to Jeff. It makes a whole lot more sense to establish your running game to set up the big plays. I always know he’s there. He’s a great target to have."
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