During the first practice in August, Cee Jay Powell raced past defenders and under arcing passes on his way to the end zone.
It was then, in those early days of camp, that the graduate transfer from Louisiana Tech showed flashes of what was to come.
It’s also when the speedster promised “fireworks.”
In the opening half of the season we got a glimpse of what Powell was talking about. By halftime of the opener against Division II West Florida he made two catches for 17 yards and was getting open.
However, that was the last McNeese State saw of Powell for more than a month. A knee injury in the second quarter sidelined him for five games.
“That was the first time I was hurt in my career,” Powell said. “It was very frustrating. I thought I might not play again.”
Powell said the road back was tough as he could practice but not at full speed, something he doesn’t know how to do.
“Tough going from a receiver without a knee brace to a receiver with a knee brace,” he said. “I had to learn how to move again. There was a point during that injury when I thought it was over for me, when I thought I was done.”
Powell returned on Oct. 23 when he made a catch for 8 yards against Incarnate Word. It was hardly the fireworks Powell expected, but considering where he had come from, it was a start.
Over the next two games Powell caught four passes for 42 yards. That gave him seven grabs for 67 yards for the season, but no touchdowns.
“The timing with (quarterback) Cody (Orgeron) had changed so we could not link up,” Powell explained. “I also dropped some passes and we just could not execute.”
Last Saturday that all changed.
Powell provided those fireworks he promised with a 33-yard touchdown during the second quarter of the Cowboys’ 44-3 thumping of winless Houston Baptist. He finished the day with four catches for 81 yards.
“It was great to have him back out there,” Orgeron said. “It felt amazing. We had seen him work so hard to get back on the field. It was great to see him come through for us.”
For Powell it was great just to be playing again.
“Being on the field everyday and trusting the process that I would be back when I could,” Powell said.
“Being hurt was just real, real tough on me” he continued. “I just wanted to go out there and work hard and contribute to the team in any way I can.”
Powell is like the rest of the McNeese’s season, a promise that fell short. At 4-6 the Cowboys (3-4 Southland Conference) will end the year Saturday at home against Northwestern State (2-8, 2-5). But the Cowboys expected more.
“Potentially, if he was healthy all season then this is what we might have seen,” McNeese head coach Frank Wilson said. “But you can never tell. It was just something to watch how hard he has worked not knowing if he would be able to come back this season or not.”
Orgeron said he believes the season would have been different if not for the injury to Powell.
“We were in just a groove back at camp together,” Orgeron said. “He was really playing fast and making all the catches. It was amazing.”
Then it all changed so quickly.
“I just got chills,” Powell said when asked what could have been. “I hate to talk about what would have, or what could have been, but there would have been a lot more fireworks I have no doubt.
“I think we would have been suiting up for a playoff game, I have no doubts.”
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