The Matchup: Corey Davis vs. Shawun Lurry

Arguably the two best players in the MAC right now, will go head to head this Saturday at 6:30PM as Western Michigan battles Northern Illinois at Waldo Stadium.

These two athletes both dominated at their positions last year. Shawun Lurry led the NCAA with nine interceptions, and Corey Davis finished with 1436 receiving yards which put him in fifth in the NCAA. Fans of the MAC and college football in general should be excited for this highly anticipated matchup.

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Corey Davis is a highly scouted prospect for the 2017 NFL Draft. The 6”3, 212 pound senior has a very nice resume with the Western Michigan Broncos. Davis has surpassed the 1,400 receiving mark in his last two seasons with the Broncos. Davis also just recently became the MAC’s all-time leading receiver, breaking Jordan White’s record of 4,187 receiving yards. Covering Davis will be quite the task for Lurry considering Davis has seven inches on him and 32 pounds.

Lurry has not let down when he has faced big time receivers. Last year when the Huskies were defeated by Ohio State by a small margin of 20-13, Lurry battled against Michael Thomas. Thomas, who now plays for the New Orleans Saints has a 6”3 212 pound frame, very much like Corey Davis. Thomas was held to three catches for 60 yards and one touchdown, which is something not a lot of people were expecting with a Buckeye offense so powerful. Lurry also racked up two interceptions in that game, one thrown by Cardale Jones and the other thrown by J.T. Barrett. So, you better believe Lurry will be willing to prove his big game abilities against Corey Davis and the undefeated Western Michigan Broncos.

In their previous matchup, Davis emerged victorious. Davis had seven catches for 123 yards and one score. While, Lurry was unable to find one of his nine interceptions from last season in this matchup. Even though the Broncos receiver was able to put up a good stat line, he could not help his team win as the Broncos fell to the Huskies 27-19. Davis put up five catches with 59 yards and one touchdown against the Huskies in 2014, as the Broncos lost that game 31-21. Tough to say if Lurry played too much in that game considering he was a freshman, but it is a pretty good bet that he had some sort of impact.

Though Davis has the size advantage in this matchup, Lurry definitely wins the quickness. With a 4.40 secs 40 yard dash time, the small shifty corner will try to make plays on the ball with his agility. Lurry has the eye and quickness to cut off passes, which he will try to utilize in this matchup against Davis. When it comes time for Davis to run a goal line fade in the Red Zone against Lurry, there will not be much that the Northern Illinois corner will be able to do.