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Quadree Henderson has come almost out of nowhere to become a major contributor to Pitt's football team in 2016. The Pitt wide receiver has done so much in so many places that he actually leads the entire NCAA in D-I in terms of total all purpose yardage.
Henderson has racked up an incredible 825 total yards already through either receptions, rushes, and kick/punt return yards. That's good enough for first in D-I and his 206.25 yards per game are good enough for third in the nation.
One of the impressive things about Henderson being so high up on the list is the number of total plays he's been involved in compared to the two guys ahead of him on the per game average list - Heisman contender Christian McCaffrey and Donnel Pumphrey, the nation's leading rusher. Henderson has had 'only' 48 touches while McCaffrey has had twice as many touches (96) and Pumphrey has 82.
In a nutshell, those guys are barely beating him in per game average with many more opportunities. If you gave Henderson another 40 touches or so and there's no telling how much yardage he would have piled up.
Sure, much of the damage that Henderson has done has been on special teams. But that's also part of what makes him so dynamic. He has one kickoff return for a touchdown and has had a few long returns and gives Pitt a constant threat to break a game wide open. And while he has only 126 receiving yards, Henderson has also done a lot of damage as a runner with 260 rushing yards. He's the team's second leading rusher behind only James Conner and, considering how much we all talked up the running back depth on this team, that's pretty astonishing. Those 260 yards put him at No. 87 in the nation overall - and he's a wide receiver.
Pitt doesn't yet have the go to receiver that they lost in Tyler Boyd. But Henderson is doing more than his fair share of contributing and helping the Panthers' offense make plays.
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