Kyle McMahon said he feels a little spoiled each time he drops back to pass.

While some football teams rely on one or two key receivers, the Grand Valley State University senior quarterback has all sorts of receiving weapons at his disposal when a passing play is called.

“As a whole, we have a lot of playmaking ability, and it helps greatly when you’re back there not knowing who to go to, knowing that you can go to anyone,” he said.

Several receivers are making big contributions to the GVSU offense this season. The Lakers average 463.7 yards of total offense per game with passing yardage accounting for almost half of that figure.

“In my opinion, as far as physical and talent-wise, we have one of the best receiving corps in the nation at the Division II level,” said senior wide receiver Ryan Bass. “We block. We catch the ball real well and we catch the ball down field well as well.”

Thirteen different players have recorded receptions for GVSU through seven games. Junior wide receiver Greg Gay leads the team with 31 catches while senior running back Justin Sherrod (24 catches), Bass (13 catches), junior wide receiver Jovonne Augustus (12 catches) and junior tight end Tony Carreri (11 catches) round out the Lakers’ top five pass catchers.

Each player has been called upon at different times throughout the season. Augustus snagged two game-winning touchdown catches in the first three weeks while seven others have caught touchdown passes this season. In last weekend’s game against Lake Erie College, Gay and Bass became the 29th and 30th players in school history to eclipse 1,000 career receiving yards.

“I’m sure people are watching the tape,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “It’s got to be hard to defend when you have that many guys.”

The receivers have gelled well with McMahon, who became the starting quarterback after transferring to GVSU from Eastern Michigan University before the season.

“When I scramble out if the play gets broken down, the guys are doing a great job of coming back or going deep or getting open however they need to,” he said. “It seems to be working pretty well.”

Gay has emerged as the team’s go-to receiver underneath when opposing teams opt to control Bass, Augustus and the other down-field threats the Lakers possess.

“It’s great having the targets like Jovonne and Bass,” Gay said. “It kind of opens me up because a lot of teams are focusing on them two.”

McMahon said he often has the option of throwing to multiple receivers and has faith that each of them will get the job done.

“Having the guys out there that we have makes the pass game easier,” he added. “We have tall receivers on the outside who can go up and get the ball. We have quick receivers to check down to underneath, including the running backs. The we have guys in between like Greg Gay who can find open spots and make plays with the ball.”

For Bass, who spent extra time outside of practice during the summer working with McMahon to create chemistry between the two, the success of the team is most important. He said every player embraces spreading the ball around.

“It goes right back to Kyle,” he said. “He has no favorites, whatever happens, happens. Whoever is open, he throws the ball to them.”

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