Sep 12, 2006 4 min read

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – John L. Smith loves having a big target like Matt Trannon with the biggest receiving numbers in the Big Ten. But if Michigan State’s coaches can’t keep the 6-foot-6, 235-pound senior wideout from developing a big head, Pittsburgh cornerback Darrelle Revis might do that for them.

When the Spartans and Panthers meet Saturday in Pittsburgh in a matchup of 2-0 football teams, all eyes will be on Trannon and Revis, who are off to spectacular starts.

“You can’t worry about that,” Trannon said Monday. “You just have to go out and play the best you can. I expect they’ll try to disguise what they do and play some different coverages on me.”

Trannon, the Big Ten offensive player of the week, was uncovered much of the day in a 52-20 win over Eastern Michigan. He finished with a school-record 14 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, the second-most receptions this season for a player in Division I-A.

“I’ve never believed in putting a player back in to get a record,” Smith said. “It was the first time I’d ever done that. I just thought, ‘Maybe that’s good for Matt. He could use that shot in the arm.’ We’ve always been trying to get him over the hump. … Now, we just have to deal with Matt’s big head the next few days.”

Smith was laughing at the last line. But no one laughs when they watch Revis on tape. The fast, physical 6-0, 200-pound junior from Aliquippa, Pa., has followed up a first-team All-Big East season with interception TDs in wins over Virginia and Cincinnati.

“You’d like to not deal with him at all,” Smith said. “With guys like that, you’d like to stay away from him as much as you can. Does that kind of answer that?”

Receivers coach Blaine Bennett reiterated Michigan State’s offensive philosophy – to spread the ball around and take what’s available. But he also said the advantages of a three-year basketball letterman can’t be forgotten.

“There were easy catches for Matt in the last game,” Bennett said. “We identified that from the press box. It was just a matter of playing catch. With all the publicity he’ll get this week, he won’t see the soft corners. With press-man coverage, those throws won’t be there. But we’ll still have go-to plays to (No.) 6’s side.”

Quarterback Drew Stanton, the most accurate passer in Big Ten history and the league leader in total offense this season, knows how tough a matchup Trannon presents and doesn’t see many legal ways to stop him.

“I’d probably hold him and do anything I could to stop him,” Stanton said when asked how he would defend Trannon. “When he has the mindset that he wants to make plays, it’s hard to stop someone like that, as good an athlete as he is and the mismatches he can create. I don’t know if you can guard him with one guy.”

Trannon played in 26 games as the Spartans reached the NCAA Final Four in 2005 and had 10 starts last season. But nearly everyone expects him to pass up a final season of basketball to prepare for the NFL draft.

Before that happens, as the eighth-leading receiver in school history with 122 grabs, Trannon is well within range of Andre Rison’s career mark of 146 catches.

“Getting a ball in the end zone is a lot like rebounding,” Trannon said. “You’ve got to go up strong every time. It’s your ball. And you can’t let anyone else go get it. I’m just trying to be consistent that way and do the same things every week – especially win.”