Jensen: WR Watson helps Penn open offensive toolbox

Fall Tuesdays always are a favorite day for Penn receiver Justin Watson. That is the morning a set of plays gets handed out at a meeting, in preparation for the weekend's football game. This week, in advance of Saturday's crucial Ivy League matchup at Princeton.

"It's kind of like Christmas morning," Watson said this week after practice at Franklin Field, already aware of the latest plays put in by Quakers offensive coordinator John Reagan. "You never know what he's going to pull out of the bag."

Always something, Watson said, that he wouldn't think of. Lined up anywhere.

"It reminds you of backyard football almost," Watson said, "where you just line up wherever on the field and make a play."

It all quickly gets serious.

"Tuesday morning we get the plays - by Tuesday at practice we're going to run it," Watson said. "You really have maybe one or two opportunities to execute it correctly or he's going to pull it. He's going to scrap it on Wednesday."

Watson is having a career rarely seen in college football, any level. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior from Bridgeville, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh, leads the Ivy League in receptions and yards and touchdowns, as he did last season.

Put simply, he's rising above the Ivy League, helping the 5-2 Quakers to a 4-0 league mark.

Quakers head coach Ray Priore knew the base package Reagan planned to put in when Priore hired the former Kansas and Rice offensive coordinator before last season.

"There becomes a creativity factor," Priore said. "Here's your base offense - how to make it creative if you have someone special?"

Of Watson, Priore added, "I'm going to say the word is near-genius when it comes to football IQ. Being able to line up in several different positions as a sophomore, with very limited reps, and doing what he needs to do. It was really, really special. He enabled us, because of his ability, but his approach, his focus, his understanding of the game, to really open up the whole toolbox."

What does Watson do best? What does the defense give them a chance to do? Are the Quakers good enough to get it to him? Reagan is always looking at those big-picture questions. Sometimes guys come in with a great knowledge of their position, the coach said, but Watson has a knowledge of how the big picture fits together.

"So he can slot himself into different pictures. . . . and nobody is going to outwork him."

When Reagan first showed up, he knew the word-of-mouth on Watson and he watched game film. But Watson sat out that spring of 2015 with a shoulder injury.

"His goal that spring was to be the best signaler on the team, because that's all he could do," Reagan said of signaling plays onto the field. "He had it down."

With him on the field, the wrinkles keep coming.

"The one last week was pretty cool," Watson said. "I always line up to the boundary. This time we put the trips into the boundary and I was by myself to the field."

An option play went to the right. Next play, similar formation. Quarterback Alek Torgersen, having a special career of his own, kept the ball.

"Alek launched it across the field," Watson said.

To Watson.

"It was neat because we run option all the time and the corners on the backside usually take that play off," Watson said.

Watson likes the chess game.

"Us Ivy League guys, we're all mental," he said. "Even on the plays where I know I'm not getting the ball, a run play or a play that is going to go [to another receiver], I'm looking to see, how is the corner reacting, what can I beat him on?"

Don't think "us Ivy League guys" means Watson doesn't have distinct physical gifts. He's dealing with double coverage now for the first time in his life but believes he sees less of it lately as his teammates have made opponents pay for picking that poison.

Torgersen said teams are trying to isolate their best cover guys on Watson but moving him around makes it a challenge. That's a crux of the chess match, "so he's getting their third- or fourth-best cover guy."

"My favorite is just laying it out on the post for him," Torgersen said. "I know he's going to beat his guy."

As for Watson's apparent prowess as a sideline signaler, Reagan said, "I'm hoping he never, ever has to use that skill again."

mjensen@phillynews.com