By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

Missouri Southern wide receiver Isaac Norman believes he has a height advantage.

“I’m working at slot receiver this year, so I get good matchups with linebackers and safeties,” he said. “I definitely use my speed and agility to get around them and try to make some plays for the offense.”

So does Pittsburg State running back Caleb Farabi.

“Definitely ... I think maybe more so for me than him,” he said. “I’m running behind 6-3, 6-4 offensive linemen all day, and sometimes I get hidden behind them.”

Norman, at 5 feet, 5 inches, 155 pounds, and Farabi, at 5-6, 170, stand tall and play primary roles in their respective offenses.

Farabi, a senior who was an honorable mention all-American last year, has gained 117 and 111 yards in the Gorillas’ first two games, giving him ten 100-yard performances in his last 13 games. He’s scored 29 touchdowns in 35 career games, and his 2,133 yards rank 17th on the Gorillas’ career rushing list.

“I think I have exceeded expectation,” Farabi said. “I even had questions coming in ... if I carried it 20-25 times a game week in and week out, would my body hold up. Luckily it has.”

Norman caught a 67-yard touchdown strike during his limited action in the Lions’ 66-9 victory over Haskell last week. A junior, Norman is tied for seventh in school history with 98 career receptions, and his 1,288 receiving yards leave him 39 short of cracking the school’s top 10.

“Actually in high school my senior year I think I only had 21 receptions and five touchdowns,” Norman said. “My freshman year here I was able to have 49 receptions (for 595 yards) and put up five touchdowns. Having to play better just because everyone else is better, that had a lot to do with it.”

The coaches, however, aren’t surprised.

“I can’t say that we are shocked at (Norman’s) production,” Lions head coach Bart Tatum said. “We expected him to be a pretty good player, and he is.”

“Caleb is so much different than other backs we’ve had,” Gorillas head coach Chuck Broyles said. “He’s not like Germaine Race or Ronald Moore or Darren Dawson because of his size. But the thing about Caleb is how durable he is. He takes some shots. He doesn’t just run on the edge. He’s an inside runner, hits the holes and makes people miss.”

Both admit they also face size disadvantages.