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.

“Short-yardage plays can be a little tough on me,” Farabi said. “I feel like I can get things done, and I’m sure he has the same attitude I do, go out every day and prove guys wrong.”

“When it comes to blocking, it’s kind of tough,” Farabi said. “I can do it, but I’m definitely outsized. I have to work extra hard to get my body in position and using not so much core strength but technique to seal the block. That’s probably the most difficult thing. Other than that, I hold my own pretty much.”

Ironically, a block by Farabi helped spring quarterback Mark Smith loose for the game-winning 61-yard touchdown run in the Gorillas’ 38-31 victory last week at Chadron State (Neb.).

“I don’t think I have a problem with (blocking),” Farabi said. “When you have a 6-2, 6-3 linebacker coming at you and you’re standing still, that’s hard. But other guys standing still have the same problem when someone is running full speed at them.”

The coaches didn’t shy away from recruiting Norman or Farabi because of their size.

“I just watched the film,” Tatum said. “I wasn’t fired up about a 5-5 receiver, but I was very excited when I saw him play.

“The thing that Isaac is, and we didn’t learn this until after he got here and was here for a while, he’s far better off the field than he is on the field in terms of what he brings to our program. He’s a junior, and his peers elected him captain. Five-foot-5, not even a senior yet, and he’s elected captain. That says a lot about him right there.”

“We’ve known about Caleb for years,” Broyles said. “We used to have passing and option camps. He’d come as a sixth grader or seventh grader, and we always put Caleb with the ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th graders because no one could tackle him in camps.”

Farabi and Norman have been told they were too small for years.

“I’ve heard that ever since I started playing football,” Norman said. “I was a running back, and I didn’t play a lot because they said I was too small. When I did get to play, I ended up scoring two touchdowns ... in the first game I played.”

“I was 7 years old, playing flag football,” Farabi said. “I’ve done it most of my life. I’m sure he’s the same way, too.

“It’s a drive from within, and for me, also part of it is to prove people wrong. I read on message boards, and people say I can’t do things in a game and need time off. The way I look at it, I have three months left to play football, my body can take the pounding, and I have the rest of my life to recover.”