During his decorated career at Male High School, Doug Beaumont scored nearly 100 touchdowns. During the past three seasons while accumulating 100 catches at the University of Louisville, Beaumont has yet to score at all.
Beaumont's 62 catches in 2008 made him just the fourth UofL receiver to lead the team in receptions without scoring since 1960. It was the first time that happened since Ken Robinson had 26 scoreless catches in 1980.
Despite that quirk, Beaumont swears he's not obsessing about it.
“I don't really go out there thinking about that each day, like, ‘Let me get in the end zone,'”
the 5-foot-9 senior said. “It is something that is on my mind, but at the same time I want to be successful going out as a Louisville Cardinal.”
It's that kind of team-first sentiment that has made Beaumont one of the most-liked players on the team.
Beaumont worked his way into playing time as a freshman by being a special teams standout and making 14 tackles. He played offense only in limited sets.
Since his sophomore season, Beaumont has started 24 consecutive games and has at least one reception in all of them. He's Mr.Consistent for the Cards.
“Everybody looks up to Doug,”
tight end Cameron Graham said. “Doug will do whatever it takes for us to be a better football team. He wants to help the team win. No matter what that role is, he'll do it.”
That's why the Cards are rooting for Beaumont more than ever. Should he score, it could be the most celebrated touchdown this season.
Receivers coach Ron Dugans remembers the reaction in the Cards' spring game. Beaumont caught a 47-yard score from Justin Burke, and his teammates couldn't stop smiling and patting him on the back.
“The sideline will go crazy,”
Dugans said. “Everybody wants him to score, but more importantly everybody wants him to go out a winner. He hasn't gone to a bowl game; he hasn't beaten Kentucky.”
Quarterback Adam Froman said getting Beaumont a TD is his second priority — behind winning.
x“Nothing would be better than (on the) first pass to get him a touchdown,”
Froman said. “Get in the end zone, get over it and move on from there and get him plenty more. He's so important to our team; he's kind of the heart and soul.”
That's why his close calls have been particularly agonizing. Beaumont had a 44-yard catch against Utah last season, but he was hauled down at the 8. He caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter at West Virginia that was called back by a holding penalty.
Beaumont has daydreamed he'll get that chance again.
x“I put myself in a situation where I'm diving across the end zone or juking two guys and running across the goal line, celebrating with the crowd and pointing up in the stands and everything,”
Beaumont said. “I have plenty of imagination. Just when that day comes I will be very excited.”
Teammates have come to joke with Beaumont about his bad luck.
Senior receiver Troy Pascley said mouths started running when Beaumont missed a potential scoring catch in a recent scrimmage.
“We made fun of him,”
Pascley said. “If he had been at the 5-yard line, he would have caught it.”
Beaumont takes it all in stride. In fact, he said if he doesn't score this season he could be known in a different manner.
x“I feel like if I don't get it, I hope I go in the record books with the most catches without a touchdown,”
Beaumont said. x“That'd be something really funny.”
NCAA football statistician Jeff Williams said they don't keep a database of that record.
But with the right catch, Beaumont can make it a moot point anyway.
