TEMPE, Ariz. -- John Humphrey's long wait finally came to a close on Thursday night at Sun Devil Stadium. After sitting out the last two seasons -- the first as a redshirt at Oklahoma; the second as a transfer -- the sophomore receiver was basking in every moment of his Arizona State debut.
"No one really knows this, but I used to call my mom and my father and I'd be practically crying on the phone because I just wanted to play so bad," Humphrey said.
Humphrey channeled all that frustration in the Sun Devils' season-opening, 37-31 win over New Mexico State. With fellow transfer receiver Ryan Newsome out with a quad injury, Humphrey caught a team-high seven passes for a team-high 123 yards, and his 60-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter represented the longest touchdown pass of quarterback Manny Wilkin's ASU career.
"That was pretty, huh?" coach Todd Graham said. "It was awesome. We need to do that a bunch."
The catch was critical for ASU, which had squandered most of an early 14-0 lead and was clinging to a 17-13 lead when Humphrey got behind the defense on a post route.
"We were inside the huddle and I just told Manny to put it out there and I'll run underneath it," said Humphrey, whose coaches had been anticipating the impact his speed could have on the offense. "That's what we did. There's nothing else to it."
The score gave ASU a 23-13 lead and got the offense rolling. Humphrey caught two more passes on the Devils' next TD drive and
ASU added two touchdowns for a 37-13 lead before Graham began substituting personnel.
"He's fast as hell," Wilkins said. "If that dude gets behind the corner, that's what we're going to do is put that ball up and let him run under it."
Humphrey's performance was part of a bigger showing by the receivers, whom offensive coordinator Billy Napier said will be an offensive strength this season. ASU receivers caught 24 balls against the Aggies for 321 yards and two TDs -- the other score by Jalen Harvey -- but Humphrey was the most noticeable player among the group on Thursday.
"It was good to see him finish plays," Napier said. "He had a couple great catches… really hit the home run post there at a critical time. It was big for him."
Napier has developed a good relationship with Humphrey.
"The guy's a great character kid with a great attitude and a great approach so I'm just happy for him," Napier said. "He had a great spring, been a little bit up and down through training camp like most guys, but really had a great week of practice the last week and that paid off for him. I think preparation and his self-discipline and his routine paid off and he made the plays when they counted."
After the game, Humphrey took to Twitter to retweet just about everything that was written about him on that social medium. After two years on the sidelines, the excitement was understandable.
"It's a blessing. It's been a long wait," he said. "Stepping on the field, it was just a wonderful feeling."
& We're finally here baby. ??
— JOHN HUMPHREY JR (@Official_JHump) August 31, 2017
"No one really knows this, but I used to call my mom and my father and I'd be practically crying on the phone because I just wanted to play so bad," Humphrey said.
Humphrey channeled all that frustration in the Sun Devils' season-opening, 37-31 win over New Mexico State. With fellow transfer receiver Ryan Newsome out with a quad injury, Humphrey caught a team-high seven passes for a team-high 123 yards, and his 60-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter represented the longest touchdown pass of quarterback Manny Wilkin's ASU career.
"That was pretty, huh?" coach Todd Graham said. "It was awesome. We need to do that a bunch."
The catch was critical for ASU, which had squandered most of an early 14-0 lead and was clinging to a 17-13 lead when Humphrey got behind the defense on a post route.
"We were inside the huddle and I just told Manny to put it out there and I'll run underneath it," said Humphrey, whose coaches had been anticipating the impact his speed could have on the offense. "That's what we did. There's nothing else to it."
The score gave ASU a 23-13 lead and got the offense rolling. Humphrey caught two more passes on the Devils' next TD drive and
ASU added two touchdowns for a 37-13 lead before Graham began substituting personnel.
"He's fast as hell," Wilkins said. "If that dude gets behind the corner, that's what we're going to do is put that ball up and let him run under it."
Humphrey's performance was part of a bigger showing by the receivers, whom offensive coordinator Billy Napier said will be an offensive strength this season. ASU receivers caught 24 balls against the Aggies for 321 yards and two TDs -- the other score by Jalen Harvey -- but Humphrey was the most noticeable player among the group on Thursday.
"It was good to see him finish plays," Napier said. "He had a couple great catches… really hit the home run post there at a critical time. It was big for him."
Napier has developed a good relationship with Humphrey.
"The guy's a great character kid with a great attitude and a great approach so I'm just happy for him," Napier said. "He had a great spring, been a little bit up and down through training camp like most guys, but really had a great week of practice the last week and that paid off for him. I think preparation and his self-discipline and his routine paid off and he made the plays when they counted."
After the game, Humphrey took to Twitter to retweet just about everything that was written about him on that social medium. After two years on the sidelines, the excitement was understandable.
"It's a blessing. It's been a long wait," he said. "Stepping on the field, it was just a wonderful feeling."