Character Of Team Will Be Tested On Saturday

The major loss to the Noles of the five players suspended are in receivers Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, and Corey Surrency. So what does the loss of Easterling, Reed, and Surrency mean?

For the year, these three receivers accounted for 42% of the passing yards for the Noles. In addition, they accounted for 57% of the TDs scored through the air and they also accounted for 36% of the passes caught.

Of the three, Easterling is probably the most talented and leads the Noles in passes caught.

The Noles will still have some great targets for Ponder on Saturday night. It's not like the cupboard is bare at the receiver position. The loss of Easterling, Reed, and Surrency is no doubt a big loss but the Noles will still have Greg Carr, Preston Parker, Rod Owens, Jarmon Fortson and walk-on Louis Givens.

The biggest concern is attitude and how the Noles will react to the loss of the five players. That is where coaching and the character of the team comes into play.