Josh Bordner: From Passes To Catches
November 12, 2014 | Football
Written By Grace Vickers
After four years as the backup quarterback, Josh Bordner was finally starting a BC football game. He had put in countless hours at intense practices, in the weight room studying film. He had spent numerous games on the sideline, seeing action in just nine games, and, at last, it was his time to shine. But Bordner wasn't going to be taking snaps; he would be on the opposite side of the play: Catching the passes that the quarterback spiraled towards him.
After his fourth season, Bordner was called into head coach Steve Addazio's office and asked if he wanted to come back for a fifth season. Bordner was hesitant.
"I had been the backup quarterback for four years and all my friends had graduated. I didn't really have any close friends on the team. I really didn't know if I wanted to come back for my fifth season," Bordner explained.
Coach Addazio suggested that Bordner try his hand at being a wide receiver, an opportunity that the Sykesville, Md., native jumped on right away.
Always a team player, Bordner was eager to contribute to the team using more than just his good attitude, so he welcomed the challenge of changing positions for his final season. The change came with more than just a new title, but an adjustment in practices as well.
"There were a lot of different techniques that I had to learn with catching and running routes, and also blocking and getting down with the big defensive linemen and backs," Bordner said.
A smile crept across his face as he talked about the physicality of the wide receiver position. Aside from being a quarterback, Bordner was a defensive player in high school and he admitted he had a nostalgia for hitting people.
"I enjoy contact, even when I was playing quarterback I enjoyed getting hit or hitting someone."
Bordner has an advantage that many receivers lack, a quarterback brain. As a quarterback he had to know everything: Each formation and how every player fits into the concept of the play.
"Right now I play a few different positions, so in certain positions I need to understand where I line up, something I learned as a quarterback. I think it's had a good impact on my transition," Bordner said.
Bordner is currently the top receiver for the Eagles with 301 total yards, an average of 30.1 yards per game, and has scored three touchdowns. The athletic chemistry between Bordner and quarterback Tyler Murphy is undeniable when watching the two graduate students on the field. When Murphy arrived at the Heights the two started working out together right away. It was a give-and-take relationship from the get go. Murphy would be the one finding Bordner on game day to make the passes, and Bordner already knew the entire playbook.
"Tyler was definitely someone who helped me go out and run routes, play catch and work with me on fundamentals. In turn, I helped him out on the plays because he hadn't run this offense yet," Bordner said.
Junior wide receiver David Dudek also assisted Bordner by showing him the ins-and-outs of the position.
Though he hadn't had a great deal of playing experience to lead him into his fifth year, Bordner still felt that he was extremely experienced going into the 2014 season. He recalled his freshman year when he was part of a team that played in the Kraft Fight for Hunger Bowl. After two years of struggling, BC rose back to a level of play to be proud of but not content with, as the Eagles returned to a bowl game last year, led by the senior class.
"I know the upperclassmen did a great job of really leading and pushing the team to get back to a bowl game. I saw what it took to get back to that level. Being a fifth-year now, I try to push everyone and try to get everyone to understand that it's really tough to win college football games."
Bordner and his teammates seem to have a good grasp on what it takes to win football games so far this season, as they have tallied six in the win category with three more to play. The Eagles have bought into what the coaches are preaching, earning bowl eligibility again.
"We were really pushing towards getting to a bowl game and we need to find a way to win some games down the stretch," Bordner said, repeating the goals the team set at the beginning of the season.
After last week's victory over Virginia Tech, the Eagles will return to a bowl game for the second season in a row. For the third time in his career, Bordner will finish his season with a postseason berth, but this time he will be on the field.
