Ricky Smalling: WR · Illinois · #4.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Ricky Smalling
Moves the chains on third down. Three seasons in the Illinois receiving corps to date. One game to point at: 56 receiving yards and 7 receptions against UConn — Week 2, 2019.
Play style
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
LancasterOnline Oct 25
Yahoo Sports Oct 25Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-3vs Akron | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 22 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-23@ UConn | 7 | 56 | 8.0 | 0 | 26 | Season-high 56 yds |
| Wk 3 | L 31-34vs Eastern Michigan | 5 | 49 | 9.8 | 1 | 16 | |
| Wk 4 | L 38-42vs Nebraska | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 6 | L 17-40@ Minnesota | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 7 | L 25-42vs No. 16 Michigan | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 11 | W 37-34@ Michigan State | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 24 | 225 | 9.4 | 1 | 26 |
Week 3 · 2019
L 31-34
The plays that mattered most
3 seasons under Lovie Smith — 12-25 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.0 | 40.8 | 10.2 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 2.7 | 20.7 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.0 | 37.5 | 9.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lovie Smith
Pass share
43.2%
363 pass / 477 run
Plays / game
64.6
13 games
Team sack rate
8.9%
406 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2019
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS receiver who plays every week.
How it ended
Three seasons at Illinois, 1,141 receiving yards — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 29 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2017–2020
1 coachPlayed every college season under Lovie Smith.
