Nife Oseni and Jordan Wiles can boost the Rolling Meadows offense in a variety of ways, and that is most certainly by design.
The senior slot receivers have plenty of options in terms of offensive formations and routes to run, and their wide-ranging skills have begun to affect opposing defenses.
And that’s good news for the offense in general.
“There are times when I chuckle because I hear the linebackers yelling our numbers when we run onto the field,” Oseni said. “When defenses are targeting us, it takes pressure off whoever else gets the ball.”
Oseni and Wiles sometimes are decoys, but getting them the ball — through the air or on the ground — is normally a top priority.
Oseni scored three touchdowns, and Wiles added another as Rolling Meadows defeated Buffalo Grove 49-17 at home Saturday afternoon. Wiles’ score was on a first-half jet sweep, and Oseni’s first of two scoring catches was on the final play of the half to build a 28-17 lead.
“It was actually a busted play, and my quarterback (Carson Schiller) found me downfield after I put my arm up,” Oseni said. “That gave us some nice momentum.”
Oseni and Wiles are often allowed to improvise, whether that involves recognizing pre-snap defensive alignments or adjusting routes after the snap.
Wiles’ decision-making was spot-on when he threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Daniel Sobkowicz in the Mustangs’ 31-24 double-overtime victory against Deerfield in week three. Wiles, who had 11 catches for 214 yards and two scores through four games, also had the option of tucking the ball and running on the play.
“We practiced that play for weeks, and for it to work like that was great,” Wiles said. “Being able to do so many things is one of the reasons I like slot (receiver) so much.”
Wiles said he also feels that he and Oseni work so well together because they are both defensive starters in the secondary for the Mustangs (5-0, 1-0 Mid-Suburban East).
“When you know receiver tendencies on defense, it allows you to read quarterbacks a little easier,” Wiles said. “There’s nothing we haven’t seen.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
![Residents and patrons of a popular liquor store in Elmwood Park took to social media to lament the business still being closed after a fire damaged the building earlier this year. More than two months after a fire ravaged Binny’s Beverage Depot, at 7330 W. North Ave. in the west suburban town, work to reopen the location continues. Fire officials estimate the store could reopen around Memorial Day. Kevin Flaherty, deputy fire chief for the Elmwood Park Fire Department, told Pioneer Press that around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 25, an automatic fire alarm at Binny’s alerted the emergency dispatch center […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2018/09/20/WX6EED7M6ZCXPMT3JCHP2EKCOY.jpg?w=535 "Residents and patrons of a popular liquor store in Elmwood Park took to social media to lament the business still being closed after a fire damaged the building earlier this year. More than two months after a fire ravaged Binny’s Beverage Depot, at 7330 W. North Ave. in the west suburban town, work to reopen the location continues. Fire officials estimate the store could reopen around Memorial Day. Kevin Flaherty, deputy fire chief for the Elmwood Park Fire Department, told Pioneer Press that around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 25, an automatic fire alarm at Binny’s alerted the emergency dispatch center […]")
