Tavon Austin & Stedman Bailey Named a Top Duo Since 2000
The days of Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey in a Mountaineer uniform are long behind us, but the memories they provided for West Virginia fans will last a lifetime, and then some.
In a list compiled by Bleacher Report, the tandem of Austin and Bailey were ranked as the 2nd best college duo since 2000, sitting behind only USC's Reggie Bush and LenDale White.
Austin and Bailey were the best one, two punch college football had seen in a long time, but in the passing game. Two very different receivers that played two totally different styles of football, but were successful on the field together. Well, more than just successful, they cemented themselves as West Virginia football legends.
Austin was responsible for 288 receptions, 3,413 yards and 29 touchdowns receiving, while Bailey amounted for 210 receptions 3,210 yards and 41 touchdowns (25 his junior year in 2012).
These two guys were a huge reason why the Mountaineers throttled Clemson in the Orange Bowl and won the Big East championship in 2011.
The Air Raid attack fit them seemingly perfect and benefited them by becoming future NFL draft picks. Every time Austin touched the ball, you knew it had a chance of going for six. Bailey was the home run threat that you could take shots with down the field but was also looked at as the team's security blanket in clutch situations. If it weren't for Bailey laying out and diving for a catch over the middle of the field against South Florida in 2011, who knows if West Virginia finds a way to win that game and reach the Orange Bowl.
These guys put up video game numbers and I'm not so sure we will ever see those numbers duplicated again. They truly were two of the greatest tandem of receivers to ever play the college game.
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