Blake

Proehl

Proehl (6'1/185) emerged as a vital piece of ECU’s offense catching 47-of-65 targets, a 72.3 catch rate, for 577 yards, 12.3 YPC and four touchdowns. PFF College gives the redshirt senior wideout a 73.5 overall receiving grade as he operated primarily out wide for the Pirates. His ability to work the sideline to move the chains helped him carve out a niche as a safety blanket for ECU QB Holton Ahlers. The versatile receiver also excels at returning punts, as he was given an exceptional 90.3 overall special teams grade by PFF. Proehl’s best attribute is his hands, as he only dropped two passes out of 194 career targets. He will attempt to carve out a niche similar to his father, former notable NFL possession receiver Ricky Proehl.

Proehl (6'1/185) and the Pirates closed out their 2020 season in style, as ECU jumped out to a 45-7 lead before holding off the Mustangs. The redshirt junior wide receiver, who was responsible for three receptions and 30 yards in the prior two games combined, had one of his best games of the season Saturday afternoon. Proehl surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second time this season, and the two scores matched his total for the season. He finishes 2020 with 47 receptions, 577 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Proehl (6'1/185) received a career high 18 targets as the Pirates fell behind 35-13 at halftime and were forced to throw the ball for the majority of the second half as a result. ECU essentially abandoned the run, rushing 20 times for a paltry 39 yards on the day. It’s patently obvious that ECU is ill-equipped to compete in the AAC with their sieve-like defense and accuracy-challenged QB. Proehl will try to rack up double digits catches again next weekend when ECU faces USF.

Proehl (6'1/185) caught two of the three passing touchdowns from Holton Ahlers on Saturday; scoring from three-yards out in the third quarter -- the first touchdown of the game for the Pirates -- and another from 34-yards out late in the fourth. Both trips to the end zone meant absolutely nothing to the game outcome, but, they still count. Proehl should be one of Ahlers top targets in this pass-happy offense again in 2020.

Proehl (6'1/185) was one of the many beneficiaries of QB Holton Ahers’ 535 yards, as Proehl had his biggest receiving day of his career in the offensive shootout. He had 100-yards in a game earlier this year when he caught two passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 victory over ODU. The eight catches are a career game-high and Proehl will look to post another big game this Saturday when ECU travels to play SMU.

Cracking 100 receiving yards in a game is tough. Doing it in just two catches is literally the quickest it can be accomplished, considering the farthest a single play can go is 99 yards. Proehl (6'1/186) had not gone over 75 yards in any other game this season and had only scored once, so Saturday’s feat was quite a special on. East Carolina will look to keep their win streak alive versus Temple on Oct. 3.