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It’s taken a while for Trebor Peña to carve out a role with Syracuse. But this year, the redshirt junior is having one of the program’s best seasons for a wide receiver since it joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013.

Peña barely saw the field across his first four seasons at SU. A 98-yard kickoff return touchdown during his true freshman season elicited excitement, but little production followed. He had just one catch that year, and two in 2021. He earned solid playing time as a wideout in 2022, then didn’t register an offensive statistic the next year due to a season-ending injury.

Everything has changed this year, though. The slot receiver has become quarterback Kyle McCord’s No. 1 option. Offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon has schemed routes for Peña to travel all over the field, mostly excelling in shallow and deep depths of target. As a result, he’s set career-highs in every receiving category, including a team-best 736 yards.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Peña said after SU’s season-opening win over Ohio, in which he scored three touchdowns. “But I put a lot of work in since January until now.”

Judging by the numbers, it’s clear that his work has paid off. Here are the key statistics defining Peña’s breakout 2024 campaign:

71 receptions

Through 10 games, Peña leads Syracuse with 71 receptions. It’s the most catches in a single season by a SU player since Trishton Jackson hauled in 66 receptions in 2019.

Peña also leads the ACC in receptions and is ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. If the season ended today, he would have beat his career-high by 49.

The sheer volume of Peña’s 2024 campaign is a surprise. He looked to be lower on the preseason totem pole than tight end Oronde Gadsden II, and receivers Jackson Meeks and Zeed Haynes. But Haynes has been out since Week 2 due to a personal matter, and Peña’s usage in Syracuse’s offense currently outweighs Gadsden and Meeks’.

As a slot receiver, Peña’s production has come from an expanded route tree and McCord’s increased anticipation with him. The Orange have used him as a deep target, like against Virginia Tech, where he pulled in a 41-yard reception. More often, though, he’s used in the short field. Last week at Cal, Peña tallied a season-best 11 catches for 97 yards in Syracuse’s victory, dominating in the quick-passing game off drag routes and swing passes.

97.7 deep center receiving-depth grade

Peña is one of the most lethal players in the country from the deep center area of the field, which is any throw 20 yards or further and between the hash marks. Pro Football Focus’ evaluation system gives Peña a near-perfect 97.7 grade on receptions in that area.

McCord has targeted Peña just six times in this area, an uncommon place for slot receivers to roam in. They’re typically used along the sidelines or on drags and short dig routes. But Peña is more efficient in the deep center area than any other spot on the field, per PFF.

There, he’s racked up five receptions for 143 yards. He’s only generated 16 yards after the catch on throws in that area, meaning Peña is often winning contested, one-on-one battles while running go routes or crossing patterns.

Peña’s brought down 100% of contested catch attempts in that depth of target, per PFF, while McCord’s passer rating to the receiver on those throws sits at 118.8. Across all 20-plus yard throws to Peña, he averages 27.2 yards per reception.

After four years of almost zero production, Trebor Peña has emerged as Kyle McCord’s top target in 2024. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

4.1 ADOT on short routes

Average depth of target, or ADOT, is a crucial statistic for receivers. It measures how many yards downfield a receiver is typically targeted at for a variety of depths. It can show what areas of the field they’re most explosive in, and even put context to a receivers’ yards after catch numbers.

For Peña, his ADOT on short routes — any route from 0-9 yards long — is 4.1 yards. That’s not an impressive number. But it’s about what he makes of it.

Short depths are where Peña has done the bulk of his work thus far. He’s recorded 324 yards from there, more than any other area — behind the line of scrimmage, short, medium or deep. He boasts a 93 PFF grade on short depths of target and has also had 157 yards after catches. The short-center area of the field is where he’s been most effective, tallying 28 catches for 221 yards on throws between the hashes and less than 10 yards downfield.

Here, Peña’s value as a twitchy playmaker in the open field is highlighted. He poses a threat for chunk plays on not just deep routes, but short ones, too. Peña has generated 23 first downs on throws less than 10 yards away, the most of any current SU player, according to PFF.

183 yards after catch from behind LOS

While Peña’s lone area of the field where he’s graded below 90 by PFF is behind the LOS (79.4), he’s sneakily posted gaudy numbers there.

Peña has hauled in all 16 targets behind the LOS. On those receptions, he’s accumulated 120 yards and 183 yards after the catch; the disparity comes from the ground Peña has to make up before gaining positive yardage. He’s also broken four tackles in that realm of the field, according to PFF, and has picked up five first downs from backfield receptions.

Adding to his efficiency on short-routes, Peña’s numbers behind the LOS has made it easier for Nixon to call more creative plays. Syracuse has commonly used Peña in the screen game and on swing passes, one of which went for 10 yards on a perfectly executed second-and-8 play against Cal.

Especially with how well Gadsden has been playing recently, defenses may begin heavily keying in on the middle of the field to stop him and Peña. A greater dosage of Peña on crafty swings and screens could be a worthwhile remedy with two regular-season games left.

Published on November 19, 2024 at 11:31 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews