Andy Isabella’s success and hard work is starting to pay off. The talented wide receiver finished with two touchdowns and 47 receiving yards against the Detroit Lions on Sunday as a second-year member of the Arizona Cardinals.
To Massachusetts football fans, his success on the field comes as no surprise. Those who watched him develop into the player he is today can recall the dominant performances he had on the field for the UMass football team. One of his best games came against Ohio University during his senior year in 2018.
Isabella went off against Ohio for three touchdowns and 198 receiving yards, but it was not enough to overcome the offense of the Bobcats. Given he’s from Ohio, Isabella was certainly playing with an edge that day.
A vertical threat with quick acceleration, Isabella showed his skills and talent against the Bobcats. He first connected with senior quarterback Andrew Ford on the first drive. Less than two minutes into the game, the wide receiver connected on an over the shoulder grab to give UMass an early 7-0 lead. Later, Isabella grabbed another TD pass from Ford to extend the lead to 21-7 for the Minutemen. The senior snagged a third touchdown pass in the third quarter. Still, Isabella’s heroics weren’t enough to get the win. As a team, the Minutemen were struggling at the time, falling to 2-4.
But even that couldn’t hinder Isabella’s draft stock, which was rising by the week. It reached a head on this day in Ohio. He fell into the lap of the Cardinals with the 62nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Like his performance against Ohio, his two touchdowns were not enough to secure the victory for the Cardinals this past Sunday in their 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. Despite that, his talents garnered lots of respect and admiration from his teammates who were more than pleased with his stat line.
Andy Isabella hive ASSEMBLE pic.twitter.com/gQhyvXLGJG
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) September 27, 2020
“I told y’all what he’s capable of,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said of Isabella. “Glad to see him get his opportunity today.”
After a shaky first year campaign on the field where he managed to only catch nine passes, the second-year receiver proved his value against the Lions.
“My mind was one of the biggest things holding me back [last season],” Isabella said after the loss to the Lions. “I let a lot of people get in my mind. I worked so hard for this. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t go out there with an edge. I can play out there.”
Isabella’s right – he sure can play out there against the world’s best. He may not be a household name yet to Cardinals fans, but to UMass fans watching him shine, his three touchdowns and 198 receiving yards against Ohio almost one year to the day of his standout NFL performance serve as a reminder of what he’s capable of.
Frederick Hanna III can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @FrederickHIII.
