BOWLING GREEN — They’ve been a hot topic in Bowling Green camp, with a collective nickname so catchy it almost seems divinely inspired.
“CJ and OJ” — or, alternately, “OJ and CJ” — are senior wide receivers CJ Lewis and Odieu Hiliare, two new additions to the Falcons for 2022.
“OJ is a great receiver, and CJ is as well,” senior safety Chris Bacon said. “They’re both great route runners. They both practice really hard.”
They are both transfers, and that might be where the similarity ends. Lewis is a Power Five product who spent parts of four seasons at Boston College; Hiliare was a star in the FCS who helped Alabama A&M to a 7-3 record in the fall of 2021. Lewis is New England through and through, from Hamden, Conn. by way of the prestigious Cheshire Academy. Hiliare is a Belle Glade, Fla. native who went to the same high school that produced Santonio Holmes, Fred Taylor, Brad Banks, and numerous other professional and collegiate stars.
Despite their differences, the two have easily meshed and are already talking about what they can achieve as a unit this season.
“We are the best wide receiver room in the MAC,” Hiliare said. “We’re gonna go really far. We’re only as good as our quarterback and our offensive line. But we are the best wide receiver room in the MAC, no question about it.”
Hiliare came first, committing to Bowling Green in December, 2021. He’d just finished up a fruitful season with the Bulldogs. His 71 receptions led the Southwestern Athletic Conference a year ago; his 918 yards ranked third and his 91.8 yards per game second.
On one particularly bountiful afternoon in Huntsville – Nov. 20, Senior Day and Alabama A&M’s season finale – Hiliare caught eight passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 52-24.
To Hiliare, the biggest transition from Alabama A&M to the Falcons was unrelated to the competition on the field.
“The biggest change for me was really the weather,” Hiliare said. “The weather was crazy. I’ve never seen that much snow, or had to practice outdoors in the snow.”
Six months later, in May, along came Lewis. It had been an up-and-down ride for Lewis in Chestnut Hill, where he played eight games in 2018, one in 2019, 10 in 2020, and seven in 2021. His 460 receiving yards were third on the Eagles in a solid pandemic year during which they threw a major scare into No. 1 Clemson on the road.
Like Hiliare, Lewis found Midwestern conditions unusual — for the opposite reason.
“I honestly didn’t think it’d be this hot out here,” Lewis said. “The weather has been surprising. We’ve had nothing but sunny days, nice hot days.”
Lewis brought something to Bowling Green Hiliare couldn’t: a built-in rapport with senior quarterback Matt McDonald, forged during their one year of overlap at Boston College.
“Matt was there for me during the recruiting process. We kept the same relationship,” Lewis said. “The relationship has only grown since I’ve been here. Matt’s been pushing me to be the best I can be every day, and vice versa.”
With the Falcons’ opener against UCLA fast approaching, the two receivers heaped praise on each other.
“OJ’s been a really good teammate,” Lewis said. “He’s come in, he’s worked really hard. He’s stepped up since the moment he walked in the door.”
Said Hiliare of Lewis: “He’s a leader. He’s an older guy who leads by example. He’s not just gonna talk to you, he’s gonna show you how things are done.”
The Falcons return some receiving talent from 2021. Junior Tyrone Broden, senior Austin Osborne, and senior Cavon Croom all recorded upward of 200 yards last season, as did senior tight end Christian Sims and sophomore running back Ta’Ron Keith.
Hiliare and Lewis, however, add a new dimension to the unit – and critically for a team still finding its way after a 4-8 season, experience.
“We’ve finally got enough guys around [McDonald] now that hitting a five-yard shallow cross can turn into 60,” coach Scot Loeffler said. “We just gotta throw to the first open guy, take our reads, and if we’re patient... we’ll have enough opportunities to take shots.”
If McDonald takes shots down the field — something he didn’t do a ton in 2021, averaging just 6.3 yards per attempt — he won’t find a lack of confidence in the guys attempting to catch them.
“Right now we’re not really getting that notoriety, the type of love that all the receivers at other schools are getting,” Lewis said. “But I think OJ and I can shock the world and be the best duo in the country.”
First Published August 28, 2022, 10:21 p.m.
