Players react in different ways when a coach gets in their face, demands that they raise their level of performance, reminds them in harsh tones that all their teammates are counting on them. University at Buffalo football coach Jeff Quinn has done all that in coaxing Marcus Rivers to reach his potential. And then he's done a lot more.

While Quinn's old-school tough, a walking decibel blast, his approach is rooted in constant encouragement and positive reinforcement. Some coaches see nothing but the mistakes. What Quinn envisions is the player once the mistakes have been eliminated. While some coaches dwell on the shortcomings, Quinn reinforces the strengths and goes from there.

Rivers came into Thursday night's season-opener against Rhode Island with statistics that spelled out underachievement. Career catches? Seven. Career drops? A bundle.

The memories of all those missed opportunities, all those passes that slipped through his hands, made what Rivers accomplished in a 31-0 victory over Rhode Island all the more remarkable. It was like watching a gymnast who falls from the balance beam time after time after time suddenly deliver the perfect performance.

Rivers caught 10 balls for 155 yards and a touchdown. The only thing he dropped was his reputation for slippery hands. He soared straight up to snare a 16-yard reception one-handed. He hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass with a defensive back right on his shoulder. It's only one game, against a lower level opponent, but perhaps this will be remembered as the night that Rivers came of age.

Skepticism surrounded UB's passing game heading into the season. Jerry Davis was taking over at quarterback for last year's transferred starter, Zach Maynard. Record-setting receiver Naaman Roosevelt and his running mate, the dangerous Brett Hamlin, graduated. On top of it all, Quinn was installing a no-huddle spread attack in which in the passing game would be the primary focus.

"It seemed like the whole world was like against me, as well as the receiving corps, that we couldn't fill the shoes of Naaman Roosevelt and Brett Hamlin," Rivers said. "Coach Quinn from Day One believed in all of us and said we had the ability to do it."

It wasn't all that neat, all that cozy. Quinn's ridden Rivers since his arrival and ridden him hard. He's challenged him to pursue excellence, pushed him by citing what he could become.

"It's very important that you continue working the mental aspect to this young man and if he does drop a pass, that he doesn't get yanked out," Quinn said. "And I've been hard on Marcus. I've been very demanding on Marcus to lock in because we know Marcus can catch the ball. Why were there times [he didn't], it's because he lost his train of thought. He had something else on his mind than the focus that he needed."

Rivers might have shied from the challenge, as countless players have when demanding coaches get on their case. Strange as it may seem, he welcomed the criticism, took it as a sign that he could take his game to great heights.

"That's Coach Quinn. He's very passionate about football so if you mess up or slip up you're going to hear it. ... I love the yelling and all the loud talking," Rivers said. "It's like a confidence booster. It's like, 'I know I'm better than this.' Like I need to prove to coach that I am who he thinks I am, which I am."

The 38-yard touchdown connection between Davis and Rivers gave UB a 17-0 lead with 1:56 left in the second quarter. After the reception, Rivers sought out Quinn on the sidelines.

"He came up to me after he caught that touchdown and he said, 'Thank you for believing in me,'" Quinn said. "And that's what this is about. I have a great deal of faith and belief in my young men on this football team ... You don't want to lose these kids' confidence. And that's what I've been giving Marcus is a lot of confidence and believing in him and that showed tonight. I told him if you can get 10 tonight we'll expect one more each and every game."

bdicesare@buffnews.comnull