In his first season at FIU, this receiver leads the nation in yards per reception

You can call him Tyrese “Torture” Chambers.

That nickname aptly describes what the FIU wide receiver has been doing to defenses this year as he leads the nation with 33.6 yards per reception.

Chambers, who also has six touchdown receptions, had a big game in a loss to Charlotte on Oct. 8. He tied the FIU single-game record — set by current NFL star T.Y. Hilton in 2011 — with 201 receiving yards.

“I didn’t know I had tied the record until after the game,” Chambers said. “Growing up, you watch players like [Hilton].

“Me tying his record is pretty cool. I wish I could celebrate it with a victory. Maybe I can break it next time.”

Chambers’ next opportunity to break the record will be Saturday against visiting Western Kentucky (2-4, 1-1) in a Conference USA contest.

FIU (1-5, 0-2) and Western Kentucky have two of the three worst defenses in Conference USA. FIU is allowing an average of 36.8 points per game. Western Kentucky is allowing 35.3. Only Rice (39.7) has been more permissive.

Western Kentucky, by the way, leads the league in offense (40.8 points per game) and FIU is seventh (27.8).

In other words, there should be plenty of points scored and an abundance of yards gained by Chambers, who arrived at FIU earlier this year after starring for an FCS program, Sacred Heart University, located in Connecticut.

Chambers said he prides himself on making an impact, and he has worked hard on forming a bond with FIU quarterback Max Bortenschlager.

“In the offseason, we were doing 7-on-7 drills, and we were kind of connecting,” Chambers said. “Sometimes we would shoot each other a text message. ‘Do you want to throw today?’

“It would be just me and him, throwing and catching for 90 minutes or two hours. That connection has been building.”

Chambers, a 6-1, 185-pound native of Baltimore, started his post-high school career at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. He spent 2018 there, although he did not play.

In 2019, he transferred to Sacred Heart, where he was named an FCS All-American and the Northwest Conference’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also first-team all-league, catching 50 passes for 811 yards, a 16.2 average and eight touchdowns in 11 games.

After sitting out 2020 as a transfer, Chambers has 20 catches for 672 yards in six games this year.

In the loss to Charlotte, Bortenschlager broke FIU’s single-game record with 466 passing yards.

“We just took advantage of the DBs,” Chambers said. “We said, ‘Let’s start taking shots. Let’s start getting downfield and making plays.’”

Chambers made catches for 75 yards, 67 yards and 59 yards in that game.

Time after time, he just went up and high-pointed the football.

“That’s just instincts since I was 8 years old,” Chambers said. “The ball is in the air, you have to make a play. That’s my job.”

But despite Chambers’ brilliance, FIU is struggling, and the Panthers need to win five of their final six games to become bowl eligible.

Chambers, though, believes the Panthers can rally, and he points to some of FIU’s close losses earlier this season.

“I like to look at old tape like Texas State [23-17 in overtime] and Central Michigan [31-27],” Chambers said. “Those were games I feel like we gave away as a team.

“It’s frustrating because we have so much talent. We’re just not clicking. Games like that, we beat ourselves.

“The only way we can turn this around is by believing in each other. I believe in my coaches and teammates. No one else will believe except for the people in our locker room.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ While FIU was idle this past Saturday, Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe threw five touchdowns in a 43-20 win over Old Dominion. Zappe is the nation’s active leader with 12,636 career passing yards.

▪ WKU receiver Jerreth Sterns had 13 catches for a career-high 221 yards and one TD against Old Dominion. It’s the second-most yards by a receiver in WKU history.

▪ Zappe and Sterns are both transfers from Houston Baptist. In 27 games at Houston Baptist, the 5-9, 195-pound Sterns caught 220 passes for 1,971 yards and 18 TDs. This year, Sterns has 69 catches for 962 yards and eight TDs in six games. He leads the nation in catches per game (11.5) and reception yards per game (160.3).

▪ WKU is also led by pass rusher DeAngelo Malone, Conference USA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. Malone is also a two-time first-team All-C-USA player, and he has 27.5 career sacks and 49.5 tackles for losses.