Agility is a coveted trait when running down a 61-yard pass on the sideline. Lucky for the football team, wide receiver Jordan Forney ’11 has got it.

The sophomore had a strong performance against Georgetown last Saturday, establishing a solid foundation for the rest of the season. Forney’s two touchdown catches in Saturday’s 47-7 win over the Hoyas proved that he can help add a second dimension to Yale’s once predictable offense.

“Jordan is still growing as a receiver, and his catches on Saturday were a result of hard work in the offseason and preseason,” head coach Jack Siedlecki said. “Jordan is a big wideout, and is a physical presence blocking for our run game.”

At six-feet-four-inches and 215 pounds, it would be hard for Forney not to be a physical presence on the field. But despite his size, Forney said blocking is a skill he developed more recently in his game.

“Blocking is something that I definitely needed to work on last season — I tried to improve on that for most of last year,” Forney said. “We’re a running team, so the receivers are an important part in [allowing] us to make plays down the field.”

The team certainly does rely on a strong receiver-quarterback combination in order to pull off its more challenging plays. This partnership was on display in last Saturday’s game when Forney caught a 61-yard and a 41-yard pass from quarterbacks Ryan Fodor ’09 and Brook Hart ’11, respectively.

“I think all the quarterbacks and receivers get along really well, which is one of the reasons we’re successful,” Forney said. “We practice so much together that we’re all on the same page.”

Forney said that when it comes to facing a zone versus playing man-to-man defense, Yale’s wide receivers must be versatile.

“All of our receivers are interchangeable and all play inside and outside,” Siedlecki said.

The Bulldogs, including Forney, said they were confident of their chances against Cornell on Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y.

“Offensively we just plan to take advantage of what [Cornell’s] defense gives us, whether we are running the ball or throwing it like we did against Georgetown,” Forney said. “After watching our Georgetown footage, [Cornell] has to be wary, so it’ll be interesting to see how they line up against us.”

With a strong offensive lineup, including key sophomore players Hart and Forney, the Bulldogs hope to open their Ivy season with a victory.