Dillard cherishes every moment of Skinner's ascension at Kansas

Nov. 12—Editor's note: This is the second story in a multipart series examining Quentin Skinner's rise to stardom for Kansas football.

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Jamie Dillard remembers the scene perfectly.

It was a chilly late summer night on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Morgantown, W.Va., and the sloshing of her feet inside water-logged shoes made it all the more colder as rain poured continuously over Milan Puskar Stadium.

However, even in the midst of her suffering, Dillard's attention never wavered from her son — Kansas redshirt-sophomore Quentin Skinner.

She steadily raised her phone and pushed the record button as Skinner and the Jayhawk offense lined up for a third-and-goal situation, the game tied at 42 in overtime. That was uncharacteristic of her because she normally wouldn't film any game action, but this time was different.

The game was on the line, and Skinner — a 6-foot-5 wide receiver who had already caught two passes, including a 40-yarder — was on the field.

Pouring rain or not, she wasn't going to miss this moment. His moment.

Time seemed to move in slow motion for Dillard as Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels took the snap and scanned the field, eventually finding Skinner breaking to the inside of a West Virginia defensive back.

The throw was high, but the Claremore native used his long arms to haul it in before landing just above the second 'N' of 'MOUNTAINEERS' in the end zone.

Touchdown.

Skinner's first touchdown of his collegiate career served as the game-winner, for the Jayhawks went on to claim a 55-42 victory. Cobee Bryant returned an interception 86 yards for a score moments later to make the two-score differential.

Dillard was positively ecstatic as her perception of time returned to its normal flow.

"Here goes Q running his route, and then he cut," Dillard recalled. "I see the ball go, and he went up. When everyone's jumping up and down, you can't really see, and then everyone's grabbing me and pushing me. They're like, 'He did it! He did it!' I just immediately started crying. Immediately because I know how hard he's worked for that moment, and I know what it means to him. It's not just a touchdown to win — it was everything he's worked hard for. It's literally blood, sweat and tears for the kid. To see that happen for him in that moment, oh yeah, I was emotional. I was excited. I was happy.

"It was happy tears, but it was pouring down rain so bad nobody even knew I was crying."

It was a moment that was a long time coming for both Dillard and Skinner.

Before his game-winning catch, Skinner hadn't scored a touchdown since making a diving 15-yard reception on a pass from Charlie Murdock during his senior season as a Zebras against Sapulpa on Sept. 13, 2019 at Lantow Field in Claremore.

That is just shy of three years between touchdowns at 1,093 days — or two years, 11 months and 28 days.

Although Skinner suffered a season-ending ACL injury two games after his last high school score, he never gave up on his dream of playing Division I football like his father Reggie Skinner, who played for the University of Oklahoma from 1997-1999.

"That's been Quentin's dream since he was a little boy," Dillard said. "He always told me, 'Momma, I want to play in D-I football,' and his dad played at OU, so that was huge for him to want to play at the next level like his dad. They're totally different athletes, but they both still went on.

"We just want to help him live the dream as far as he wants to go, and he would love to go on to the next level (the NFL)."

Of course, living out big dreams isn't always easy.

Skinner took on a redshirt his first season in Lawrence and did not see game action. He contributed in 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, seeing time at receiver and on special teams, but he didn't record any receptions.

During that time, he often confided in Dillard with doubts about his future. Seeing little return for his hard work early was understandably distressing.

"I just keep telling him to keep the confidence, that his hard work was going to pay off," Dillard said. "When he was having a bad day, and he just felt like, 'I don't know if I can still do this. I want to, but I don't know because it's hard,' I'd always tell him you've always had a very strong mentality and great work ethic. You're going to do this. You just need your shot, and you know that, and once you get your chance, don't think about it too much. Just get out there and play ball — the game that you love.

"He would come home and tell me, 'I did so good today', and I'm like, 'Just keep doing it. Just keep proving yourself.' I think too that they saw how mentally tough he was, and how much he wanted it and how much he loved being a part of the program. He came in an earned it. Nothing was handed to him, and nothing was given to him. He earned every bit of it."

Skinner took his mom's advice, and the football stuff seemingly took care of itself.

He quickly made himself known in the season opener against Tennessee Tech, hauling in a game-long 56-yard reception. His stock has been rising ever since.

Through nine games, Skinner has 18 receptions for 309 yards and four touchdowns — a tally of 17.2 yards per catch and 34.3 yards per game.

His best game came against Texas Christian on Oct. 8 when he registered 98 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions in a 38-31 loss.

Above all else, Dillard credits Skinner's Christian faith for helping him overcome the hardships that have helped him thrive as one of the Jayhawks' leading receivers in 2022.

"I think him being of such great character and the person that he is, that helped him overcome all the daily hard work and stuff because he has such a good attitude and positivity about him in everything he does," Dillard said. "He puts God first and says his prayer to Him, like, 'Give me the ability to do this because I know this is your plan. I followed it all this time, and I'm not giving up.' Him not giving up on himself was the biggest thing. I tell him you have to believe in yourself. It doesn't matter how many of us tell you every day — Momma or Daddy can tell you — but you're gonna do this. You know you can. It's gonna happen for you.

"Now he's getting to prove himself, and it just makes me so proud of him."

Regardless of whether Kansas is playing at home or on the road, Dillard has been there for every play of his ascension up the depth chart.

It can be hard sometimes because of other obligations, including her two younger sons who play at Lincoln Christian, but she is dedicated to seeing Skinner through the entirety of his dream.

Even when he wasn't playing much his first two seasons in Lawrence, Dillard was there in the stands. She was there even when Skinner didn't know if he wanted to continue.

To her, it is simply a mom thing. If Skinner were to hang up his shoulder pads and helmet sooner rather than later, Dillard would support that decision 100%.

It is his dream, after all. She just gets to live it with him, which is an opportunity many mothers would cherish.

"I was just happy to see him with the uniform on and the helmet, so it didn't matter to me if he took one down on the field," Dillard said of attending every game. "You just have to keep believing and keep supporting. I couldn't imagine doing anything different. I know if Q didn't see me, he would be like, 'Where's Mom?' He'll look at me in the stands, and he catches my eye every game. He looks at me and his dad and knows where we're at. It's huge to have that support. When you're down, you're down, and there's nothing better than your family being there to pick you back up.

"I think that he goes off that, too, knowing that we believe in him, and he has that support to carry on."