“That’s nice,” Maxwell said, “but all in the best interest of the team. Whatever happens happens.”

So goes the take-it-as-it-comes tight end, a senior from Pearl River High whose approach to pulling in passes is no different than delivering a block or trading places with fellow senior tight end Ian Thompson.

Ask Maxwell five days later if his half-dozen receptions in Fayetteville were part of the game plan or something that simply fell into place when quarterback Terrance Broadway found him four times on the same drive, the shrug looks familiar, the words sound the same.

“If just kind of developed,” he said. “We’re all out there to do a job, and whatever happens.”

That’s just the way it is.

Take the fact Maxwell plays 1B to what amounts to the 1A of starter Thompson, who went without a catch at Arkansas.

There are pros, and arguably cons, to the situation. But Maxwell accepts it, too, for what it is.

“We just both know we have talents to offer, and it’s not fair to keep either one of us off the field,” he said. “So we just kind of understand.”

He also realizes the Cajuns intend to do all they can to keep both him and Thompson busy this season, perhaps including tonight’s visit to Kansas State.

That should be the case much more, in fact, than last season, when 1A had 16 catches for 119 yards but no touchdowns and 1B had 19 grabs for 185 yards and four TDs.

Both had NFL scouts looking at them during preseason training camp drop-ins.

“I’ll tell you: Jake Maxwell is a player. So is Ian Thompson,” Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth said this week. “Both those guys are involved. They’re gonna need to be more involved.

“Our quarterback (Broadway) likes throwing to those guys, because they’re 6-4. It’s hard to miss those guys. So we’ll continue to use those in the game plan as we move forward.”