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He’ll likely lead Mizzou in catches this year.

Heck, he might lead the Southeastern Conference in catches this year.

But Kevin Coleman Jr.’s biggest play against the rivals was a Jayhawk block.

Check it out.

So there were two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Tigers, up 35-31, had the ball.

Second-and-9. Own 37.

Running back Jamal Roberts took the handoff and took off toward the left shoulder of Coleman, his high school teammate at St. Mary’s. And from the slot, Coleman put up his arms and stalwartly thwarted the charging Kansan.

As Roberts rushed by and the job was done, Coleman quickly lifted both arms in the air, to imply he hadn’t done anything illegal.

Eight seconds later, officials lifted their arms in the air.

Roberts’ 63-yard touchdown run secured the victory — this necessary and nostalgic victory in the 121st game against KU (but first since 2011).

“The slot defender had leverage on the play,� Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “And we had to have Kevin Coleman get that block — and if he doesn’t, it’s probably a negative-yardage play. Kevin goes in there and gets that block — and then (receiver) Marquis Johnson blocks the corner. So as much as our offensive line was praised on that, it was really our perimeter blocking that got it done. Really, really impressed.�

Of course, yes, Coleman’s touchdown was pretty big, too. And the fourth-quarter, fourth-down snag. And his wild 50-yard catch and run that set up an earlier field goal. But this late-game block was emblematic of a true teammate. And it set a tone for this year:

Even spotlight players can make plays that don’t show up in the box score.

It also showed how dangerous Mizzou’s run game really could be with all these devoted blockers — Roberts (143 rushing yards) and Ahmad Hardy (116) tallied the most by a Mizzou duo vs. Kansas since 1996, when running back Brock Olivo had 166 and quarterback Corby Jones had 159.

In fact, per Pro Football Focus, Mizzou’s top three run blockers in Saturday’s win were ... the three starting receivers. They graded better than the offensive linemen.

And look: Even if Coleman was a poor blocker, he’d likely still get the ball a lot because, you know, he’s a really good receiver. But after the 42-31 win, Coleman shared a mantra from his coaches: “They say: ‘No block, no rock.’�

Coleman finished Saturday with 10 catches for 126 yards and a score. Some tough catches, too. His hands are so valuable, they should be insured. He now has 16 catches so far — eighth-most in college football.

“I saw it all camp — Kevin’s a quick, shifty dude,� Mizzou safety Daylan Carnell said. “His stop-and-start is incredible. So it’s very hard (to cover) when he comes out his brakes and stuff like that. And then he’s fast, as well. When he gets the ball, he can go.�

My favorite quote from Saturday came from Coleman himself.

It was back in January when Coleman (Mississippi State) and quarterback Beau Pribula (Penn State) arrived on Mizzou’s campus. They soon began a route-running routine in the team’s indoor facility. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ worked on chemistry in front of nobody so they could connect in September in front of everybody.

And here’s what Coleman said: “Me and Beau, we’re two hardworking guys, two guys that just want to be perfect all the time. We work for perfection. Once we got here in January, I knew what was the task, knew we were going to have these moments in close games and have to overcome when we’re down.�

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ work for perfection.

Pretty cool.

And to be the perfect receiver, of course, you’ve got to block. Against Kansas, Coleman sure showed his hunger to do so.

And in the biggest moment, Coleman brilliantly blocked for not only his fellow St. Louis Tiger but fellow St. Mary’s Dragon.

“That’s my guy,� Coleman said of the rusher Roberts. “Right before that drive, right before he scored, I literally told him: ‘Stay calm. It will happen. Even if it’s not this game, it’s going to happen for you.’ ... We got a check, ran the ball, I made the block and Jamal did the rest. And right after, I told him, ‘See, your time will come.’�

Or, it has come. Roberts and Hardy make for quite a dynamic duo (we’ll see if this translates to SEC play, but their tackle-breaking ability is a good omen). And the propensity and intensity of blocking from Coleman and the receivers enhances the excitement for this offense.