Post by elp525 on Sept 15, 2011 7:15:37 GMT -5
September 14, 2011
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - It didn't take the immediacy of this weekend's game at Maryland to bring back the memories for Pat Miller.
He thought about it last week and the week before and the week before that.
In fact, it has stayed with him since the afternoon of Sept. 18 of last year.
"I think about it. It's on my mind every time I go out there because it was a learning process,'' Miller said. "I know how it feels to get beat from that game, and that's a big part of why I try to work hard and not let that happen again.''
As West Virginia prepares to go to Maryland Saturday, it's easy to forget what happened to Miller a year ago when the Terps visited Morgantown. It's easy because the Mountaineers won the game 31-17. It's easy because each of the other principals involved are long gone.
It's easy because, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter.
But with West Virginia leading 28-0 in the third quarter and Miller, a sophomore cornerback, playing in place of suspended Brandon Hogan, he was torched. Twice.
A few plays after Geno Smith gave the Mountaineers that 28-0 lead with a short touchdown pass to Stedman Bailey, Maryland struck back. Jamarr Robinson lofted a long pass down the right sideline toward a streaking Torrey Smith. Miller was watching Smith and never saw the ball. He did see Smith leap up and catch it and then run away from him for a 60-yard touchdown.
Then, two series later, it happened again. This time Smith ran a post and ran right by Miller. This time it was 80 yards and another score.
It was all so new to Miller. And so, well, embarrassing.
"I was coming from high school and I was one of those guys who'd never given up anything like that,'' Miller said. "And then, when you get beat, it's like, 'Oh, reality just hit.' I knew then I had to take it more seriously, practice harder and work on my technique to make sure it doesn't happen to me again.''
Consider that goal accomplished. Or at least as accomplished as it ever can be for a guy who plays a position so visible.
A year later Miller is established as one of West Virginia's two starting corners, along with Keith Tandy. A week ago against Norfolk State, Miller had arguably his best game ever as a Mountaineer. He was smothering in coverage for the most part and a tackling machine in the open field.
It was enough to bring an ear-to-ear grin to Tandy's face, because he knows how hard it is to overcome those embarrassing moments.
"Last week I think you really saw him start to come up and make plays,'' Tandy said. "He was breaking up hitch routes and breaking up screens and knocking balls out. And that's when you know he's getting it. When you see somebody breaking up a hitch route or a screen, you know he's not worried about somebody running past him.''
Here's the thing, though. Had Miller not been burned so openly a year ago he might never had made that leap. Sometimes it takes something like that to serve as a wake-up call.
Well, actually there's no sometimes about it.
"They do. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it,'' said cornerbacks coach David Lockwood. "You need to go through that back there and everybody does. I don't care how good they are or what level they're at, they've all gone through it. Look at the [Monday night game between New England and Miami]. Miami gives up a 99-yard pass to Wes Welker. And those guys get paid to do what they do.''
Know, too, that Miller is not alone. West Virginia's most recent cornerback standouts had their moments, too. Before Hogan became an All-Big East corner and an NFL draft pick, he was burned twice in one of his earliest games against East Carolina. Tandy, another all-league corner, had his in a game at South Florida.
"I don't think you have to [get embarrassed] but it can definitely help,'' Tandy said. "It toughens you up a little bit, and then eventually you see it's not the end of the world. You come back and make a couple of plays and you realize, 'I can do this.' ''
Know, too, that this wasn't some joker making plays against Miller. Smith is now in the NFL with the Ravens.
"We're talking about a play that happened a year ago by a player who's gone on to the [NFL] and now there's a different coaching staff, too,'' Lockwood said. "It happens. They're going to complete passes.''
Just like it happened to Lockwood when he was a cornerback for the Mountaineers in the 1980s.
"Oh yeah,'' Lockwood said. "Pitt game. A smash route. Three deep. I jumped on the hitch and they ran a little seam in behind me.''
Lockwood got over that and so did Hogan and Tandy and now Miller, all to the point where eventually they not only overcame their mistakes but also grew from them and eventually became confident to the point of cockiness, which is not a bad thing for a cornerback.
"If you play that position, you'd better have confidence and a little bit of swagger and believe in yourself,'' Lockwood said. "[Miller is] starting to develop that and see that he can get out there and get the job done.''
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - It didn't take the immediacy of this weekend's game at Maryland to bring back the memories for Pat Miller.
He thought about it last week and the week before and the week before that.
In fact, it has stayed with him since the afternoon of Sept. 18 of last year.
"I think about it. It's on my mind every time I go out there because it was a learning process,'' Miller said. "I know how it feels to get beat from that game, and that's a big part of why I try to work hard and not let that happen again.''
As West Virginia prepares to go to Maryland Saturday, it's easy to forget what happened to Miller a year ago when the Terps visited Morgantown. It's easy because the Mountaineers won the game 31-17. It's easy because each of the other principals involved are long gone.
It's easy because, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter.
But with West Virginia leading 28-0 in the third quarter and Miller, a sophomore cornerback, playing in place of suspended Brandon Hogan, he was torched. Twice.
A few plays after Geno Smith gave the Mountaineers that 28-0 lead with a short touchdown pass to Stedman Bailey, Maryland struck back. Jamarr Robinson lofted a long pass down the right sideline toward a streaking Torrey Smith. Miller was watching Smith and never saw the ball. He did see Smith leap up and catch it and then run away from him for a 60-yard touchdown.
Then, two series later, it happened again. This time Smith ran a post and ran right by Miller. This time it was 80 yards and another score.
It was all so new to Miller. And so, well, embarrassing.
"I was coming from high school and I was one of those guys who'd never given up anything like that,'' Miller said. "And then, when you get beat, it's like, 'Oh, reality just hit.' I knew then I had to take it more seriously, practice harder and work on my technique to make sure it doesn't happen to me again.''
Consider that goal accomplished. Or at least as accomplished as it ever can be for a guy who plays a position so visible.
A year later Miller is established as one of West Virginia's two starting corners, along with Keith Tandy. A week ago against Norfolk State, Miller had arguably his best game ever as a Mountaineer. He was smothering in coverage for the most part and a tackling machine in the open field.
It was enough to bring an ear-to-ear grin to Tandy's face, because he knows how hard it is to overcome those embarrassing moments.
"Last week I think you really saw him start to come up and make plays,'' Tandy said. "He was breaking up hitch routes and breaking up screens and knocking balls out. And that's when you know he's getting it. When you see somebody breaking up a hitch route or a screen, you know he's not worried about somebody running past him.''
Here's the thing, though. Had Miller not been burned so openly a year ago he might never had made that leap. Sometimes it takes something like that to serve as a wake-up call.
Well, actually there's no sometimes about it.
"They do. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it,'' said cornerbacks coach David Lockwood. "You need to go through that back there and everybody does. I don't care how good they are or what level they're at, they've all gone through it. Look at the [Monday night game between New England and Miami]. Miami gives up a 99-yard pass to Wes Welker. And those guys get paid to do what they do.''
Know, too, that Miller is not alone. West Virginia's most recent cornerback standouts had their moments, too. Before Hogan became an All-Big East corner and an NFL draft pick, he was burned twice in one of his earliest games against East Carolina. Tandy, another all-league corner, had his in a game at South Florida.
"I don't think you have to [get embarrassed] but it can definitely help,'' Tandy said. "It toughens you up a little bit, and then eventually you see it's not the end of the world. You come back and make a couple of plays and you realize, 'I can do this.' ''
Know, too, that this wasn't some joker making plays against Miller. Smith is now in the NFL with the Ravens.
"We're talking about a play that happened a year ago by a player who's gone on to the [NFL] and now there's a different coaching staff, too,'' Lockwood said. "It happens. They're going to complete passes.''
Just like it happened to Lockwood when he was a cornerback for the Mountaineers in the 1980s.
"Oh yeah,'' Lockwood said. "Pitt game. A smash route. Three deep. I jumped on the hitch and they ran a little seam in behind me.''
Lockwood got over that and so did Hogan and Tandy and now Miller, all to the point where eventually they not only overcame their mistakes but also grew from them and eventually became confident to the point of cockiness, which is not a bad thing for a cornerback.
"If you play that position, you'd better have confidence and a little bit of swagger and believe in yourself,'' Lockwood said. "[Miller is] starting to develop that and see that he can get out there and get the job done.''
