Post by elp525 on Oct 11, 2011 5:19:07 GMT -5
Tuesday October 11, 2011
by Mike Casazza
Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN - Brad Starks had the touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone that made all the highlight reels. Geno Smith had the faith to throw that pass. Daron Roberts had the trust to play Starks in the game.
And as much as those things said about where Starks finally is for No. 13 West Virginia after an offseason spent on the outskirts or the team's inner circle and half a season working his way back in, they were but a whisper underneath a much louder statement.
Starks was back with Tavon Austin to return kickoffs against the Huskies. The Mountaineers had been searching for ways and players to improve that part of their game, to get better starting field position, to help an offense that sometimes needs a push to get rolling downhill.
Roberts is the assistant coach in charge of the punt and kickoff returns.
He's also the outside receivers coach who has helped shape Stedman Bailey and Ivan McCartney and who has renovated Starks in his senior season.
What was once a problem, a player who for a variety of reasons was not what his coaches thought he could be, was suddenly a solution.
"We've had conversations with him and said, 'Look, it's all about trust with us. We can't put you into a critical situation or position until we feel that we can trust you,' " Roberts said. "And to his credit, we were very hard on him because we felt like he was an upperclassman who could take it and he withstood a lot of criticism and a lot of hard coaching. He's really done well for us and he's going to continue to get chances to play."
Starks had but one reception, though it was a 22-yard touchdown that showcased all of his potential as ability. He didn't return a kickoff, but he was asked to help because, for a change, there was no hesitation in relying on Starks.
This was a player who was hurt in the spring, who was away from camp for a personal issue that you figured might precede his exit and who the coach, Dana Holgorsen, wouldn't even talk about as recently as last month.
And now he's a fix?
"That was my call," Roberts said. "I felt that there were some yards that we could have gotten in previous games that someone like Brad could help us with, whether catching the ball and getting up the field or as an off-returner blocking. We're tinkering with some different combinations in the back end, but I think he's a nice addition."
The Mountaineers (5-1, 1-0 Big East) have a group of receivers doing things that never have been done previously at the school. There already have been nine 100-yard individual games, a record (one better than 1996), and Bailey has four of those, all in a row, for another all-time feat at WVU.
The five or six players Holgorsen wants Smith to throw the ball to are as good a crew as there is the Big East and you could justifiably extend that conversation to compare WVU'spass catchers to the ones found in other parts of the country.
And Starks, with his seven receptions for 93 yards and three scores this season, isn't in that top five or six, yet is as physically impressive as any of them.
He's a shooting guard with a mean streak on the football field. He can run and jump. He can handle defensive backs and pull away from defenders. He just hasn't done it. He hasn't been healthy. He hasn't been reliable. He hasn't been on the field.
"I guess you could say I've handled some adversity," he said.
This is an understatement along the lines of saying the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Starks could have been great. This is a guy with 72 receptions and 10 touchdowns, strong stats for a season, but sadly the stats for his once-promising career.
He was a high school star in basketball and football. When he got to college, it was clear he was too gifted to remain behind Patrick White as a quarterback and talented enough to catch on quickly at receiver.
People forget this - either because they don't want to admit it or because it's become convenient to disregard Starks - but there was a time in 2008 and 2009 when many thought he was the team's best receiver.
The new staff wasn't as easily convinced, but even the way the coaches treated Starks suggested they believed in him. Maybe it seemed odd to watch coaches put Starks down and hear later it was done to build him up, but early on Starks spotted it for what it was.
"I think it's perfect logic at the end of the day," he said. "You've got to go hard on people that, I guess, you believe can help the team out the most. You want them to set an example."
Starks didn't even play against Maryland, but had three catches a week later against LSU, the most he'd had since a win against Cincinnati last November, as well as the sum of his catches from the previous six games.
He's only caught two passes since then, but both have been touchdowns in the limited opportunities provided by Bailey's ascent to stardom.
"I've never been a person to give up on anything when times get tough, so I'm not going to pack it in now," Starks said. "It got tough for me but personally, it was never as hard as I am on myself."
Starks is more consistent in practice and it certainly helps that he can practice since his absences in spring and the fall slowed his development. What Starks, his quarterback, his teammates and his coaches are beginning to realize is it may finally be happening.
"He's a guy who is ready to grasp the opportunity that he has with the offense," Roberts said. "He'll tell you he's underperformed in the past, but he knows that this offense plays to his talents."
by Mike Casazza
Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN - Brad Starks had the touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone that made all the highlight reels. Geno Smith had the faith to throw that pass. Daron Roberts had the trust to play Starks in the game.
And as much as those things said about where Starks finally is for No. 13 West Virginia after an offseason spent on the outskirts or the team's inner circle and half a season working his way back in, they were but a whisper underneath a much louder statement.
Starks was back with Tavon Austin to return kickoffs against the Huskies. The Mountaineers had been searching for ways and players to improve that part of their game, to get better starting field position, to help an offense that sometimes needs a push to get rolling downhill.
Roberts is the assistant coach in charge of the punt and kickoff returns.
He's also the outside receivers coach who has helped shape Stedman Bailey and Ivan McCartney and who has renovated Starks in his senior season.
What was once a problem, a player who for a variety of reasons was not what his coaches thought he could be, was suddenly a solution.
"We've had conversations with him and said, 'Look, it's all about trust with us. We can't put you into a critical situation or position until we feel that we can trust you,' " Roberts said. "And to his credit, we were very hard on him because we felt like he was an upperclassman who could take it and he withstood a lot of criticism and a lot of hard coaching. He's really done well for us and he's going to continue to get chances to play."
Starks had but one reception, though it was a 22-yard touchdown that showcased all of his potential as ability. He didn't return a kickoff, but he was asked to help because, for a change, there was no hesitation in relying on Starks.
This was a player who was hurt in the spring, who was away from camp for a personal issue that you figured might precede his exit and who the coach, Dana Holgorsen, wouldn't even talk about as recently as last month.
And now he's a fix?
"That was my call," Roberts said. "I felt that there were some yards that we could have gotten in previous games that someone like Brad could help us with, whether catching the ball and getting up the field or as an off-returner blocking. We're tinkering with some different combinations in the back end, but I think he's a nice addition."
The Mountaineers (5-1, 1-0 Big East) have a group of receivers doing things that never have been done previously at the school. There already have been nine 100-yard individual games, a record (one better than 1996), and Bailey has four of those, all in a row, for another all-time feat at WVU.
The five or six players Holgorsen wants Smith to throw the ball to are as good a crew as there is the Big East and you could justifiably extend that conversation to compare WVU'spass catchers to the ones found in other parts of the country.
And Starks, with his seven receptions for 93 yards and three scores this season, isn't in that top five or six, yet is as physically impressive as any of them.
He's a shooting guard with a mean streak on the football field. He can run and jump. He can handle defensive backs and pull away from defenders. He just hasn't done it. He hasn't been healthy. He hasn't been reliable. He hasn't been on the field.
"I guess you could say I've handled some adversity," he said.
This is an understatement along the lines of saying the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Starks could have been great. This is a guy with 72 receptions and 10 touchdowns, strong stats for a season, but sadly the stats for his once-promising career.
He was a high school star in basketball and football. When he got to college, it was clear he was too gifted to remain behind Patrick White as a quarterback and talented enough to catch on quickly at receiver.
People forget this - either because they don't want to admit it or because it's become convenient to disregard Starks - but there was a time in 2008 and 2009 when many thought he was the team's best receiver.
The new staff wasn't as easily convinced, but even the way the coaches treated Starks suggested they believed in him. Maybe it seemed odd to watch coaches put Starks down and hear later it was done to build him up, but early on Starks spotted it for what it was.
"I think it's perfect logic at the end of the day," he said. "You've got to go hard on people that, I guess, you believe can help the team out the most. You want them to set an example."
Starks didn't even play against Maryland, but had three catches a week later against LSU, the most he'd had since a win against Cincinnati last November, as well as the sum of his catches from the previous six games.
He's only caught two passes since then, but both have been touchdowns in the limited opportunities provided by Bailey's ascent to stardom.
"I've never been a person to give up on anything when times get tough, so I'm not going to pack it in now," Starks said. "It got tough for me but personally, it was never as hard as I am on myself."
Starks is more consistent in practice and it certainly helps that he can practice since his absences in spring and the fall slowed his development. What Starks, his quarterback, his teammates and his coaches are beginning to realize is it may finally be happening.
"He's a guy who is ready to grasp the opportunity that he has with the offense," Roberts said. "He'll tell you he's underperformed in the past, but he knows that this offense plays to his talents."
