Post by rainman on Oct 6, 2007 6:27:50 GMT -5
WVU’s Williams has body guard in Dykes
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— The words have echoed throughout Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium over and over this season, reverberating from the business suits in the suites to the college sweeties in the student section.
“Tackle by Reed Williams … no gain,” public address announcer Travis Jones cries out as the crowd reacts.
But each time he does that, he is telling half the story for Reed Williams does not make any tackles unless Keilen Dykes, his bigger — that was bigger, not better … we’ll let them fight that battle — half, does his thing.
Williams is the middle linebacker in the 3-3-5 odd stack defense coach Rich Rodriguez will throw against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. It is the featured position, the position designed to make tackles from sideline to sideline.
When done right, as it has been this year with the Mountaineers ranking 13th in the nation against the rush and 11th in total defense, Williams’ heroics reach rock star status and, like a rock star, he has a body guard in Dykes.
“He’s like my personal bodyguard,” is the way Williams puts it.
Keith Richards should get such protection.
“He does the dirty work,” Williams admitted. “He doesn’t get the credit, but he lets me run around.”
“The way the defense is set up, someone has to play nose, someone has to do the dirty work … and I don’t mind doing it,” Dykes said.
While the public doesn’t understand the value Dykes has as he bottles up the middle, Rodriguez does. If Dykes wants credit, he gets it from his coaching staff.
“Keilen Dykes at the nose tackle position has made Reed a better middle linebacker,” Rodriguez said this week.
“Keilen has done a lot of things up front to allow Reed some freedom. The way our defense is structured, the middle linebacker has a little bit of freedom from sideline to sideline to make plays, and we rely on that. Reed has been playing so well, we don’t want to take him out.”
So Williams plays … and Dykes plays.
In fact, against South Florida, Dykes put on an ironman performance. The Mountaineers were on the field for 56 snaps on defense. Rodriguez thought Dykes may have played each and every one of them, while Dykes is thinking he missed one snap when a dime package was on the field.
Whatever, it was an amazing performance in the heat of battle and the heat of a Florida night.
“He’s a ‘manimal’ in there, and I’m glad he’s on my side,” Williams said of the 6-5, 295-pound Dykes. “He’s playing amazing football. Do you know how hard it is for someone that size to play 56 plays? He’s strong, and he’s in terribly good shape.”
But you don’t just “play” at nose guard. The position may be the most physically demanding in all of football.
“Sometimes his job is to hold the point and occupy two blockers. Not that you can’t make plays, Keilen has, but if you are a very good nose guard, you’re not going to get single blocked. You’re going to get double blocked by a guard on either side,” Rodriguez explained.
Dykes understands that by now.
“Every play I get at least a triple, someone blocking down on you, or trapping you,” he said. “You can get carved up in there if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
And how carved up is Dykes?
“I’m not carved up yet. I’m still ready to go,” he said.
Williams, of course, gets a good view of what Dykes does for him. Not so with Dykes, whose posterior is always facing Williams.
“I don’t know what Reed does behind me. I just know he makes the tackles, so we must be doing something right. I take my stats off how many tackles Reed makes. If he’s making tackles, I must be doing a good job,” Dykes said.
And Williams is making tackles, right now 42 of them in seven games to lead the Mountaineers and place sixth in the Big East
Dykes came to WVU with a higher profile than Williams, a Big 33 star out of Youngstown, Ohio. In Ohio, you are noticed by all the big-time recruiters.
Not so in West Virginia, especially Moorfield, where Williams was all-everything and that includes baseball, basketball, football and academics, serving as class valedictorian.
“This has been so important for me, especially where I came from, to make it at WVU and play major college football,” Williams said.
Williams is a farmer’s son. While he managed to be given time to play the sports that would give him a chance to attend college, from the time he was 12 or so on his life was a typical farm life.
“I’d be throwing bales of hay, feeding the cattle, walking through the chicken houses,” he said.
He could not have gotten a better work ethic for becoming a linebacker.
“I just look at my dad and how he did it,” Williams said. “He’s been working on a farm since he was 17, and he’s the greatest man I know.”
Even the hours kept on the farm helped Williams prepare for WVU football.
“You get used to seeing the sun rise,” he said. “We have a lot of early practices here in camp.”
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— The words have echoed throughout Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium over and over this season, reverberating from the business suits in the suites to the college sweeties in the student section.
“Tackle by Reed Williams … no gain,” public address announcer Travis Jones cries out as the crowd reacts.
But each time he does that, he is telling half the story for Reed Williams does not make any tackles unless Keilen Dykes, his bigger — that was bigger, not better … we’ll let them fight that battle — half, does his thing.
Williams is the middle linebacker in the 3-3-5 odd stack defense coach Rich Rodriguez will throw against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. It is the featured position, the position designed to make tackles from sideline to sideline.
When done right, as it has been this year with the Mountaineers ranking 13th in the nation against the rush and 11th in total defense, Williams’ heroics reach rock star status and, like a rock star, he has a body guard in Dykes.
“He’s like my personal bodyguard,” is the way Williams puts it.
Keith Richards should get such protection.
“He does the dirty work,” Williams admitted. “He doesn’t get the credit, but he lets me run around.”
“The way the defense is set up, someone has to play nose, someone has to do the dirty work … and I don’t mind doing it,” Dykes said.
While the public doesn’t understand the value Dykes has as he bottles up the middle, Rodriguez does. If Dykes wants credit, he gets it from his coaching staff.
“Keilen Dykes at the nose tackle position has made Reed a better middle linebacker,” Rodriguez said this week.
“Keilen has done a lot of things up front to allow Reed some freedom. The way our defense is structured, the middle linebacker has a little bit of freedom from sideline to sideline to make plays, and we rely on that. Reed has been playing so well, we don’t want to take him out.”
So Williams plays … and Dykes plays.
In fact, against South Florida, Dykes put on an ironman performance. The Mountaineers were on the field for 56 snaps on defense. Rodriguez thought Dykes may have played each and every one of them, while Dykes is thinking he missed one snap when a dime package was on the field.
Whatever, it was an amazing performance in the heat of battle and the heat of a Florida night.
“He’s a ‘manimal’ in there, and I’m glad he’s on my side,” Williams said of the 6-5, 295-pound Dykes. “He’s playing amazing football. Do you know how hard it is for someone that size to play 56 plays? He’s strong, and he’s in terribly good shape.”
But you don’t just “play” at nose guard. The position may be the most physically demanding in all of football.
“Sometimes his job is to hold the point and occupy two blockers. Not that you can’t make plays, Keilen has, but if you are a very good nose guard, you’re not going to get single blocked. You’re going to get double blocked by a guard on either side,” Rodriguez explained.
Dykes understands that by now.
“Every play I get at least a triple, someone blocking down on you, or trapping you,” he said. “You can get carved up in there if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
And how carved up is Dykes?
“I’m not carved up yet. I’m still ready to go,” he said.
Williams, of course, gets a good view of what Dykes does for him. Not so with Dykes, whose posterior is always facing Williams.
“I don’t know what Reed does behind me. I just know he makes the tackles, so we must be doing something right. I take my stats off how many tackles Reed makes. If he’s making tackles, I must be doing a good job,” Dykes said.
And Williams is making tackles, right now 42 of them in seven games to lead the Mountaineers and place sixth in the Big East
Dykes came to WVU with a higher profile than Williams, a Big 33 star out of Youngstown, Ohio. In Ohio, you are noticed by all the big-time recruiters.
Not so in West Virginia, especially Moorfield, where Williams was all-everything and that includes baseball, basketball, football and academics, serving as class valedictorian.
“This has been so important for me, especially where I came from, to make it at WVU and play major college football,” Williams said.
Williams is a farmer’s son. While he managed to be given time to play the sports that would give him a chance to attend college, from the time he was 12 or so on his life was a typical farm life.
“I’d be throwing bales of hay, feeding the cattle, walking through the chicken houses,” he said.
He could not have gotten a better work ethic for becoming a linebacker.
“I just look at my dad and how he did it,” Williams said. “He’s been working on a farm since he was 17, and he’s the greatest man I know.”
Even the hours kept on the farm helped Williams prepare for WVU football.
“You get used to seeing the sun rise,” he said. “We have a lot of early practices here in camp.”
