Post by rainman on Sept 13, 2007 6:29:12 GMT -5
Devine gives WVU added threat
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Throughout the preseason there was much chatter that this was the year West Virginia had to make its run toward a national championship if the Mountaineers ever would be able to reach such giddy heights.
The conventional wisdom was that junior All-American running back Steve Slaton would be drawn into the National Football League draft at season’s end. Despite strong comments from Slaton that indicated he planned upon finishing at WVU in quest of a degree and a national championship, there appeared to be millions upon millions of reasons why the lure of the $aint$ or the $eahawk$ would be too much.
After all, why should he ever go to Tampa Bay again after this year if there weren’t big NFL Bucs involved?
True, it seemed that the Mountaineers might be even better equipped for a run at a national title next year when Slaton and Patrick White and virtually the entire offensive line were seniors, but it seemed the Mountaineers would be a piston short without Slaton.
Enter Devine intervention.
Two games into what remains an unbeaten season, it appears that even if Slaton does make an end run to “The League,” as they call the NFL today, the Mountaineers are covered by the best Devine to hit football since Dan Devine, who brought football success to Missouri in the college ranks but was no Vince Lombardi in Green Bay.
Noel Devine is the real deal.
A true freshman with a flashy grill that sparkles when he smiles, this diminutive, spinning, slashing, slithering ball of energy seems to be the best thing to come out of Florida since orange juice.
He has caught the fans’ imagination and the coach’s attention in just two games, with 120 electrifying yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries, to say nothing of showing he’s a threat to take any kickoff the distance.
With Slaton on hand, he is the perfect replacement for him, shiftier if not as powerful, equally as fast and possessing an unspoken charisma on the field that makes him the kind of running back that fans and defenders want to wrap their arms around — the fans having as much chance during a game as the defenders seem to have.
Against Marshall last week, as the oppressive heat and the constant pounding wore Slaton down, coach Rich Rodriguez called upon Devine for inspiration in place of the perspiration that already had been shed, he responded with the kind of highlight reel that made him famous on “YouTube.com” coming out of North Fort Myers High.
Certainly his teammates were aware of those videos from the moment it was announced that this protégé of Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders was attending WVU.
“I’m one of those Internet guys with the recruiting thing,” offensive lineman Ryan Stanchek said. “When we knew we were getting him, I looked at it a lot. You look at the kid and it’s, ‘Wow! He’s the real deal.’”
Those tapes showed a shadowy figure who would run into piles of high school defenders, bounce around like a pinball, then break loose and beat everyone to the end zone. He was fast, stronger than 170 pounds should allow, and had a sense of balance that was uncanny.
What’s more, he possessed an ability to pick up a rather complicated system that Rodriguez uses on offense with as much speed as he needs to cover 40 yards.
Rodriguez is smart enough to know that with teams sending everyone but the water boy after Slaton, Devine offers him a back of equal breakaway potential who must be defended quite differently because of a different running style.
“We’ve got to get Noel into the game sooner,” Rodriguez admitted after he gained 76 yards with a pair of TDs against Marshall. “Steve got tired and Noel had fresh legs. We’ve got to get more confidence in him. He’s learning what we do very quickly, and when he’s got the ball in his hands, he’s got a gift.”
Rodriguez is not alone in making note of this Devine gift the freshman possesses.
Number Slaton among his biggest fans, as one could have seen for himself if he were not mesmerized by one of Devine’s touchdown runs against Marshall and instead focused upon Slaton, who was cheering wildly on the sideline.
“I think he might be more talented than me in the first year,” Slaton said. “He has that kind of ability.”
Stanchek added his own assessment.
“I think he’s an absolute stud,” the huge offensive lineman out of Cincinnati said. “Anyone who sees him run can see he flies. He reminds me of Steve a lot.”
Even quarterback Patrick White drools thinking about the prospects of having both Slaton and Devine to give the ball to.
“He keeps making plays, so why not put him in there?” White said. “He’s a playmaker, so why keep him off the field?”
Rodriguez obviously has the same kind of feeling.
“I’ll give him as much as he can handle,” the coach said, knowing that he must be careful not to put an overload on the inexperienced Devine. “Our offense can seem complicated at first, but we can keep it simple for him.”
One thing is certain, as if Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen didn’t have enough to worry about this week getting ready for tonight’s game, he now has the added burden of trying to figure out ways to stop Devine, too.
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Throughout the preseason there was much chatter that this was the year West Virginia had to make its run toward a national championship if the Mountaineers ever would be able to reach such giddy heights.
The conventional wisdom was that junior All-American running back Steve Slaton would be drawn into the National Football League draft at season’s end. Despite strong comments from Slaton that indicated he planned upon finishing at WVU in quest of a degree and a national championship, there appeared to be millions upon millions of reasons why the lure of the $aint$ or the $eahawk$ would be too much.
After all, why should he ever go to Tampa Bay again after this year if there weren’t big NFL Bucs involved?
True, it seemed that the Mountaineers might be even better equipped for a run at a national title next year when Slaton and Patrick White and virtually the entire offensive line were seniors, but it seemed the Mountaineers would be a piston short without Slaton.
Enter Devine intervention.
Two games into what remains an unbeaten season, it appears that even if Slaton does make an end run to “The League,” as they call the NFL today, the Mountaineers are covered by the best Devine to hit football since Dan Devine, who brought football success to Missouri in the college ranks but was no Vince Lombardi in Green Bay.
Noel Devine is the real deal.
A true freshman with a flashy grill that sparkles when he smiles, this diminutive, spinning, slashing, slithering ball of energy seems to be the best thing to come out of Florida since orange juice.
He has caught the fans’ imagination and the coach’s attention in just two games, with 120 electrifying yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries, to say nothing of showing he’s a threat to take any kickoff the distance.
With Slaton on hand, he is the perfect replacement for him, shiftier if not as powerful, equally as fast and possessing an unspoken charisma on the field that makes him the kind of running back that fans and defenders want to wrap their arms around — the fans having as much chance during a game as the defenders seem to have.
Against Marshall last week, as the oppressive heat and the constant pounding wore Slaton down, coach Rich Rodriguez called upon Devine for inspiration in place of the perspiration that already had been shed, he responded with the kind of highlight reel that made him famous on “YouTube.com” coming out of North Fort Myers High.
Certainly his teammates were aware of those videos from the moment it was announced that this protégé of Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders was attending WVU.
“I’m one of those Internet guys with the recruiting thing,” offensive lineman Ryan Stanchek said. “When we knew we were getting him, I looked at it a lot. You look at the kid and it’s, ‘Wow! He’s the real deal.’”
Those tapes showed a shadowy figure who would run into piles of high school defenders, bounce around like a pinball, then break loose and beat everyone to the end zone. He was fast, stronger than 170 pounds should allow, and had a sense of balance that was uncanny.
What’s more, he possessed an ability to pick up a rather complicated system that Rodriguez uses on offense with as much speed as he needs to cover 40 yards.
Rodriguez is smart enough to know that with teams sending everyone but the water boy after Slaton, Devine offers him a back of equal breakaway potential who must be defended quite differently because of a different running style.
“We’ve got to get Noel into the game sooner,” Rodriguez admitted after he gained 76 yards with a pair of TDs against Marshall. “Steve got tired and Noel had fresh legs. We’ve got to get more confidence in him. He’s learning what we do very quickly, and when he’s got the ball in his hands, he’s got a gift.”
Rodriguez is not alone in making note of this Devine gift the freshman possesses.
Number Slaton among his biggest fans, as one could have seen for himself if he were not mesmerized by one of Devine’s touchdown runs against Marshall and instead focused upon Slaton, who was cheering wildly on the sideline.
“I think he might be more talented than me in the first year,” Slaton said. “He has that kind of ability.”
Stanchek added his own assessment.
“I think he’s an absolute stud,” the huge offensive lineman out of Cincinnati said. “Anyone who sees him run can see he flies. He reminds me of Steve a lot.”
Even quarterback Patrick White drools thinking about the prospects of having both Slaton and Devine to give the ball to.
“He keeps making plays, so why not put him in there?” White said. “He’s a playmaker, so why keep him off the field?”
Rodriguez obviously has the same kind of feeling.
“I’ll give him as much as he can handle,” the coach said, knowing that he must be careful not to put an overload on the inexperienced Devine. “Our offense can seem complicated at first, but we can keep it simple for him.”
One thing is certain, as if Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen didn’t have enough to worry about this week getting ready for tonight’s game, he now has the added burden of trying to figure out ways to stop Devine, too.
