Phillips: First Time Fine
September 03, 2003 02:14 PM | General
September 3, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Last Saturday’s Wisconsin game wasn’t a life altering experience for West Virginia running back Erick Phillips, but it was certainly one he won’t forget.
The redshirt freshman saw his first collegiate action against the No. 17-rated Badgers, getting about 20 snaps. Of the 20 Phillips says his first play was the most memorable.
“I had to come around and block and I actually tried to block two dudes,” said Phillips. “I told Coach Magee before the game, ‘Man I’m going to hit everybody for you.’ I didn’t practice hitting two dudes at a time but I went after two dudes and I got them both.
“I had butterflies from head to toe,” he continued. “After the first play I was cool. I’m going to be nervous before every game but not as nervous as my first college game.”
Starting tailback Quincy Wilson gives Phillips passing marks for his first collegiate performance. Wilson can still remember his first time playing back in 1999 against East Carolina in Charlotte.
“I remembered being, real, real nervous before the game so I think he did a pretty good job,” said Wilson.
Going into fall camp Phillips was penciled in as the team’s No. 3 tailback behind Quincy Wilson and Jason Colson. But a strong camp pushed him past Colson for the second spot, and so far he’s been able to hold on to the position despite a strong push from Colson, and juniors Hikee Johnson and Kay-Jay Harris.
“All I’ve got to say is God is good. That is my response,” said Phillips about moving up to the second team. “I don’t have a direct answer. Every day I’ve been coming out and working and more and more as time goes by I’m getting to learn the offense a lot better.
“Not only do you have to work but you’ve got to learn,” Phillips added. “In the beginning there were some mistakes I was making as far as reads on plays. But everything is starting to click and come together.”
Erick carried three times for six yards and also caught one pass for a yard. It wasn’t a debut like Amos Zereoue’s when he took his very first college carry 68 yards for a touchdown against Pitt on national television, but then again Zereoue wasn’t facing Wisconsin’s defense either.
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| Redshirt freshman Erick Phillips saw his first collegiate action last Saturday against Wisconsin. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
Most newcomers say the overall speed of the game is the biggest adjustment when they first get out on the field. Phillips believes it’s all relative, “People have their own inputs on the speed compared to high school, but my input is that it’s only as fast as you make it. If you listen to everybody and go out there believing that it’s going to be fast then it’s going to be fast. But if you get your mind set that you’re going to play with these guys then you can in my opinion.”
Perhaps the hardest thing for Phillips to get a handle on is blocking. Like most young backs, Phillips wasn’t asked to do much blocking before he got to college.
“When you go against 250-pound linebackers it’s always going to be tough. Coach Magee does a great job of teaching us fundamentals and how to block. So if I just go back to what coach taught me then I’ll be alright,” he said.
The 5-foot-9, 210-pound, Hilliard, Ohio, resident had an impressive prep resume at Davidson High School, located in the Columbus suburbs. He set a school record with 4,858 career rushing yards including a senior season in which he ran for 1,882 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Phillips was named the Columbus Dispatch player of the year and he entertained offers from several Big Ten schools. Former defensive coordinator Todd Graham was Phillips’ primary recruiter.
“Coach (Todd) Graham actually did most of the recruiting. I came here on a visit and I loved it and here I am,” Phillips said.
The running back actually preferred Michigan until the Wolverines informed him that they no longer had scholarships available for running backs.
“I was going to Michigan and it just kind of fell through,” Phillips said. “At the last minute they told me that they took all of the running back scholarships and gave them to linemen. Things happen for a reason. West Virginia stuck in there from the beginning. When I was looking at other schools they stayed firm and told me what they wanted in me.”
Phillips spent last season as a redshirt. It was the first time he had ever played in a no-huddle, spread offense. In high school he played primarily in an option and I-formation attack.
Wilson says making the adjustment to playing in this offense can be very difficult for a young running back, “Knowing all of the terminology and learning everything is pretty tough. We do a lot of checks at the line because defenses now move around on us and safeties move up on us. There are a lot of different things that we like to do to change. Staying mentally in the game and concentrating out there are the hardest things.”
For his part, Phillips says he still has a lot to learn.
“I had some right assignments and there are still some things that I need to get better at,” he admitted. “It’ll all come. I’m still learning the offense and the more I learn the more comfortable I’m going to get.”
And the more comfortable Phillips feels in the offense means the more comfortable Coach Rich Rodriguez will be giving him the football.
“I’ll never turn the ball down. I want to run the ball,” said Phillips. “A couple of times they called my number but they had to Xerox (change) the play to the other side. At first Quincy was telling me, ‘When we run max (both tailbacks in the game at the same time) you’re going to take some (carries).’ But when we got into the game things happened and we had to Xerox the play and I didn’t get a chance to run the ball. I’m ready to run and when they call my number I’m going to do the best that I can.”
Wilson believes Phillips’ best will be just fine, “He’s ready to play. He’s a hard-nosed guy and he’s just like me – he’s a north-south guy and that’s what you’ve got to do in this offense.”
