Making His Point
October 23, 2004 11:19 AM | General
October 23, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Jason Colson cashed in some of his chips Thursday night against Syracuse.
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| Jason Colson ran for a career-high 113 yards Thursday night against Syracuse.
AP photo |
Colson, a Rochester, N.Y., native, admitted after the Syracuse game that he was playing with a chip on his shoulder because he made an oral commitment to the Orange before changing his mind when SU assistant coach David Walker told him he had a better shot of playing defensive back in college.
“Before I was going to go to Syracuse and they didn’t think I had what it takes to be a running back,” Colson said.
Colson went to Syracuse’s summer camp where they told him they planned on using him at cornerback because they already had Damien Rhodes in the fold. Colson committed to Syracuse with the idea of proving that he was good enough to make the team as a running back.
“I was like okay if that was the way to get on the field as a running back. I talked to their running backs coach and he told me that Damien Rhodes what their guy,” Colson said.
Colson then turned his attention to West Virginia, which was coming off a disappointing 3-8 season in Coach Rich Rodriguez’ first year in 2001.
“West Virginia was always in the picture and I always watched West Virginia football and I thought I’ll go over here and help this team that was 3-8 get back to where they were before,” he said. “West Virginia was always on my mind.”
So now each time before he plays Syracuse Colson places the newspaper clipping of him committing to the Orange in his locker.
“It kind of motivates me,” Colson said. “I got an opportunity with another team and showed them that I can be a running back.”
Colson gained a career-high 113 yards against Syracuse by hitting the holes with a fury and desire rarely seen before.
“Jason gets a little extra juice in him when he plays Syracuse because he’s a New York guy and he was being recruited by them,” said Rodriguez. “He played pretty well; he made some nice reads and did a nice job.”
Colson doesn’t have any bad feelings toward Walker or Syracuse … he just has a burning desire to prove to them that he is a Division I-caliber running back. “I don’t take it personally. I just put it into my game as a part of my mentality,” he said.
“I have nothing against them,” he added. “They didn’t want to recruit me as a running back and that’s fine. I’m at a place where I’m happy and I’m running the ball.”
Colson says the offensive line made it possible for him to have his best night as a WVU runner against Syracuse.
“The O-line was fantastic. They were putting up holes that I haven’t seen this year. They practiced hard and Coach Trickett got those guys together and Coach Magee got us together and basically we just put on a show,” he said.
Colson admits that freshman Pernell Williams’ performance against Connecticut was also a motivating factor. Williams finished the game with 89 yards and scored the deciding touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
“It’s all competition,” Colson said. “That had a little bit to do with it because he pushed me in the last game as a young back coming in and contributing as much as he did. That kind of gave me a little bit of and edge, too.”
Colson, who fumbled on his last carry against Connecticut, wanted to make sure he kept a tight grip on the football this time around.
“I had to squeeze onto the ball. I didn’t want anything like that to happen again. I held on to the ball as tight as I could,” he said.
Colson now has four career 100-yard games and is second on the team to Kay-Jay Harris with 519 yards on 97 carries. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and is also second to Harris with five rushing touchdowns. Colson has a long run of 48 yards against Connecticut.
“I’m starting to come into my own,” Colson admits.
That translates into Jason Colson becoming more confident and willing to try moves he usually employs in practice. On one first-quarter run Thursday night Colson broke through the line and made a nifty spin move that wound up netting 17 yards.
“I got that one from Avon. It was something I’ve tried to put into my repertoire,” Colson said.
The way he’s been playing recently Jason Colson will continue to be a big part of West Virginia’s running repertoire, whether the opponent is Syracuse or not.
