Football Notebook
October 16, 2005 12:49 AM | General
October 15, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia safety Eric Wicks spent the entire afternoon chasing and missing Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, but when it counted most Wicks finally got his man.
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| West Virginia's Eric Wicks celebrates his game-saving stop of Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm on the Cardinals' two-point conversion attempt.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
Several times Wicks came on blitzes trying to get to Louisville’s talented quarterback and each time he came up with air. But when Brohm took off running on a two-point conversion try and extend the game, Wicks was there to put him on the ground short of the goal line.
“It was like when I missed him I was mad because I’ve got to make this play. Once I got him it was actually relief because the game was over after that,” Wicks said.
Brohm carved up West Virginia’s defense for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns, making several key third and fourth-down throws to keeping drives alive. When Brohm engineered Louisville’s last touchdown to pull within two, Wicks was sure he was going to throw another pass on the two-point conversion try.
“I was surprised that he actually tried to pull it down and run with it because he’s not really a mobile quarterback to run around, he’s more of a pocket passer, but it was good that he did scramble,” Wicks said.
The junior says defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel chose to use a zone defense on the two-point try.
“We were in like a zone defense where most of the DBs dropped back into a zone and tried to not let them pass the ball,” he said. “I guess he had no options so once he started scrambling I just tried to get to him before he didn’t get into the end zone.”
Casteel was also concerned about calming his players down and making sure they understood their assignments on the two-point conversion.
“Everybody had a lot of energy and he just wanted us to calm down and play good football,” Wicks said.
Even though Wicks wound up making the play, it wasn’t his job to spy the quarterback in case he tucked the football and decided to run.
“I had him outside leverage and once I saw him go straight up the field I just read the quarterback and saw him coming out,” Wicks said.
He knew he had to react quickly because he was standing on the goal line when Brohm decided to run the ball.
“I knew I had to get there in a hurry,” Wicks said. “It was just breaking down on the ball and not letting him get outside and forcing him back into my help where the linebackers are and just make a play.”
The Pittsburgh native thought for a split second about hitting Brohm low but changed his mind.
I couldn’t do that because he’d jump over me so it was more of just go after his head,” Wicks said.
West Virginia’s remarkable fourth quarter comeback was in stark contrast to the first three quarters when it appeared Louisville was well in control of the game. Wicks admits the defense was pressing to make a play to get the offense back on the field.
“All game we felt like we had to make a play. They kept driving and would get third downs,” he said. “Everyone on the defense knew we had to make a play so it came down to that last play and I just had to make it.”
Despite trailing by 17 points with eight minutes to go in the game, Wicks said the team never quit fighting and believing.
“It’s a fist fight and you’ve got to keep on fighting all the way through for 60 minutes. We never stopped until it was over,” he said.
When the moment finally came when Wicks realized he had made the game-saving play, he let out a big yell and celebrated with his teammates.
“I couldn’t believe it and I just went crazy after that. It was a great play and it was good that I was there to make that play,” he said.
Now that’s an understatement.
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