Super Sub
October 04, 2007 09:12 AM | General
October 4, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a valiant second half performance in place of the injured Patrick White last Friday night at South Florida, sophomore quarterback Jarrett Brown prepares this week as if he is the starting quarterback.
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| Jarrett Brown passed for 149 yards and a touchdown last Friday night at South Florida.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
“My attitude and the way I approach practice is different,” Brown said. “I have a sense of urgency. Coming off of South Florida I want to push myself and get in shape and study film. I just don’t want to lose another game. I never want to go through that feeling again.”
Coach Rich Rodriguez stated Tuesday that he won’t name a starter for the Syracuse game until right before kickoff but Brown says Rodriguez has been getting him ready to play as usual.
“Coach Rod always tells me to practice like you’re the number one. Being the number two, you try but sometimes you don’t practice like you play,” Brown said. “He wants me to practice like I play and get better every day just in case my number is called and it might be on Saturday.”
Brown, who completed 11 of 20 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown to go with two interceptions against USF, says he had no time to be nervous or apprehensive when White went down against the Bulls.
“I didn’t have time to react. I wasn’t even thinking. I just thought it was time to grab my helmet and go,” Brown said. “It was pretty fast, jumping right into the fire. I just wanted to keep the ball moving. That was my only mindset to keep the thing going and start where we left off and try to win the game.”
Even though White couldn’t help the team physically, Brown says White gave him constant encouragement and insight from the sideline.
“I saw Pat limping. He grabbed his leg and came over and said, ‘Go big boy. Show them what you’ve got.’ Every time I came over to the sideline we would talk,” Brown said. “He would tell me what he sees because it’s easier to see what the defense is doing from the sideline.”
Brown believes that the experience gained against South Florida, and the pressure to rally the team that came with it, will be invaluable for him going forward.
“I know what to look for now from experience,” Brown said. “It’s harder to simulate the game in practice. The speed in practice and watching the guys on film is a lot different than being out there.”
Brown says that the toughness of White really shows during weeks such as this and while he wouldn’t be surprised the see the Daphne, Ala., native on the field for the first snap on Saturday, he also remembers a similar scenario in preparing for last season’s home finale against Rutgers. Brown stepped in and passed for 244 yards and a touchdown in leading West Virginia to a triple-overtime victory.
“I knew there was a possibility I would play because Pat and I were roommates. We had talked and he said if he couldn’t go I should just be ready to step in,” Brown said. “I already had the mindset that I might play and I was ready and that’s how I am approaching this game.”
The easy going Brown is as relaxed and as calm as anyone you will ever see on the football field. It is that poise under pressure that allowed him to convert several long fourth downs as he tried to rally the Mountaineers past the Bulls.
“That’s pretty much my nature. I never want to panic when I’m out there. I’ve been playing this game since I can’t remember so I just feel confident in what I’m doing,” Brown said. “The whole team knows when I get in there I’m going to play my hardest and lead them and I know they are going to play hard for me.”
The former all-state quarterback admits that it has been different trying to bounce back from a loss. He is trying to turn the loss into motivation.
“It’s just something that you have to put behind you. You always learn from your mistakes and it will make you so much better in the end,” Brown said. “I was frustrated. Even though we had all the turnovers we still had a chance to win.”
Regardless of who takes the first snap in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Jarrett Brown knows that the Mountaineers’ success or failure will be based upon offensive execution and not the man playing quarterback.
“No matter who starts, we’re just going to go out there and do what we do best. We’re going to run the football and pass the ball,” Brown said. “They are going to have to stop our offense. That’s our attitude. That’s the way we are going to approach this game.”
