Making an Impression
August 10, 2007 07:54 AM | General
August 10, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It is rare for an offensive lineman to be ready to play his true freshman year. Their bodies and minds are simply not equipped for the physical nature the game. Such was the case for Eric Rodemoyer, who made the most of his year off in 2006.
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| Eric Rodemoyer is the youngest of a young starting offensive line.
Dale Sparks/All-Pro Photography |
Resigned to the scout team, the Sharon, Pa., native made quite an impression. He was named scout team champion for the week of the Maryland game and won the Mountaineer teammate of the year award for earning the most points in a semester-long off-field competition. He accomplished all this while steadily getting stronger and mentally preparing himself for future battles in the trenches.
That hard work and great attitude did not go unnoticed by the coaching staff. Rodemoyer spent the spring taking reps at the first team right guard position, putting him in the driver’s seat to replace the departed Jeremy Sheffey. Knowing that the job was his for the taking provided all the motivation Rodemoyer could have asked for in the off-season.
“That was the best thing that could have happened to me because it definitely boosted my confidence in the summer time,” Rodemoyer said. “Especially with the summer workouts, it just made me work hard all summer. I learned a lot of things (last spring) with Coach Frey.”
Repetition was the key, allowing Rodemoyer to develop a competence and an understanding of the major responsibilities of the position.
“What helped me in the spring was getting a lot of reps. Now it’s just a matter of getting the little things down that I have to learn from the older guys.” Rodemoyer said.
Those older guys -- Ryan Stanchek, Mike Dent and Jake Figner – are just juniors in addition to sophomore Greg Isdaner, who also has significant game experience. The youth of the line energizes Rodemoyer, realizing the next two years could be special up front.
“It’s exciting to think about what we may be able to do but right now we’re just trying to get better … you don’t even realize that we’re all coming back together,” Rodemoyer said. “It’s something we’re not thinking about right now.”
Rodemoyer has learned a lot from his new offensive line coach, crediting Frey with having taught him the majority of what he knows about the position.
“As a true freshman not knowing anything, I learned basically everything from him,” Rodemoyer said. “With Coach Trickett I redshirted last year so I wasn’t always around him as much, but I have learned everything about technique from Coach Frey.”
Rodemoyer notes that while the principles of the Mountaineers’ zone blocking scheme haven’t changed much under Frey, the ability to pick his coach’s brain and receive a thorough explanation of what he wants done has.
“It’s basically the same zone blocking schemes, the only difference is you can ask him a question a lot easier and he will explain things to you a lot easier,” Rodemoyer said. “That’s the biggest difference. A few small things are different but nothing special.”
Those zone blocking principles are a far cry from the smash-mouth brand of football Rodemoyer played while earning first-team all-Pennsylvania lineman accolades at Kennedy Catholic High School.
“At my high school we just ran the I-formation downhill and when you get here it’s totally different but it is definitely a style I like more,” Rodemoyer said. “We get to rely a little more on our athleticism rather than just strength and power.”
Rodemoyer is excited to play alongside teammate and close friend Mike Dent, who appears likely to replace last year’s Rimington award winner Dan Mozes at center.
“Mike Dent and I actually became best friends over my freshman year so there is nobody I would rather be next to than him,” Rodemoyer said. “He worked his butt off this summer and there is no doubt in my mind he can step in for Mozes.”
Rodemoyer is also happy to see Steve Slaton return to the backfield for fall camp. Slaton, who makes life easier on any lineman, sat out the spring recovering from wrist surgery.
“That’s the thing about the spring, Steve (Slaton) wasn’t around that much but now he gets the ball and he’s just gone,” Rodemoyer said. “You just have to get in front of the defender for a couple seconds.”
Coach Rodriguez says that while he’s encouraged by the play of both Dent and Rodemoyer, anytime you lose two all-Big East performers along the offensive line there is cause for concern.
“Losing the two multi-year starters, they’ve been through all the wars and you could throw any defense out there and they could adjust to it pretty quickly,” Rodriguez said. “I have yet to see these guys do that.”
Rodemoyer agrees there is still a lot to learn and improve upon.
“I need to work on the little things like getting my technique better and reading defenses,” Rodemoyer said. “We’re just cleaning little things up now. We had a pretty good spring and now it’s time to get ready for the season.”
