Living the Dream
August 31, 2007 08:45 AM | General
August 31, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It is a moment that Jock Sanders has dreamed about since he laced up his first pair of cleats and strapped on his first football helmet. The picture is still vivid in his mind. He’s standing in the tunnel of a major college football stadium. His heart is pounding as the intensity reaches a fever pitch. Suddenly he bursts out onto the field to the delight of 60,000 screaming fans.
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| True freshman running back Jock Sanders is expected to see plenty of playing time Saturday as Steve Slaton's back up.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
“I’m ready. It’s a big part of my life. I’ve always dreamed about playing college football. I am just so happy to be here right now,” Sanders said.
That dream will play out this Saturday afternoon in Morgantown when Sanders and his West Virginia teammates take the field at Milan Puskar Stadium for the 2007 season opener against Western Michigan. While Sanders admits he has played the scenario out in his mind many times, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native is trying to block it out as game time approaches.
“I try not to think about it because I would probably get nervous and be a nervous wreck. I try not to but I can visualize it. I can see the fans screaming,” Sanders said. “I am trying to just stay focused and keep my head right for the game. It should be fun.”
Like most players that have been through summer conditioning and fall camp, Sanders is looking forward to playing against someone other than his teammates. He says the rigors of the preseason were a tough adjustment for him but he fully understands the price you have to pay to be a productive Division I player.
“The biggest thing was Mike Barwis and all that hard work,” said Sanders of the biggest adjustment he’s had to make. “I have never worked that hard in my life. It will sure pay off in the games.”
Sanders says the workouts were a far cry from anything he experienced in high school.
“It was a struggle. I didn’t struggle that much but it was just hard at first because I have never had to run like we run here,” Sanders said. “There is so much work to do here. In high school a superstar gets some of their work cut out. Here you will work no matter who you are.”
Sanders’ competition for playing time with highly-touted freshman Noel Devine gave him extra motivation every day to prove to the coaching staff that he belonged.
“Coming in I felt a little bit like the underdog. I have to prove myself to other people,” Sanders said. “That’s what I have tried to do and it’s been hard at times but I got over that hump.”
He has gotten over that hump to the point that he will see the field against the Broncos along with Devine. Coach Rodriguez addressed the rational that goes in to giving true freshmen playing time in the opening game.
“You’d hate for them to go into their first game in a critical situation but at the same time we can’t be afraid to play them. They know enough that they can go in there and be confident,” Rodriguez said. “We know they can execute whether it’s pass protection or running a route or being handed the ball. They are taking all the same reps of the same plays that Steve (Slaton) is.”
As he was making his college decision, Sanders gave a long hard look at the defending national champion Florida Gator program, almost staying home in the Sunshine State. It wasn’t until a Dec. 2 visit to Morgantown that Sanders knew he wanted to be a Mountaineer.
“I came and saw all of the excitement from the Rutgers game. It was very exciting and I just told myself I will have to adjust to the coolness,” Sanders said with a laugh.
However it wasn’t just the atmosphere of Mountaineer Field at night that swayed Sanders. He felt his skills might be utilized a little more in a gold and blue uniform.
“When I looked at Florida they didn’t really use their running backs as much,” Sanders said. “They didn’t use their running backs in the slot that much so that’s what gave me a heads up toward West Virginia.”
Sanders has done a nice job picking up the Mountaineer offense in the preseason. He says one of the big reasons why he has had such early success is because of the schematic similarities between the West Virginia offense and the one he played in high school.
“We played the same kind of offense that Coach Rod has here except we played more I-formation. I adjusted to it really well. There isn’t so much pressure on the kids that come in from similar systems,” Sanders said. “They already know how to run routes and how to correctly line up at the slot and outside receiver positions.”
Sanders, a jack of all trades in high school, playing quarterback, running back, receiver and safety, says he has no preference of where he lines up for the Mountaineers as long as he is on the field somewhere.
“I just want to do whatever can get me on the field right now. If they want me to play slot or running back I will. It doesn’t matter. I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Sanders said. “I like them all. Playmakers like to get their hands on the ball and that’s what I like.”
As for his visualization abilities, Sanders says his dream scenario for Saturday has played out further than the team’s entrance from the tunnel – it goes all the way up to the first time he touches the football.
“It was a run,” Sanders said. “I broke about two tackles and then it was all down hill the rest of the way … all the way.”
That’s a dream West Virginia fans readily hope becomes a reality on Saturday.
