BABY STEPS
September 22, 2011 09:56 AM | General
Progress for West Virginia’s running backs right now is being measured by baby steps. In the season opener against Marshall, the Mountaineer runners managed a meager 42 yards on 26 carries.
Two weeks ago against Norfolk State, the output increased to a 102 yards, but WVU had trouble getting tough yards including an embarrassing goal line situation when West Virginia had six cracks to get the ball in from the 1 and couldn’t do it. And then last week against Maryland, the rushing total fell to 92 yards.
However, running backs coach Robert Gillespie was encouraged by what he saw from his young backs last weekend in College Park.
“Every week is going to be a chance for us to get better with every rep and I think we took step forward,” Gillespie said earlier this week. “This week is going to be a big challenge. These kids are excited because this is what they have waited their whole life for a chance to play in a game like this and play in a game against really good competition.
“Hopefully we can do some things that move us forward and helps us get better for our games throughout the rest of the season.”
Because Gillespie is working with such a young and inexperienced group of players, he has had to literally teach them how to do things from scratch. Consequently, he’s had to spend more time pointing out their mistakes.
“In order to get better you’ve got to make mistakes,” he said. “That’s the part where we wish it wasn’t true, but I think these guys will get better with every mistake they make. They were able to see that patience can help set their blocks versus Norfolk. Missing that fourth quarter versus Marshall was critical because every rep these guys play they will be better, from a protection standpoint and also from being a ball carrier.”
Gillespie says all of his players must be able to handle constructive criticism.
“I tell my guys all the time being a coach my job is to correct, critique and encourage,” Gillespie said. “I will show briefly the good things they do, but my job is to really point out the things they do wrong – show the things they do well but let’s shelf that and move on to the things to get better. Let’s work on it and keep putting a magnifying glass on that until we get it right.
“At times I think the guys may think it’s hard – it’s tough love – but my job is to find the next thing to get you better at.”
The goal is to have fewer and fewer bad cutups to show his running backs as the season goes along.
“I tell the guys, ‘Your ultimate goal would be for me not to say anything to you during practice. We get here and watch the film and it goes by smooth,’” Gillespie said. “But, we’ll spend as much time on one play as we have to before we move on to the next. Let’s focus on the things that we can get better at.”
True freshman Vernard Roberts is West Virginia’s leading ground gainer with 112 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. Another true freshman, Andrew Buie, is a close second with 88 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
Shawne Alston, a junior with limited playing experience, is third on the team with 20 yards while a third true freshman, Dustin Garrison, is fourth on the team with 19 yards.
There are just not a lot of veteran guys in Gillespie’s meeting room and that means they are all trying to figure it out together.
“I wish they had a situation where they could learn from an older guy how to prepare for a game, how to watch tape, but right now we don’t,” Gillespie pointed out. “We’re in a situation where the older guys are guys who don’t have a lot of reps either.
“But the older guys have been really good. They ask really good questions in the meeting room and those are the things a younger guy needs to understand. What type of questions to ask? What am I looking for on tape? Coming off the field and communicating on the sidelines.”
Gillespie believes it will eventually come, if not this weekend against second-ranked LSU, then soon.
“They’re eager. They’re willing and they want to learn all of those things in order for them to be good football players.”
Two weeks ago against Norfolk State, the output increased to a 102 yards, but WVU had trouble getting tough yards including an embarrassing goal line situation when West Virginia had six cracks to get the ball in from the 1 and couldn’t do it. And then last week against Maryland, the rushing total fell to 92 yards.
However, running backs coach Robert Gillespie was encouraged by what he saw from his young backs last weekend in College Park.
“Every week is going to be a chance for us to get better with every rep and I think we took step forward,” Gillespie said earlier this week. “This week is going to be a big challenge. These kids are excited because this is what they have waited their whole life for a chance to play in a game like this and play in a game against really good competition.
“Hopefully we can do some things that move us forward and helps us get better for our games throughout the rest of the season.”
Because Gillespie is working with such a young and inexperienced group of players, he has had to literally teach them how to do things from scratch. Consequently, he’s had to spend more time pointing out their mistakes.
“In order to get better you’ve got to make mistakes,” he said. “That’s the part where we wish it wasn’t true, but I think these guys will get better with every mistake they make. They were able to see that patience can help set their blocks versus Norfolk. Missing that fourth quarter versus Marshall was critical because every rep these guys play they will be better, from a protection standpoint and also from being a ball carrier.”
Gillespie says all of his players must be able to handle constructive criticism.
“I tell my guys all the time being a coach my job is to correct, critique and encourage,” Gillespie said. “I will show briefly the good things they do, but my job is to really point out the things they do wrong – show the things they do well but let’s shelf that and move on to the things to get better. Let’s work on it and keep putting a magnifying glass on that until we get it right.
“At times I think the guys may think it’s hard – it’s tough love – but my job is to find the next thing to get you better at.”
The goal is to have fewer and fewer bad cutups to show his running backs as the season goes along.
“I tell the guys, ‘Your ultimate goal would be for me not to say anything to you during practice. We get here and watch the film and it goes by smooth,’” Gillespie said. “But, we’ll spend as much time on one play as we have to before we move on to the next. Let’s focus on the things that we can get better at.”
True freshman Vernard Roberts is West Virginia’s leading ground gainer with 112 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. Another true freshman, Andrew Buie, is a close second with 88 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
Shawne Alston, a junior with limited playing experience, is third on the team with 20 yards while a third true freshman, Dustin Garrison, is fourth on the team with 19 yards.
There are just not a lot of veteran guys in Gillespie’s meeting room and that means they are all trying to figure it out together.
“I wish they had a situation where they could learn from an older guy how to prepare for a game, how to watch tape, but right now we don’t,” Gillespie pointed out. “We’re in a situation where the older guys are guys who don’t have a lot of reps either.
“But the older guys have been really good. They ask really good questions in the meeting room and those are the things a younger guy needs to understand. What type of questions to ask? What am I looking for on tape? Coming off the field and communicating on the sidelines.”
Gillespie believes it will eventually come, if not this weekend against second-ranked LSU, then soon.
“They’re eager. They’re willing and they want to learn all of those things in order for them to be good football players.”
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