Barber Adjusting to New Defense
March 29, 2012 03:14 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - With spring practice underway, some familiar faces are gone, but new ones are beginning to appear on the football field.
West Virginia University has recruited plenty of new talent, hoping to make the upcoming 2012 season an unforgettable one. Ford Childress of Kinkaid High School, son of the retired Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ray Childress, is currently practicing with WVU. At the same time, Julian Miller, Keith Tandy, Bruce Irvin as well as other memorable Mountaineers are showing their skills through Pro Days in hopes of reaching their NFL dreams.
Between exciting news about new recruits and graduated athletes, let’s not forget about the returning players that are fighting for their time under the bright lights. One such player who is determined to show his improvement is Jared Barber.
Barber, a sophomore to be, put together a solid freshman campaign under his belt in 2001. He saw an ample amount of time on the field and proved to Dana Holgerson and Company what he’s made of. Last season, he finished with 23 total tackles, 13 of which were unassisted. Barber played one of his best games against BIG EAST rival Pitt where he ended the game with four tackles. Yet that was just a warm up for what came down in Miami, Fla., in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl.
Barber contributed to six tackles as the Mountaineers made bowl history by beating Clemson 70-33. If you mention the significant defensive plays he made in that game, Barber knows the importance of the but doesn’t let it get the best of him.
“It gives you confidence,” Barber said on the Orange Bowl victory, “but you can’t be over-confident.”
As a new addition to the Big 12 Conference, West Virginia will be facing new competition in a part of the country unfamiliar to the Mountaineers. Barber finds his past experience will help him power through future endeavors.
“In my mindset, I don’t think, ‘oh man, I’m playing big guys in Texas and Oklahoma.’ I can think, ‘I’ve done this’ because I’ve played like this before in the Orange Bowl. It gives you that mindset where you just play and don’t have to over-think it really,” he said.
Another thing the sophomore is trying not to overanalyze is the new defense that the Mountaineer coaching staff is currently executing. Former WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel pushed to recruit Barber last season. Barber valued their relationship and experience he learned through his old position coach, but now he is working with a new staff and a new type of defense altogether.
“You don’t have to think about it,” Barber says about the new look. “We haven’t gone over everything yet - we haven’t learned everything- but it’s a whole lot easier. It just gives you space to run around a little and play and hit people - and playing is the best part.”
Though he believes that the new strategy is easier to implement, Barber doesn’t think it will be easy on the opposition. Upon talking to his offensive teammates, they said they have been struggling with the rotations and can’t seem to find where the pressure is coming from.
“They said it’s pretty tough so I think we’re looking good,” Barber said.
Barber doesn’t quite know where exactly he will land on the Mountaineer defense yet, simply because it’s still foreign to everyone. Not only is the defensive scheme new to the players, but the new coaching staff is also adjusting to the players. For the time being, the Mocksville, N.C. resident is trying to fight his way into a starting position.
“Honestly, at this point, I’m just trying to get a starting spot, fighting with the guys. There’s a bunch of good competition going on,” he said. “We all had spots last year on the defense and the coaches knew us.”
Barber was able to step up last season when injuries led to his opportunity. He proved himself to be a helping hand on special teams, but ultimately, Barber is looking to shine for the Mountaineers’ defense.
“The defense is new to (the defensive coordinating staff) and it’s new to us. Right now, I’m just trying to figure out my role, my identity in the defense this year.”
West Virginia University has recruited plenty of new talent, hoping to make the upcoming 2012 season an unforgettable one. Ford Childress of Kinkaid High School, son of the retired Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ray Childress, is currently practicing with WVU. At the same time, Julian Miller, Keith Tandy, Bruce Irvin as well as other memorable Mountaineers are showing their skills through Pro Days in hopes of reaching their NFL dreams.
Between exciting news about new recruits and graduated athletes, let’s not forget about the returning players that are fighting for their time under the bright lights. One such player who is determined to show his improvement is Jared Barber.
Barber, a sophomore to be, put together a solid freshman campaign under his belt in 2001. He saw an ample amount of time on the field and proved to Dana Holgerson and Company what he’s made of. Last season, he finished with 23 total tackles, 13 of which were unassisted. Barber played one of his best games against BIG EAST rival Pitt where he ended the game with four tackles. Yet that was just a warm up for what came down in Miami, Fla., in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl.
Barber contributed to six tackles as the Mountaineers made bowl history by beating Clemson 70-33. If you mention the significant defensive plays he made in that game, Barber knows the importance of the but doesn’t let it get the best of him.
“It gives you confidence,” Barber said on the Orange Bowl victory, “but you can’t be over-confident.”
As a new addition to the Big 12 Conference, West Virginia will be facing new competition in a part of the country unfamiliar to the Mountaineers. Barber finds his past experience will help him power through future endeavors.
“In my mindset, I don’t think, ‘oh man, I’m playing big guys in Texas and Oklahoma.’ I can think, ‘I’ve done this’ because I’ve played like this before in the Orange Bowl. It gives you that mindset where you just play and don’t have to over-think it really,” he said.
Another thing the sophomore is trying not to overanalyze is the new defense that the Mountaineer coaching staff is currently executing. Former WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel pushed to recruit Barber last season. Barber valued their relationship and experience he learned through his old position coach, but now he is working with a new staff and a new type of defense altogether.
“You don’t have to think about it,” Barber says about the new look. “We haven’t gone over everything yet - we haven’t learned everything- but it’s a whole lot easier. It just gives you space to run around a little and play and hit people - and playing is the best part.”
Though he believes that the new strategy is easier to implement, Barber doesn’t think it will be easy on the opposition. Upon talking to his offensive teammates, they said they have been struggling with the rotations and can’t seem to find where the pressure is coming from.
“They said it’s pretty tough so I think we’re looking good,” Barber said.
Barber doesn’t quite know where exactly he will land on the Mountaineer defense yet, simply because it’s still foreign to everyone. Not only is the defensive scheme new to the players, but the new coaching staff is also adjusting to the players. For the time being, the Mocksville, N.C. resident is trying to fight his way into a starting position.
“Honestly, at this point, I’m just trying to get a starting spot, fighting with the guys. There’s a bunch of good competition going on,” he said. “We all had spots last year on the defense and the coaches knew us.”
Barber was able to step up last season when injuries led to his opportunity. He proved himself to be a helping hand on special teams, but ultimately, Barber is looking to shine for the Mountaineers’ defense.
“The defense is new to (the defensive coordinating staff) and it’s new to us. Right now, I’m just trying to figure out my role, my identity in the defense this year.”
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