11.16.06

Expectations not the same for UC, State
November 16, 2006

By Andrew Beckner
Charleston Daily Mail

Two local football programs. Two coaches. Two sets of expectations.
For University of Charleston Coach Tony DeMeo, there's some disappointment in the air.
For West Virginia State University Coach Earl Monroe, roses are in bloom.
"I wish we would have won more," said DeMeo, whose Golden Eagles finished 5-6 this season a setback, of sorts, for a program that a year ago was celebrating the single greatest turnaround in the history of the West Virginia Conference, from 2-8 in 2004 to 8-3 in 2005.

Still, the Golden Eagles were 4-3 in conference play this season, which put them in a three-way tie for second place in the league.

That's exactly where the preseason coaches poll had UC before anyone played a down.
"When you have as young a team as we had, to be picked that high was absurd," DeMeo said. "(But) I like the way we played this year. I think that bodes well for our future."

As for State and first-year Coach Monroe, the expectations were off the mark.
The Yellow Jackets didn't finish dead last, as everyone thought three months ago.
Instead, there's a virtual celebration in Institute over a seventh-place league finish and their own 5-6 (2-5 WVC) mark. State's win total more than doubled its 2-9 mark from 2005, the last under former coach Carl Lee.

"This is all about the players," Monroe said. "It's not Coach Monroe. The staff is working hard, (but) the players are doing it. They deserve all the success they are getting."

What a contrast! DeMeo is somewhat disappointed, Monroe is elated.
But, that's exactly where these two programs are. UC, despite its new-kid-on-the-block status the Golden Eagles just finished their third season after a 47-year hiatus is seen as a program on the rise, with great facilities and a talented crop of young players just learning their way.

"I think (the foundation) is really good," DeMeo said. "We have some outstanding young players that are really going to be exceptional players. We are going to be fine."

No kidding. Freshman linebacker LeDominique Williams turned out to be an absolute revelation, registering 90 total tackles. That was good for third best in the conference, which is no surprise to anyone who went to UC Stadium to see the Golden Eagles play.

You could hear his name called "the stop was made by LeDominique Williams" on nearly every defensive play.
Offensively, there are holes to fill. Quarterback Corey Isner, a two-year starter, has played his final game. He had 1,429 yards through the air this year, and 11 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He was fifth in the league in total offense.

Joining him out the UC door is senior tailback Blake Burr, the team's leading rusher who rushed for 648 yards and four touchdowns this year.

Do-everything slotback Rusty Taylor, a former Riverside star, and his 1,179 all-purpose yards also are exiting.
Coming back, of course, is former Kennedy Award-winning tailback Josh Culbertson, the former Nitro High star who rewrote the state record books in his four years as a Wildcat. He got off to a good start as a freshman, gaining 570 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

A DOZEN miles west, in Institute, Monroe feels good about where the Yellow Jackets are.
That's because his team's marked improvement came without the benefit of the team's full complement of plays. Monroe purposely didn't install all of his offense or defense, choosing to keep things simple for a team that was overwhelmingly dominated by freshmen and sophomores.

"We had a schedule, but we decided we weren't going to get the whole book in with so many young guys," Monroe said. "We were going to put plays in and work in those players until everyone got it, not just what to do but how to get there. We've missed the ‘how to get there' in the past, and not getting the finer details.

"We figured, let's run a play 100 times ... and make sure everyone knows the fundamental things," he said. "It's tough, because at the end of the week you didn't get everything in. But we stuck with it. We wanted to get good at something.

"These guys got comfortable and they weren't guessing. As we got better, then we put in additional plays and introduced more things. But there is no secret formula. It's just what we believed."

The Yellow Jackets will build on that.
They will have all statistical leaders back: freshman tailback Reginald Robinson (142 carries, 571 yards, one touchdown); freshman receiver Jayson Moore (11 catches, 459 yards) and freshman tight end Mike Jones (11 catches, three touchdowns); and freshman quarterback Kevin O'Brien (149 completions, 1,897 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions).

"We're extremely excited," Monroe said. "We still have a lot of need. We need a little bit of everything."
Rreally, doesn't every football team?
DeMeo said he and his staff are developing an offseason recruiting plan this week, and will hit the area first before branching out to surrounding regions Cincinnati, parts of Kentucky, north to Pittsburgh, and south to Florida.

"We feel that we're going to go out and recruit and get the best players we can find and see how it goes," DeMeo said.
Monroe already has started.
"We're going to go out and hit these (West Virginia high school) playoff games hard," he said. "We're excited about our recruiting. Winning helps, and it goes a long way about telling these kids about turning a program around.

"All those things are happening. We've got a lot of irons in the fire."