It takes a certain type of mindset to successfully play defensive back at the college level.
A DB is out there on an island with the receiver he's covering, representing the final line of defense between that wideout and the end zone. The smallest error could result in six points or another big play.
That's the tough lesson that members of the University of Charleston's secondary had to learn in last week's loss to Urbana.
"To play that position, you have to bring the right mindset into the game and you have to have a tremendously high football IQ to understand what's going on around you," UC coach Pat Kirkland said. "You have to know in certain situations what you can and can't afford to do out there. It's not just about playing your guy and playing responsibly. You have to understand the situations."
The Golden Eagles allowed nine pass plays of 15 or more yards as the Blue Knights rallied to take a late win, sending UC to its third consecutive loss and sixth for the season.
Kirkland called it one of the most disappointing showings he had seen in his coaching career, as Charleston struggled to consistently slow down the Urbana offense.
The Golden Eagles (2-6, 2-6 Mountain East Conference) are moving forward from that, hoping to bounce back at 1 p.m. Saturday at West Virginia Wesleyan (2-6, 2-5). In order to do that, they must have a short memory and be ready to put the Urbana game behind them.
"The kids saw the things they did wrong and they know they are going to be held accountable for those mistakes," Kirkland said. "They responded this week. Everyone understands what needs to be done moving forward and they're ready to prove they can get it done."
UC has allowed 288 passing yards per game during its current three-game slide, with opposing quarterbacks eclipsing 300 yards in two of those games.
The Golden Eagles sit at No. 7 in the MEC in pass defense and are ninth in scoring defense, allowing more than 30 points per game.
The coaching staff has preached this week about the importance of limiting those big plays, several of which kept drives going and forced UC's defense to stay on the field.
"It's been something we've done on the back end the whole year, it feels like, and we have to make some changes if we want to get better," Kirkland said. "We have to correct it because we aren't giving ourselves much of a chance by allowing big plays and things like that. In the meantime we just have to keep working to get better."
The most important thing Kirkland has seen from his team as it responds to this tough stretch of adversity has been the way the defensive unit has continued coming together during the tough times.
As the secondary has struggled, other players from different positions have encouraged those players, pushing them to remain focused on their goals.
"This week we've seen everyone step up. Our defense has some leaders who have been vocal with the guys," Kirkland said. "With that being said, those guys who have done that are doing it because they've earned the respect of their teammates and have prepared the right way and have done the right things. Now the goal is getting everyone to follow that lead and move in the right direction with them."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.