West Virginia State running back Tyrone Barber is a true freshman, but six games into the season, there's no room left for him to play like one.
State players and coaches are happy to see that he's not, that he could shoulder the burden of being the team's offensive workhorse and flourish. Barber scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner, in Saturday's 32-29 win over Notre Dame (Ohio) College, WVSU's first victory this season at Lakin Field.
Barber admitted that where he caught the winning 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Kinnick was not where he was designed to be on that play.
"It was crazy how the play was drawn up," Barber said. "I was supposed to run a flat route and I saw the linebacker go out, so I just planted my foot and cut it up. The quarterback saw me and he just threw it."
Becoming an effective receiver out of the backfield is one of many skills Barber has been able to develop in a relatively short time, State coach Jon Anderson said.
"He's starting to mature into a running back, as opposed to an athlete that has great speed," Anderson said. "You see him starting to come alive in the passing game. We've got a lot of great things we can do with that. We can keep him in when we need him for protection, which opens up the screen game."
His usual partner in crime in the backfield, running back Kelvit Barrett, didn't suit up for Saturday's game. Anderson said Barrett gave it his best try, but by Friday, State coaches decided to rest his injuries.
Barber said he never got nervous. He's played against more-experienced competition since his youth football days, and he's made the most of his practice opportunities.
"I just had to take a big step, have confidence and trust in my playing ability," Barber said. "Protect the ball at all times and trust my line."
Barber led all rushers with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. He also tied for the team lead with seven catches, gaining 61 yards with a touchdown. Anderson said he feels Barber already is playing beyond is years and has the work ethic to improve even more.
"He's doing great things but he's really progressing and getting close to becoming a complete running back which, for an 18-year-old kid, sometimes that takes time," Anderson said. "I'm seeing a lot of great progress every week. He's really diligent on learning, really diligent on studying and being coachable is a big thing for him."
While he's confident in his abilities and enjoys his role as a featured back, Barber remembers there are plenty of talented athletes in State's running back room. Barrett should be ready for practice Tuesday, Dionta Brown has stepped up when needed, and the Yellow Jackets will have Tevin Brown back next season after he recovers from knee surgery.
"We still have four good backs," Barber said. "We're just going to keep on fighting, work hard and get each other better when they come back. We're all going to be workhorses."
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University of Charleston football coach Pat Kirkland can look back at the last four weeks' worth of games and say that his Golden Eagles know how to come through when the game gets tight.
Of those last four games, three have been decided by eight points or less. The Golden Eagles squeaked by Glenville State 31-30, got past Concord 29-21, and on Saturday erased a nine-point third-quarter deficit to escape West Liberty with a 42-37 win.
Kirkland said that resilience is praiseworthy, but he'd rather UC put the game out of reach much earlier.
"I'm glad that we're coming out and finishing the game," he said, "but if you also look at all three of those - and I'm being a little bit of a Sunday morning pessimist here - we allowed those teams to be in a position to come back."
Against the Hilltoppers, Charleston (5-1, 5-1 Mountain East) scored the game's first points on quarterback Jeremy Johnson's 3-yard first-quarter touchdown run, but West Liberty rallied before its homecoming crowd to take a 23-14 lead with 8:58 left in the third. UC responded with three straight touchdowns and led 42-30 with 3:58 remaining in the game.
Kirkland can see where inexperience, especially in the secondary, has led to some opponents' late rallies. Even with a senior like John Knox inserted as starting free safety, he hadn't played defense since middle school. Kirkland said a key to holding foes at bay is working closely with younger and less-experienced players during the week.
"I think it's really educating these guys saying, hey, you're up," he said. "This is what you're going to see now. You know they're going to throw the ball. They're not going to just run straight at you and try to run by you. You're going to get wheel routes and pick plays. Just be educated and keep the ball in front of us."
Kirkland doesn't want to diminish his team's fortitude. He just wants the Golden Eagles to keep their foot on the gas.
"We've stepped up and made some really big plays, including [Saturday] to finish the game," Kirkland said. "But we've got to do a better job of, once we get to a point and establish a lead and we realize, this is what they've got to do to get back in it, we can't give up these big plays and expect to have continued success."