For those of you curious about Tavon Austin's ability, here's a couple of articles for you to peruse...

The Charleston Gazette Wrote:Austin shines in relief of Devine
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
April 10, 2010

MORGANTOWN - There was a scary moment during West Virginia's first full-contact workout of the spring Saturday afternoon, but it didn't come during anything close to a full-contact drill.

No, instead it was during a skeleton passing drill when tailback Noel Devine crossed over the middle and collided with linebacker Anthony Leonard. It was three or four minutes before Devine was helped to his feet and limped gingerly off the field.

And as it turned out, there were actually a couple of pieces of good news that eventually came of the mishap. For starters, Devine's injury was just a bruised quad muscle. He returned about 45 minutes later, and although he didn't take part in any more drills, coach Bill Stewart said the injury was nothing to be concerned about.

"If it were a game he would have kept playing,'' Stewart said.

The other plus that came of the incident? Well, it forced Tavon Austin to take some snaps at tailback in Devine's place. And he didn't disappoint.

"I told you about little No. 1,'' Stewart said, referring to Austin. "[Devine] better not rest too long with that quad.''

Well, that might be a bit of an overstatement. After all, it seems doubtful that Austin or anyone else is going to unseat Devine as West Virginia's primary ball carrier.

Still, Austin showed the flashes of quickness and brilliance that have convinced Stewart and the coaching staff not only to make him the primary backup to Devine, but move him temporarily to wide receiver just to get him on the field.

Austin took only a handful of snaps at tailback, but he displayed the kind of moves that made him a high school legend in Baltimore, once catching a little flare pass, making a couple of defenders miss and then zig-zagging his way back across the field.

"Arm tackles,'' starting free safety Robert Sands yelled while watching the No. 2 defense trying to corral the 5-foot-9, 173-pound sophomore. "Too many arm tackles.''

Trouble was, getting even an arm on Austin was problematic.

"The little guy is tough to bring down,'' Stewart said. "Now you see why we have to get him on the field.''

For the most part, Austin seems destined to be on the field this fall at wide receiver. Stewart and the offensive coaches have committed to making him the backup to Devine at tailback rather than last year's backup, slot receiver Jock Sanders, because they don't want to be adjusting more positions than they have to. If Sanders backs up Devine, then Austin has to move to the slot to replace Sanders.

"We're better off just making one move,'' Stewart said. "And we think Tavon can handle it.''

But as long as Devine remains healthy, Austin will play outside as a wide receiver because it is the only place to get him on the field on offense. In limited time last season, Austin caught 15 passes and averaged 10 yards per catch and returned 17 kickoffs for a 25-yard average, including a 98-yard touchdown against Connecticut.

For his part, Austin doesn't care where he lines up on the field, as long as he's on the field.

"Just give me a chance somewhere,'' he said.

BRIEFLY: Normally during the spring, West Virginia's kickers and punters would spend most of their time working out on the school's grass practice field when they weren't taking part in special teams periods at the beginning and end of practice.

This spring, though, they are relegated to the indoor building where punting is particularly troublesome because of a relatively low ceiling. The grass practice fields were re-planted last fall and won't be ready for use until the summer, hopefully by the time the school plays host to its June camps.

Devine wasn't the only tailback who watched much of Saturday's practice. Redshirt freshman Daquan Hargrett turned an ankle and missed most of the workout. And wide receiver J.D. Woods suffered a hamstring injury.

Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickman1@aol.com.

MSNsportsNET Wrote:Reading the Tea Leaves
John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
April 12, 2010


Tavon Austin scoed touchdowns three different ways as a freshman in 2009.
David Miller photo

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Tavon Austin could certainly read the tea leaves. He figured out right away that the quickest path to playing time was going to be doing something totally foreign to him.

Last year when he arrived at WVU, Austin was presented two alternatives – play running back and watch Noel Devine for two years or move to wide receiver and play alongside Devine. So being the type of guy who doesn’t like to stand around and watch things happen, Austin decided he might as well learn a new position.

“I want to be on the field with those guys,” Austin said.

Austin had a record-setting career as a running back at Dunbar High in Baltimore where he was twice named the state’s offensive player of the year. He ran for 2,660 yards and scored 34 touchdowns as a senior and accumulated more than 9,000 yards of offense during his prep career.

Running back is Tavon’s natural position, but the move to wide receiver is beneficial on many levels.

One, he is not the biggest guy in the world (listed at 5-9, 173 pounds) and a couple of years in a structured strength program will give him enough time to get his body ready to absorb the constant pounding it will take at running back.

Two, the coaching staff was able to convince Austin that the idea of moving to wide receiver would get the team’s three best playmakers (Devine, Jock Sanders and Austin) on the field at the same time.

And to make things even more enticing to Austin, the name Steve Smith was tossed out there.

You know Steve Smith, the Carolina Panthers receiver who caught more than 100 passes a few years ago and is one of the most explosive players in the NFL - that Steve Smith. Austin and Smith are roughly the same size.

“I did my research and you’ve got Steve Smith,” Austin pointed out.

You will be hard pressed to come up with another school in the Big East with this many explosive playmakers on the field at the same time. Devine proved last year that he is not only durable (started all 13 games and had 241 carries) but that he can also get into the end zone (14 total touchdowns).

Sanders is within range of breaking most of the school’s receiving records and has crossed the goal line 15 times in 39 games as both a runner and as a pass catcher.

And Austin caught 15 passes, returned 17 kicks and ran the football six times, scoring three different ways for the Mountaineers in 2009 as a true freshman. His TD catch against East Carolina was a back breaker for the Pirates and his kickoff return to begin the Connecticut game turned out to be the deciding score for West Virginia in its 28-24 victory.

All three can get into the end zone in different ways and that is why having Austin on the field at wide receiver with Devine in the backfield and Sanders in the slot is so appealing to the coaching staff.

“The only thing that can hold us back is ourselves,” Austin admitted. “If we don’t go out and execute what we have to do it’s on ourselves.”

In order to fit Austin into the game plan, there may be times when he will line up at outside receiver. That may seem odd when you think about typical outside receivers such as Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Chad Ochocinco, but there is a method to the madness: the further away you get Austin from the rest of the congestion on the field the better the chance of him taking one to the house.

“I was looking at it like, ‘I don’t know about being on the outside as a receiver.’ At the same time, I just talked to some of the players and they told me what to do and from there I’ve just been doing it,” Austin shrugged.

Austin is by no means a finished product. He still has plenty of work to do in the passing game because the position is so new to him - but he is making great progress.

“Now I know how to run certain routes that in high school I had no idea. I know how to run the dig and I know how to run all of the routes the coaches have taught me,” Austin said.

It is also to Austin’s advantage to get the ball out in space on crossing routes and in the seams where he is on the move. That will put even more pressure on the defense to get him to the ground. Otherwise, it could be six points for the Mountaineers.

“When I’m out there I can get into an open space and hopefully I can take it the distance,” he said.

Despite his inevitable return to running back when Devine graduates, Austin will benefit greatly from the time spent at wide receiver because it will require him to work on his ball skills - something that he will need at his size anyway if he entertains any thoughts of playing at the next level.

“I’m thankful that they are letting me do that,” Austin said. “I get to play kick return and hopefully I get punt return. Moving to wide receiver shows people that I can catch the ball and run the ball.”

Offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen said before the start of spring practice that he thought West Virginia’s offense at times last year was “too sideways.” He wants to put more pressure on defenses vertically and explosive players such as Austin, Devine and Sanders should be able to do that.

“They don’t know where we will hit them from,” Austin explained. “We can hit them from the back field, from the slot or out at wide receiver now. Hopefully it just all works out.”

Hopefully it does.

For those of you who were curious about Austin, I hope this satisfied your curiousity...

And for the record, WVU does have another RB capable of handling the load waiting in the wings...

WV Illustrated Wrote:Quick Take: WVU Spring Football
Big Bruiser Biding Time
By Geoff Coyle for WVillustrated.com
April 12, 2010


Shawne Alston is making a name for himself on the field this spring.
WVillustrated.com Photo by David Miller ................... WVI Photo/Geoff Coyle

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When Noel Devine and Jock Sanders decided to return for one more season at West Virginia, the Mountaineer faithful breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Who knew what was in store for the 2010 team if four of its top offensive contributors looking into pro careers? With two of those four returning, however, the vision for the offensive production became slightly clearer.

But not everyone took the news as well as others. For some in the running back corps, it was a sign that whatever reps they were hoping for a year ago would remain in the hands of 7 and 9 as they watched from the bench, looking to make an impact only through special teams.

As a result, a few of Devine’s backups looked for greener pastures in the offseason. One who stuck around was Shawn Alston, though he admits initially he did feel slightly down when he heard of Devine’s return.

“I was like that a little bit, but it’s always good for the team to know that him being on the field gives us the best opportunity to win the BIG EAST championship, so it will all work out,” says Alston.

Besides the advantages that Devine brings the team on the field, Alston says he also brings a lot to the table for a young back looking to learn the ropes.

“It’s good being behind a good back because you get to learn a lot,” he says. “One of the most important things he taught me was to be humble. He’s a very humble person.”

The sophomore saw limited action in his first season with WVU, totaling 18 yards on five carries, and mostly appearing on special teams. In 2010, he hopes to have a bigger impact, despite knowing that his number may remain further down on the list of players called off the bench on offense.

“[Freshman year] was a good learning experience going to the classroom and doing a lot of stuff, but it’s nothing like on field experience and now I’m running with the twos,” he says. “It’s a good experience now that we actually get on the field more and are learning more on the field.”

It may not be until further down the road, but Coach Bill Stewart has been open about the fact that he intends to feature Alston and Tavon Austin as the team’s one-two punch at the tailback position once Devine does move on after this season. Of course, he may be overlooking Ryan Clarke, who has already proven what he is capable of on the field in his redshirt freshman season last year.

Clarke has not yet participated on the field in spring practice, instead spending his time doing all the fun drills he can imagine with strength coach Mike Joseph. Alston says he will not be overlooking the team’s other big back, even if his coach may be.

“I know Clarke, he’s a fighter,” says Alston. “He’ll come back fighting, so it will be good and I’m looking forward to the competition.”

If Alston does win the competition and Clarke remains as more of a blocking fullback than a rusher, then his counterpart in Austin can see nothing but good things from the Hampton, Va. native.

“Big Shawne – he’s stepped up a lot,” says Austin. “He’s a big bruiser, so when he comes through the hole I know a lot of people are looking at him like it’s a heavy back to hit now, so Shawne did step up a lot in the weight room and running and everything, so he’ll be good this year.”

His potential quarterback, Geno Smith, has always been a fan of Alston’s ability and thinks his work ethic will push him to the next level in the future.

“Last year, he really shocked a lot of people being a big back with his quickness and he’s really showing the coaches that he’s here to work and he’s working hard and he’s doing a really good job out there on the field,” says Smith.

Ever since the current staff took over at WVU, they have preached the importance of a balanced offensive attack. Getting closer to 50-50 in the run and pass is their goal, and they have recruited the positions and athletes necessary to do so. Alston looks forward to a day when defenses will respect both their rushing and passing games, but be able to defend neither.

“That would be great because when you’ve got a good running game, you get the box stacked by a lot of teams,” says Alston. “When you’re able to have a good passing game you can back up some of those safeties out the box and then me, Noel, Daquan, Jock, Tavon – everybody can get loose.”

It sounds like Devine’s lesson of humility has truly stuck with Alston.

They say he runs like Quincey Wilson used to. That's bad news for the rest of the conference...

How's the QB situation Bit?

BJ, right now it's Geno Smith and Coley White. Both have impressed the coaches so far too. Geno's passes are crisp, even though he doesn't have any mobility right now due to the broken foot. But he has a cannon arm, and a very nice touch on short and intermediate passes. Coley's passing technique has improved considerably as well, and he looks a lot like his brother, especially when he takes off running. But WVU's QB situation won't be fully determined until the fall. Stew plans to give Brunetti and Johnson a chance to win the starting QB job as true freshmen. So nothing is really being determined until then...

I figure it's Geno's job to lose. But you never know what the future holds. Brunetti hasn't lost a game he's started since middle school, and Johnson was one of the top prep QBs coming out of Texas. Both are talented. But I figure Geno's Miramar connection gives him a leg up. Nearly half of the Mountaineer receivers were catching Geno's passes in high school at Miramar...