Slaton takes his game to the next level

By Darrell Laurant  |   Sunday, January 13, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
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Maybe Steve Slaton's problem was that he set the bar too high.

The West Virginia junior's monster season in 2006 -- 1,733 rushing yards, 7 yards per carry, 16 touchdowns -- was almost impossible to replicate. And even though the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder went over 1,000 yards for the third straight season in 2007 and reached the end zone 17 times, people were asking, "What's wrong with Slaton?"

This could have been one reason why the Levittown, Pa., product announced this past weekend that he was passing up his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Another impetus was the fact that head coach Rich Rodriguez had left for the University of Michigan, along with several assistants.

"My coaches that knew me best have left," Slaton said in his announcement. "And now, it's time for me to leave."

Slaton has been projected as a second-round draft choice, but the team that gets him could wind up with a gem. Similarly, Slaton wasn't recruited highly out of Conwell-Egan High in the Philadelphia suburbs, but he burst onto the college scene in a big way.

"They say I may be a step slow," Slaton told ESPN. "I'll have to show them differently at the Combine."

A step slow? Tell that to the Georgia defenders who chased Slaton in vain during his two 52-yard touchdown runs in the 2006 Sugar Bowl.

A step slow? You don't average 7-plus yards a carry if you're a step slow.

Beyond that, though, Slaton is anything but a prima-donna. He was known for doing his job quietly (if often spectacularly), and for accepting whatever role was assigned to him. He sees his versatility as being a plus for NFL teams -- "I can play running back, wide receiver, special teams."

This season, Slaton caught 26 passes for 350 yards.

His overall numbers were down this year, partly because of the emergence of freshman Noel Devine, who got a lot of the carries Slaton had been assigned in the two previous years. Add in the well-known rushing ability of quarterback Pat White, and there are only so many running plays to go around per game.

Slaton leaves West Virginia as the career leader in touchdowns and in the top three in rushing yardage yardage. And he leaves a lot of good memories -- both for him and the people who watched him play.
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