WVU’s “fox” leaving defenders behind

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, October 12, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
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His name is a Cajunization for the French word for "fox." And more often than not this football season, West Virginia Mountaineer wide receiver Darius Reynaud has left defenders feeling like a frustrated pack of hounds.

As one scouting service noted: "While (Pat) White and (Steve) Slaton get a lot of the publicity, Darius Reynaud deserves just as much attention for his ability to change a game in a heartbeat."

Against Maryland, for instance, Reynaud no doubt caused a rapid heartbeat for WVU coach Rich Rodriguez when he mishandled a kickoff, bouncing it off the turf. But the bounce was true, and Reynaud gathered the ball in and dashed 96 yards to the end zone.

So far this season, the 5-foot-10, 210-pounder from Luling, La. has scored in three different ways -- on a pass reception, a kickoff return and a reverse. His 60-yard TD reception from White broke open a tight game with East Carolina, and he threw the key block in a Slaton touchdown run against Maryland.

"Darius has really come along in the return game," said Mountaineer special teams coach Bill Stewart. "Last year, we danced. And all the coaches will tell you that on a return you have one move, and then you have to hit it."

Reynaud is averaging over 33 yards per kickoff return this season, seventh in the nation. He's also caught 15 passes for 220 yards (14.7 yards per reception) and rushed six times for 90 yards.

"He still hasn't shown half of what he can do," says Mountaineer DB Eric Wicks. "He hasn't really jumped yet. The first time I met Darius, on the basketball court, he jumped right over a 6-5 guy and dunked on him. He jumps like that all the time catching passes in practice."

Besides leading Hahnville High School to a state championship as a running back in 2003, the speedy sophomore was the Louisiana state long jump champion with a leap of 24-5. He sat out his first season in Morgantown because of academic issues, then learned his new position as he went along in 2005. His real emergence came in the Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia, when he snagged six passes.

During this year's spring practice, Reynaud worked a lot on his blocking -- and it shows.

"There's nothing he can't accomplish," said an admiring Pat White. "He's that kind of athlete."

And when you read Reynaud's press bio, one small fact jumps out at you -- quite significant for an athlete from Louisiana.

His mother's name is Katrina.

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