The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

College Sports

April 25, 2010

RB Hargrett adds depth to West Virginia backfield

By Dave Morrison Register-Herald Sports Editor

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia running back Daquan Hargrett was generously, if not humorously, listed at 5-foot-10 on many of the recruiting service bios coming out of Miami Northwestern.

When WVU coach Bill Stewart met the player the first time, he probably thought he was talking to the wrong kid.

When he realized it was the right kid — and wrong size — it didn’t change his mind.

The speedster was a player.

Hargrett, who is listed at his right size (5-6, 188 pounds) in the Mountaineers’ spring prospectus, showed that Saturday in the Mountaineers’ scrimmage, rushing 15 times for 74 yards.

He had a 37-yard run that set up one of Ryan Clarke’s three scores on the day.

It was more than his speed that impressed Stewart. It was his grit.

He has flashed that this spring as well.

“Daquan puts that foot on the ground and he goes north,” Stewart said after Saturday’s final scrimmage ahead of Friday’s Gold-Blue Game at Milan Puskar Stadium. “He was nicked up earlier with a high ankle sprain, but he never said a word. He just goes about his business. He is one of those that is privileged to play and privileged to be a Mountaineer. He looked like he had some good runs today.”

Hargrett was redshirted last fall as a freshman.

  He is in the mix to provide depth in the backfield behind senior Noel Devine (who had 10 carries for 95 yards Saturday) and Shawne Alston.

“I love the reps, I love the competition and I love the energy,” Hargrett said. “I’m getting more chances to prove myself. If I make a mistake, I don’t have to worry about coming out. I know I have another rep, and I can keep proving myself a little bit more. I just want to show the coaches what I have.”

He said the ankle is a problem, but not when he is on the field.

“I would say I feel about 70 percent, but that’s not in my head when I’m out here (on the field),” Hargrett said. “I feel 100 percent when I’m out on the field. This is an important spring for me. I just want to get in the rotations and learn the offense more.”

The Mountaineer running game has been a mixed bag for Stewart and offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen this spring.

“(It’s) never good until the season starts,” Stewart said. “I feel OK; Noel broke a long one today. You can’t keep calling the same play over and over in the scrimmage. We try to get the ball to other people. We could come in and throw to Jock (Sanders) all day, but we know we can do that. We tried to run the reverse with Eddie Davis to see what he can do. We’re trying to spread the wealth and find more players.”

Clarke has continued to shine as the Mountaineers’ power back.

“I like Ryan Clarke — he looked like he did some good stuff,” Stewart said. “He ran the power set well for us. I also liked the way he ran the ball off the goal line, and I liked the way he ran the ball going into the goal line.”

The Gold-Blue game will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Milan Puskar Stadium. Tickets are $5 with proceeds going to the WVU Children’s Hospital.

— E-mail: demorrison@

register-herald.com

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