Published: November 16, 2008 02:38 am            

FSU players vow to improve in off season

FAIRMONT — Ask Perry Baker what was the biggest single factor in terms of his individual success this fall for Fairmont State’s football team and the sophomore wide receiver from New Smyrna Beach, Fla. quickly replies.

“I worked hard during the off season.”

Without hesitation he also adds “And I’m going to work that much harder this off season.”

Baker’s answer is right on.

In fact, it’s living proof to the old saying that the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

As a redshirt freshman Baker finished with 12 catches for 229 yards and one touchdown. Modest numbers that impressed no one.

Thus, starting last winter and carrying on through the entire summer Baker set out to make changes in his game. He spent countless hours studying game film in order to familiarize himself with defensive coverages and to learn to run better pass routes. He also spent a lot of time in the weight room working on his strength, speed and agility. Finally, he also worked hard on the mental part of football, training himself to be a much more focused player on the field.

The end result this fall — 34 receptions for 589 yards and nine touchdowns — all team highs. He also carried the football 18 times for 258 yards and two more scores and caught the attention of the entire league earning first-team All-West Virginia Conference honors.

Baker’s challenge now is to better those numbers next fall. Another challenge is to get the rest of the Falcons to follow his lead.

At least two individuals who say they’re dedicated to working hard in the off season to both improve themselves and their team are sophomore free safety J.J. Mayer and sophomore running back Omoniyi Bakare.

Mayer, the quarterback of FSU’s defense so to speak, finished this year with 46 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery.

“We were very young on defense this season and at times this year I think that really showed,” he said. “There were a lot of games where we got in situations as a defense that we couldn’t get ourselves out of. There were times when guys didn’t get calls or didn’t do their assignments and we can’t have that. We need to improve in that area next year.

“We also have to do a better job on third downs. That hurt us a lot this year and I think a big reason for that is we were giving up too many yards on first and second down. We didn’t stop the run like we have here in the past. We need to get back to the run-stopping mentality that we had on defenses here in the past.

“We lose two very good players in defensive end David Hill and cornerback Matt Vujaklya, but I’m confident we can find guys to step in at those spots for us. We had a lot of young guys on defense grow up for us this fall. A big key for us is to work hard in the off season to get stronger and better overall as players and as a defense.”

Bakare, on the other hand, led FSU in rushing with 679 yards and six touchdowns on 130 carries. Like Mayer, he says the Falcons’ offense has a lot of room to improve during the coming months and he wants to see that improvement this spring and next fall.

“We can’t afford to take the off season off,” said Bakare. “We’ve got to get better. A lot of times last year I think guys went to the weight room ran and lifted, but maybe didn’t do as much as they could have or should have. Now we’re an older and wiser team. We can’t afford any half-hearted efforts this off season from anyone.

“The off season really sets the tone for what’s going to take place during the season. We were young this year on offense, but I think we felt like we had enough talent to come out and win and we really didn’t do that like we felt we could.

“Look at what Perry (Baker) did last year during the off season. He put the work in and it paid off for him this season. That’s what our whole, entire team needs to do now on both sides of the football. We need to get better in all areas, but we’ve all got to be committed to doing it.”

        

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