Published: April 25, 2008 12:31 am      

WVU’s Sanders wants to get faster

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University sophomore Jock Sanders, who can play either slot receiver or tailback, will be spending the summer mainly on his speed.

“I want to work on getting faster,” the 5-8, 185-pound scatback from St. Petersburg, Fla., said after last Saturday’s Gold-Blue game. “Speed kills. The more speed you can get up on the field, the more you can drive the defense crazy.”

Sanders is no slow poke by an measurement. Far from it. You could see that last fall as he was one of four true freshmen who saw significant action.

Appearing in all 13 games, he rushed 16 times for 105 yards and two scores and caught 12 passes for 102 yards. He also returned two punts for 43 yards and three kicks for 58 yards.

“We also have a lot of athletic skills,” Sanders said of others on offense. “We will work on those this summer, too. I never loaf. I want to achieve all I can when I’m out there.”

Coach Bill Stewart admittedly is excited about Sanders and certain other young players. Rarely a day passed when he didn’t have praise for the versatile offensive standout.

He started at the slot position in the spring game, attended by 18,000 – the largest crowd ever for that event which benefits WVU Children’s Hospital. Sanders was the top receiver with five catches for 71 yards. He also rushed four times for 12 yards.

“You’ve got to stay healthy,” he said. “If you’re hurt, you obviously can’t contribute to the team.”

Sanders noted that junior Mike Poitier, who’s battling for the No. 2 tailback spot, came a long way this spring.

“For a guy that never had a shot, he’s now becoming more involved with the new coaches that came in,” Sanders said.

“He can really show off his talents. He looks sharper now. Once you start getting a lot of reps, you get more comfortable back there.”

Poitier was the leading rusher last Saturday, carrying 17 times for 54 yards. He also caught two passes for eight yards. Sanders said all of the running backs help each other.

“I now know the new coaches on offense,” he admitted. “I’m very comfortable and confident. Things should be sharp and crisp.”