Lewis building on his backup role in secondary - Junior CB played his best game in win over Panthers
Statistically, Antonio Lewis might have played his strongest
game of the season last week against Pitt, a necessary
development for a secondary that's shuffled starters and
personnel throughout the season.
Realistically, though, Lewis was at his best against
Cincinnati, when he hardly played behind starters Guesly
Dervil and Larry Williams and backups Vaughn Rivers and
Boogie Allen.
"He might have played six snaps the whole game,
but every time Boogie or Larry came off the field at the
boundary spot, he was helping them out," defensive
backs coach Tony Gibson said. "He was out on the
field in the huddle with us in between quarters or in
timeouts. I was pleased with that. I thought he really
grew up that game."
Coaches can never be too sure how a player will react
to being benched. Some take it in stride, do what they're
asked and work their way back into the required form.
Others do the opposite and are lost to their coaches and
teammates.
"I'm not that type of player," Lewis said.
"This whole thing is bigger than me. This is little,
me being benched or whatever. We're still a team and we
still want to win. I'm going to do whatever I can do to
help. I'm not going to turn my back because I'm not starting.
That's not me. I'm still going to practice hard and push
whoever's in front of me to get better and make plays.
When I'm, called upon, I'll go out and do my best."
Lewis wasted no time in proving himself. His assistance
against Cincinnati, the first game he wasn't heavily involved
in all season, was trumped by his performance against
Pitt. He played only a handful of snaps in the first half,
but was in for just about every one in the second half.
"I saw that look in his eye," Gibson said.
"We rode him the rest of the way."
Lewis had two pass break-ups, the first a momentous one
as he forced a Pitt punt early in the third quarter, and
later added a sack for a 15-yard loss.
"That was me trying to give the defense a spark,"
he said. "My role changed, but nothing else did.
My role was to come off the bench, but I've still got
to make plays. It had nothing to do with anything else.
I just went out and played. We were passive in the first
half and we wanted to be more aggressive in the second
half and get up and challenge them."
Lewis couldn't recall being benched in football or basketball
in high school, but he couldn't find a reason to do anything
other than accept the coaching decision and move on toward
reclaiming his starting spot.
There's a chip on his ' shoulder, an edge to his game
that wasn't there before. He admits as much and Gibson
accepts it as the inevitable truth, the obvious reaction.
After all, who would be happy after losing his spot?
"It always bothers you if you're a competitor. If
you're not starting and you're OK with it, you shouldn't
be playing," Lewis said. "It bothers me every
day, but you can't let that take the drive out of you.
It doesn't change how I approach every game. I still prepare
myself well. I'm still doing the same things. I just have
to wait for my opportunity now."
Lewis was a backup last season as a sophomore behind
starters Anthony Mims and Dee McCann, so he's familiar
with watching on the sideline and then getting on the
field. He looks for keys and tries to get a feel for the
receivers and the quarterback, but also the tone of the
game. He knew WVU needed to be more confident, more assertive
against Pitt and he nearly picked off two passes.
If you didn't know any better, you'd say Lewis has made
the transition look easy, buying into the idea that it's
about the welfare of his team and not his spot on the
depth chart.
"It's way harder to do than I'm saying," he
said. "But you've got to think that way and keep
reminding yourself why you play football. This is not
a sport for individuals. That's the fun part of playing
football. You're a part of something way bigger than you.
You have to put your feelings aside and continue to contribute
to the team."
