AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2006 > December > 29
Friday, December 29, 2006
Big question: Slaton’s status
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve just been at West Virginia’s practice, where the game of the day was: Guess who’s playing running back?
Steve Slaton, No. 3 in the nation in yards per game, has a bruised thigh. While newspaper and TV reporters talked with coach Rich Rodriguez and some of Slaton’s teammates, he was in the training room getting treatment. Slaton is scheduled to speak with reporters on Saturday. “He’s still questionable,” Rodriguez said. “He’s better today than he was yesterday.”
The reaction from most reporters when most coaches say a star player is questionable is to assume the player will play. That’s what happened with Calvin Johnson’s thigh bruise this season, for example. Didn’t seem to bother him a bit against Virginia and Virginia Tech. But West Virginia reporters told me Rodriguez sounded much the same way he sounded when talking about quarterback Patrick White the week of the Rutgers game, and White didn’t play.
White told us Slaton really wants to play Monday, which wasn’t really much of a surprise. No. 2 tailback Jeremy Bruce is out with an injury. So a bunch of West Virginia reporters went to speak with Jason Colson, who shared time at tailback in 2004 and has done less and less ever since. He’s a senior and could turn out to be a great story … if Slaton doesn’t play or doesn’t play the whole game. Me, I’m not betting on it.
