September 20, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - If you watched closely last Thursday night during West Virginia’s 45-24 victory over Maryland you probably noticed that there was a number 95 running around with the first team defense. That number 95 is redshirt freshman James Ingram from the Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Ingram is listed No. 1 on the depth chart for this Saturday’s game against East Carolina.
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| Freshman James Ingram made his first career start last Thursday night against Maryland. Pete Emerson photo | |
Ingram had several quarterback knockdowns against the Terrapins and was also credited with two solo tackles and three pass breakups. That is quite an impressive and active performance for a player playing in his first prime time game under the lights at Mountaineer Field.
Coach Rich Rodriguez was pleased with Ingram’s effort against the Terps.
“Probably as a redshirt freshman, James Ingram is coming along a little quicker than we had thought he would. He is going to keep getting better too because this is really his first extensive action. He is going to fill out a little bit and he will be a great 280-pound athlete here before it is all said and done,” Rodriquez said.
Ingram was frustrated but also encouraged by how close he came to picking up the Mountaineers first sack of the season.
“I could smell it. I was so close. They keep drilling us and telling us we need more sacks and I’m right there when he throws the ball but I just couldn’t get it. I was definitely trying my hardest. I think overall our pass rush is developing,” Ingram said.
The tall, long-armed defensive end believes he is developing at a swift rate during his first couple of years in the Mountaineer program.
“This is a very fast-paced program and you have to keep up. I think I have learned the plays faster than most and just tried to keep up with everything,” Ingram said.
Ingram notes that it is not only his ability to quickly absorb information but also his position on the field that has led to increased playing time this season.
“I work hard but I am also in a position where we need more defensive linemen,” Ingram said. “When your number is called you have got to step up in this program.”
The 6-foot-5-inch, 265-pound Ingram explained that his long wingspan can be quite an advantage when playing as a down lineman.
“It allows me to get my hands inside of the offensive lineman faster and if they try to get their hands on me I can stop them quicker. It also helps me get my hands up in passing lanes,” Ingram said.
Ingram explains his approach to rushing the quarterback off the edge.
“I don’t aim to get in their vision, because most sacks are made when the quarterback doesn’t see you. If they already see me, I will put my hands up but generally I will try to stay invisible,” Ingram said.
Ingram says it has been quite an adjustment, transitioning from the 3-4 defense he played in high school to West Virginia’s 3-3-5 stack.
“It is a whole new system. Playing the end … rushing the edge is rushing the edge … but as far as going against a double team when I have a tight end lined up on me, that is totally new. You have to be ready for anything. In the 3-3-5 anything can come at you,” Ingram said.
Ingram says he needs the type of constant motivation defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich provides. He believes Kirelawich’s principles as a tireless taskmaster makes the entire unit stronger.
“He is in your face and he demands perfection. You have to give it to him, there is no choice. I have to have that. I don’t think I could see it any other way. I think it would be hard to excel without that,” Ingram said.
Ingram, who chose West Virginia over several Big 12 and Big 10 schools, says that it was the Mountaineers no-nonsense approach in recruiting that lured him to Morgantown.
“Everyone else came and said you can change the program and you could do this and that and this could be you. West Virginia just came and simply said do you want to play football for us?” Ingram said. “West Virginia was more humble and family-oriented in everything they said. The didn’t tell me I could change anything. When I met Kirelawich he went straight to the facts and said he wanted me here. He told me he liked how I came off the ball. He came to me straightforward and I really appreciated it.”
Ingram confesses that coming to Morgantown from his urban neighborhood in Cleveland was a shocking change.
“There is so much grass here. I have never seen so much grass. The hills, I can’t compare that to anything. It looks like the houses here are up in the sky -- they are so high. It is way different here but now that I have made the adjustment, I am starting to call this place home,” Ingram said.
One hill he has definitely seen too much of is the infamous law school hill, a staple of the Mountaineers summer conditioning program. Ingram says the West Virginia strength program is more challenging than he ever imagined it would be.
“I knew it was going to be hard but when I actually faced it I was like, wow, this is that much harder. I know it is all for the good so my attitude was just do it and get better,” Ingram said.
Ingram believes that despite a solid performance in his first start, he still has plenty to work on as his Mountaineer career progresses.
“I need to work on staying low, and getting bigger and stronger. I need to work the edge even more than I have been. I am just trying to stay focused on the big goal which is to win each game one at a time,” Ingram said.
Kirelawich believes Ingram can be a solid player in the coming years.
“He has progressed well and he is right on track. He is another Keilen Dykes in the making but he can improve on everything and he is still very much a work in progress,” Kirelawich said.
Kirelawich admits that the first time he saw Ingram on film, he knew he was going after a special player.
“I liked Ingram immediately. What I saw in Ingram was a kid that played with a flat back that could come off the ball quickly,” he said. “Then he gets here and he is that tall and athletic. I thought James Ingram -- of all the kids I looked at that year (2004) I thought he was the best one.”
Rodriguez believes there is more to come from Ingram.
“Physically he’s not there yet because he’s a redshirt freshman but he certainly can be a great player in the future for us. The thing I like about him is he is getting better each and every week,” he said.
With an opening performance like last Thursday night, Mountaineer fans can definitely see why.
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