OLB Doug Rigg ‘earned right’ to play as freshman

When Doug Rigg ran out of the smoke-filled, inflatable helmet and onto Mountaineer Field Saturday for the first time, it took his breath away.

"I looked down the whole time to make sure I wasn't that guy who trips and falls," said West Virginia's true freshman linebacker. "Then, I looked up and you see all that gold. It was amazing. I had to snap myself back into reality and tell myself you have a ball game to play."

And play, Rigg surely did.

In Rigg's first career game, he recorded four tackles in about 10 plays in a reserve role at strong-side

linebacker.

It's not common for a freshman linebacker to play at West Virginia. In fact, only one linebacker currently on the roster – senior Pat Lazear – was not redshirted in his first season. Rigg was the only freshman linebacker to play in Saturday's game, as well. Fellow freshmen Troy Gloster and Jewone Snow did not get on the field.

"He's a wonderful kid. He's smart. The kids like him. He's a high-character guy who's very easy to coach," said WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. "He's a confident young man, and he has a lot of attributes that a good football player has."

Rigg credits Casteel for the linebacker's early success. Rigg said Casteel pulled him to the side during the second week of fall practice and

told him he'd like to work closely with him. That, in turn, boosted Rigg's confidence.

"The more reps you take, the more times coach says ‘good job,' the more confident you get. That's why I had so much confidence heading into the game because of the reps I received in practice and throughout the summer," Rigg said.

His transition to college wasn't without the normal ups and downs of an average freshman. He said he went through a small bout of homesickness. Now, that's gone away.

He credits the help of the Mountaineers' veteran linebackers, specifically J.T. Thomas, for helping him learn the ways of college and the defensive scheme.

"It's great having him here, because he tells me his experiences and the mistakes that he made as a freshman. I don't really get discouraged anymore," Rigg said.

Still, he calls his parents every night for support.

"They say if I make a mistake, just rub it off and come back the next day and play hard," Riggs said.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Rigg came to West Virginia with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He was one of the least talked about Mountaineer recruits after being rated a three-star player by www.Rivals.com and www.Scout.com.

WVU head coach Bill Stewart said he saw potential in Rigg.

"It's funny how those two stars turn out to be five stars," Stewart said. "I knew he was a good football player, but I didn't know how fast he would get it. And, boy he's come down and got it, so he's earned the right to get out there on the field."

The Oradell, N.J., native, said he will remember his first play on defense for the rest of his life.

The play he will remember the most is one he had little to do with. When he was called on for the first time by Casteel to play on the defensive side of the ball in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 31-0 win over Coastal Carolina, it was something he will remember forever.

His first play was a 3-yard loss by the Chanticleers. While Rigg didn't make the tackle on the play, it was a turning point in his WVU career.

"After it was over, I just took it in and said, ‘Wow, this is great,'" Rigg said. "The second and third plays kind of flew by. After that, it went by smooth."

Rigg said his jitters went away by that time of the game. With the Mountaineers already up 31-0, he knew he just had to go out and execute.

"When Coach Casteel told me I was going in, all I could say to myself was ‘It's time,'" Rigg said.

Stewart said Rigg is one of the team's true freshmen that will be a consistent contributor this season. He was among seven true freshmen to play Saturday. The Mountaineers' head coach doesn't expect to play as many against Marshall, but he does expect Rigg to play.

Rigg will also be counted on as one of the Mountaineers' top special teams players. He played kickoff return defense against Coastal Carolina.

Rigg didn't expect to play coming in. He expected, like many Mountaineer linebackers in the past, to redshirt his first year. Now, he will have the chance to play on the road for the first time in front of what is expected to be a tough environment Friday in Huntington, W.Va.

"The older players have been telling me the fans are crazier than you can ever

expect. They said it's a passionate game," Rigg said. "I'll just have to see for myself when I come out of that tunnel."