MORGANTOWN — Throughout the two-plus years he's been on West Virginia's campus, running back Wendell Smallwood has had his run-ins with safety Karl Joseph.
Run-ins. Knock downs. Shoestring stops. Shimmies. Spin moves. All of it and more.
When offensive players meet with Joseph, who this summer has been called one of the country's best defensive backs and scariest players, it's frequently unforgettable. It holds true for teammates, though Smallwood developed different memories.
“He's running downhill. Crazy,” said the junior, who was second on the team in rushing and fourth in receptions last season. “I used to know I could get him, though. I knew I could get him and make him miss. And if he wasn't so aggressive, I knew I could pat my feet and make him miss.”
What Smallwood discovered is what the Mountaineers hope Georgia Southern learns Saturday in the 7:30 p.m. (Root Sports) opener at Mountaineer Field.
“He's patient and not forcing the big hit,” Smallwood said. “He's been making plays where it's just him and we can see him and put moves on him. He's more sound technique-wise with his tackling. He's not trying to fire off on people. He's being patient with his tackling. I think he's getting much better.”
It's welcome news for the defense, even though Joseph has made 92, 68 and 104 tackles his first three seasons and was first-team All-Big 12 last season and this preseason. A lot of those tackles were loud and unmistakable. A bunch of them left players on the ground for a spell or knocked them out of the game and longer.
Yet with hits there were misses, and Joseph would sometimes look to make a play and come away empty. More often that not, it turned into a big gain for the opposition. Those lowlights became his highlights.
“I always think about a lot of the tackles I missed last year,” said the 5-foot-11, 197-pound senior from Orlando, Florida. “I probably think about the tackles I miss more than the ones I make. That's the thing I've been focusing on a lot this offseason. I've been working to make open-field tackles, which are hard, especially when we're coming from a depth like we are and the running back or whoever can see me coming.”
The Eagles will give Joseph plenty of chances to show off his improved skill. They ran the ball 81 percent of the time last season and led the country with more than 379 rushing yards per game. It's an option offense with reads and pitches, and Georgia Southern does it all from spread formations, which means getting players in space and isolated against one defender.
Joseph is the bandit safety, which puts him on the short side of the field. That's typically the weak side of the offense's formation, and if the run goes that way, the runner doesn't have as much help and is often alone with Joseph.
WVU's coaches remind players they miss tackles because they're out of position, out of control or out of energy. Positioning isn't a problem for Joseph, who has started 38 games in his career and probably hasn't missed 38 plays in that time. He makes as many tackles and big hits as he does because he's generally in the right place.
“That's how big hits happen,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “You're in the right position. Your pad level's down. You roll your hips through the guy and put everything into it. That's a good form tackle.”
But all that action can wear Joseph down and leave him lunging and leaning. Other times he approaches a play too aggressively or tries to do something special when all that's needed is something simple.
“That's something I've kind of had to learn this past year,” Joseph said. “It's not always about the way you hit. Sometimes it's about getting the guy down, especially in the open field.”
Smallwood says Joseph is better. More of the Mountaineers will need to be convinced outside of practice.
“It's so hard to tell right now because, yeah, we did some live stuff during camp and we had live scrimmages and different things, but there's still nothing like that first real game when everything counts for 80 or so snaps,” Gibson said.
What Gibson and safeties coach Joe DeForest do concede is Joseph has made an effort to tighten up his tackling. DeForest said he and Joseph focused during the offseason on improving man-to-man coverage and open-field tackling, areas player and coach said needed work.
“Open-field tackling is no different than playing man coverage,” DeForest said. “It's 1-on-1 in space. Karl's good in the box. He's really good and makes big hits. For him to be a great open-field tackler, which you have to be at this level because everyone is so spread out, just like it is in the NFL, you've got to be under control.
“Not every hit has to be a thump or a big hit. Sometimes you just need to get the guy down. It's doesn't have to be on your highlight reel. Just get him down.”