SEATTLE – It was a nightmare start for Darrion Jones.
Playing on the kick return team as a blocker, the freshman linebacker for the University of Washington twice fumbled short kickoffs in the Huskies’ season-opener against Air Force at Qwest Field.
For a guy who had been a high school star, it was quite a blow to his ego, and it took awhile to get over it.
“I was nervous,” said Jones, who had never played in that position in his career. “I never thought I’d start the first game of my freshman year, playing in front of a big crowd like that. I was excited but at the same time asking myself if I was ready for this. … After the game, I completely just trashed myself. I felt bad.”
For Jones and fellow freshman linebacker Chris Stevens, the only true freshmen who have played for Washington this season, being thrown right into the middle of the Pacific-10 Conference has been a big adjustment. But it’s helped that they’ve had each other, as well as an experienced group of players in front of them, to lean on.
“I’ve grown a lot already,” Stevens said. “You’ve just got to pretty much hit the ground running and show that you’re ready.”
“The same thing he feels, I feel,” Jones said. “We ask how do you react to it, if you were in that situation, how would you react to it? We just try to give each other tips on how we stay calm, how we focus.”
Neither player has seen a lot of time on the field, playing mostly on special teams, but both say they are glad to be playing right away rather than redshirting.
“It was my goal,” Stevens said. “I wanted to get on the field as soon as possible.”
“I wanted to come in and play as a true freshman,” Jones said. “But I came in thinking I was going to redshirt because my position was new to me. When I didn’t redshirt, I was surprised. I’m happy the way it turned out.”
Jones, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder from Lynwood, Calif., helped his high school team to a 10-1-1 record as a senior, leading the San Gabriel League with 10 sacks. Stevens, a 6-foot, 195-pounder from Mojave, Calif., was more noted as a running back in high school and came to Washington at that position before being switched. As a high school senior, he ran for 1,751 yards and 31 touchdowns and was also the High Desert League Defensive Player of the Year for an 11-2 team.
But even with their talent, coming to Washington has been an adjustment. All their teammates were stars in high school, and they’re all a lot bigger than they are used to going against.
“I’m from a small division,” Stevens said. “Guys were nowhere near this size. But I’m getting used to it. I’m learning every day and I just approach things the way I always have.”
“Everybody that came here was the man on their team,” Jones said. “It’s all about role playing. Everyone has a role to play. I don’t want to hog the spotlight. I’d rather be the person that you know is going to work hard and get the job done than be the star player.”
That’s the kind of attitude that allows the players to avoid getting too much harassment from their older teammates. They say they just sit back and learn as much as possible from the starting linebackers, veterans Joe Lobendahn, Evan Benjamin and Scott White. But they both smile when asked how freshmen are treated on the team.
“They treat us pretty good,” Stevens said. “They don’t make us do all that much.”
“It’s the usual,” Jones said. “They give you a hard time at the beginning, but it’s all fun and games. I’m used to it now. I get respect now because I play.”
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