Sept. 10, 2005
TACOMA, Wash. -
Wendy Carpenter, Tacoma News Tribune
It doesn't take Rob Smith long to figure out how many true freshmen have played for him in his 17 seasons coaching Western Washington. "I can probably count them on both hands," Smith said this week.
And freshman starters?
Even more rare.
But first-year defensive lineman Kyle Winkley will be starting today for the Vikings (1-1) when they face St. Cloud State University (Minn.), the No. 15-ranked team in NCAA Division II, in their home opener at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.
"I'm not sure some of the people on the team even know who he is," Smith joked of Winkley, who has only been part of the program for the past month. "Kyle came in and was a surprise from Day 1. He came in ready to play and now he's getting that opportunity."
Winkley, who's listed at 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, actually played for the first time last week after junior starting defensive tackle Ryan Lucas sprained his ankle on the second play of the Vikings' 31-21 loss at Washburn.
"It surprised me at first when I went in (last week) because I wasn't ready initially," said Winkley, who was selected by The News Tribune as a first-team All-Area player last year at Black Hills High School in Tumwater. "But this week I've gotten a lot more repetitions in practice, and it's such a great opportunity - I feel much more ready."
Winkley will have to be since his main assignment will be trying to contain senior running back Matt Birkel, who is a candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy - given to the best Division II player - after ranking seventh in Div. II last season with 1,689 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Birkel has had amazing success against Western, running 51 times for 401 yards and four touchdowns as St. Cloud State (2-0) has beaten the Vikings in their two previous meetings - 44-29 last year in Minnesota, and 44-27 in Bellingham in 2003.
"It's exciting (to start) but it's also nerve-wracking," Winkley said. "It's been a hard change going from high school to college football - it's a lot faster, every play is a lot quicker at this level. But I improve each week."
The Vikings are looking to improve upon last week when they lost to Washburn in Kansas after opening with a 49-20 win at Mesa State in Colorado.
"We're very excited to return home," Smith said.
