CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- University of Charleston football Coach Tony DeMeo and offensive coordinator Ralph Isernia didn't want to rush freshman quarterback Maurice Leak.
Their decision has paid off.
That's why DeMeo, although not overjoyed with a final 6-5 record of the Golden Eagles' 2010 season, said he likes to keep an eye on the big picture.
"We got out of this season an exciting freshman," said DeMeo, who is 43-23 in seven seasons at UC and 120-102-2 in 22 years as a college head coach. "The biggest thing we had to replace is quarterback."
Leak finished his first collegiate season seventh in rushing in the West Virginia Conference with 653 yards on 138 carries. He completed half of his passes (52-of-104) for 1,076 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.
In a Week 8 road victory against Urbana (Ohio), Leak had 205 yards rushing on 21 carries and 223 yards passing on 5-of-9 completions.
"He's never been a passer," DeMeo said of the Waxhaw, N.C., native. "He's got to get better at the passing game. He just needs some reps."
Leak - who started only two games - is the future of the Golden Eagles, who had their fifth winning season in DeMeo's six years.
Charleston lost two of its last three games - all on the road - including losses to West Liberty and West Virginia Wesleyan. Sandwiched in between was a 44-16 victory over Glenville State - the team to hand 18th-ranked Shepherd its only defeat this year.
"People have asked me about the season, and, truthfully, you have to look at the body of work," he said. "This group of seniors won more games than any seniors in any University of Charleston or Morris Harvey history. We didn't win as many as we'd like, we didn't finish as well as we like, but I'm not going to knock everybody because of a couple of close losses."
Next year, the Golden Eagles will welcome back running back Jordan Roberts, who had 381 yards rushing on 79 carries and a team-high 11 touchdowns. The former Scott High School star and Kennedy Award winner joins Hermitage, Va., native Nick Lockhart as the top running backs. Lockhart was the team's leading rusher at the running back position with 414 yards on 72 carries.
Charleston, however, will have to replace four-year standout wide receiver Andre Higgins, who finished his career with 92 receptions for 1,796 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Higgins averaged a career-high 22.1 yards per catch.
That will be among the focus of DeMeo's next recruiting class.
"You always want to bring in a wideout with speed, a guy who can get deep," DeMeo said. "You always need to get a couple physical offensive and defensive linemen. We're in pretty good shape in the rest of the skill areas."
