Cooper takes straight line to success
CORAL GABLES - At first, Graig Cooper had no idea they were making fun of him.
He was stopped before a recent practice by Miami coach Randy Shannon and assistant Marquis Mosely. They asked Graig Cooper a question.
"Are you taking dancing lessons?"
Graig Cooper stood there with a puzzled look, wondering what it meant.
"I didn't get it," Graig Cooper said. "Then Coach Shannon said, 'As soon as you get that ball, you start dancing.' "
It's one of the few times Graig Cooper, a freshman running back, needed a moment to catch on. His growth has been so quick he is no longer considered just a complement to starter Javarris James. He recorded the second 100-yard game of his young career this past week against Duke and leads UM with 366 yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries. At times, he has played more like the featured back.
"If you look at it, both of us start," Graig Cooper said. "[James] just starts the first series. ... I'm not worried about it."
The 6-foot, 194-pound Graig Cooper, who arrived at UM in the spring after playing one season at a prep school in New York, seems to have overcome his two early-season setbacks. He was criticized for tending to run side-to-side instead of forward. After a big debut against Marshall when he rushed for 116 yards, he spent much of the game against Oklahoma in dance mode. He admitted to failing to hit holes fast enough, which led to the Hurricanes' worst rushing performance of the season. They finished with 52 yards on 35 carries.
Graig Cooper said he has since become more of a "North-South" runner. He proved that on a 2-yard touchdown run against Duke in the fourth quarter, going through a few defenders at the goal line.
"I showed to them that I do got a little pound in my game," Graig Cooper said.
He also showed he could hold onto the ball, the most severe of his troubles. Graig Cooper fumbled three times in five games, including twice against Texas A&M. Not even him sending a 1:30 a.m. apologetic text message could keep Shannon from being critical.
Graig Cooper stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. to watch the replay of the Texas A&M game on television. It made for a long night because he kept being reminded of his mistakes.
As he faced the threat of losing playing time, he also heard from friends and family.
"I had about 20 text messages," Graig Cooper said. "They said, 'Good game, good game, but you got to hold onto that ball.' That kind of got in my head. I just had to let them know that wouldn't happen again. Everybody makes mistakes."
Roommate Doug Wiggins, a freshman defensive back, saw up close how Graig Cooper corrected the problem. Aside from changing the way he held the ball, moving it closer to his body, Graig Cooper spent time in the dorm room watching film of the games against Texas A&M and Florida International. Those were when the fumbles occurred.
"He watched film every day," Wiggins said. "He would rewind every play. I was like, 'Man, just go forward with.' But he would watch it over and over again just to see the mistake he made."
Graig Cooper's persistence was not only to appease his UM family, but also his father, Tino Thomas. A former linebacker at Oklahoma State, Thomas has been his son's biggest influence.
Graig Cooper spent his freshman year at Kirby High in Memphis, but Thomas recalled his son being reduced to tears because of playing time. Thomas quit his job at a warehouse to move Graig Cooper nearly 500 miles to Oklahoma City, his hometown. When things were no better there, the two packed up and returned to Memphis.
Graig Cooper played his last two seasons at Melrose High, where he earned Tennessee's Mr. Football as a senior, before heading off to prep school.
"There are just things you want to do for your child," Thomas said. "I mean, I quit my job, but they gave it back to me and it was a better [job]. Sometimes, things just work out."
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