Football is inherently dangerous and junior safety Aubrey Burks has experienced the wrath of the game this season, overcoming all adversity to take over as an important piece in West Virginia's secondary.
Especially in the Mountaineer's win over BYU on Nov. 4, Burks shined both in coverage and in tackling while he patrolled the field and laid explosive hits on the Cougars' receivers, finishing with three tackles and a pass deflection. Following the contest, PFF graded the Mountaineers' performances individually, and Burks was atop all WVU defenders with a grade of 93.3.
Burks opened up the season and started the first four games for WVU at free safety but after a collision on the punt team during West Virginia's 24-21 win over TCU on Sept. 30, he was carted off the field in what he described as an extremely scary moment for him.
"I was definitely scared, probably one of the scariest injuries of my career playing football," Burks said. "Once I hit the ground I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know how bad it was."
"Not necessarily as far as you want something like that to happen, but it’s a part of the game. When I was laying there on the ground, it was a good five minutes. Scary moment for everybody, scary moment for me," Burks said.
Burks described the moment on the field in detail and the events that transpired following his shocking injury.
"There was numbness or tingling, as I was going down, my neck was turned going in for the tackle and I'm not taught to tackle like that, you should always have your head up," Burks said. "When I got to the hospital in Fort Worth [Texas], they said it was a bad concussion. They said nothing is wrong with you as far as your nerves, you had a bad concussion and you have to take it one day at a time."
Luckily, Burks returned from this setback after only missing one and a half games and a bye week, getting back on the field against Oklahoma State on Oct. 21. Since then, Burks picked up right where he left off in terms of his performances, recording five tackles and a pass breakup against the Cowboys and three more tackles against UCF in subsequent wins across two weeks.
Related: West Virginia looking to make their mark in November
The junior defender is thankful for the support staff around him and the people who cared for him to make his return possible.
"[I'm] happy to be here. Blessed with the support system I have here and now that I’m playing. Dr. Sofía [España Pérez] was really helpful. I'm pretty sure everybody in this building is thankful for her."
Since returning back to football on a normal basis and preparing to close out the season for the Mountaineers, Burks has been met with some challenges but to him, it's a great feeling to be back.
"Great feeling just because I want to help my team, help this defense accomplish what we want to accomplish," Burks said. "I was a little slow coming back at first with tackling but now I'm all back and okay."
On an individual level, there has been a mindset shift for Burks and he's made it a priority to play just like normal and not hesitate, helping him and his teammates maintain their composure.
"Just keep your composure and when the play comes to you, just do our best to make it," Burks said. "Just help the defense in the ball game. If I'm on the field hesitant about tackling or putting my head in there, then I shouldn't be out there."
The first stepping stone in a return to normal for Burks came on his second week back with the team, when WVU defeated UCF 41-28, which came with a three-interception day for the whole defensive unit. This group then put together another strong outing in a second-straight win, holding BYU to seven points in a 37-7 night-game victory.
As well as a dominating defense, West Virginia also earned bowl eligibility with its sixth win over the Cougars and Burks understands what it means to be great during this point of the season. He understands how important every week is for his defense to chase more wins.
"If you want to win a championship you have to win in November," Burks said. "It's a big week for us and a big week in general for our defense and offense to go 1-0 and chase what we want to chase at the end of the season."
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