Arndt ready for first start against Missouri

Missouri is in town for the season opener at noon on Saturday and Arndt, who came to West Virginia out of Martinsburg, will be making his first start at Sam linebacker in this, his fifth season, most of it spent on special teams and cleaning up 35-7 blowouts either way.

What makes his accomplishment so unique is that he weighs in at 215 pounds — or so he says.

You wouldn’t want to be on it, but talk about running head on into a runaway train — this is the Missouri offensive line across the front ... 320, 335, 295, 305 and 315.

Their pregame meal will weigh more than he does.

“It’s just a number. That’s the way I look at it,” Arndt says when you ask him about that 215 pounds.

And rest assured he’s asked about it.

“Of course, and I’m tired hearing it. I’ve heard it five years now,” Arndt said. It’s definitely something that gives me a chip on my shoulder. Being able to go out there and play is what matters.”

Oh, at first he heard about all these supplements, all these vitamins, all these exercises ... but you learn you are what you are.

“I gave up trying to be 240 real quick,” he said. “People don’t know the weight room numbers, how much work I’m putting in there. Two-fifteen may not signify how much I am lifting.”

He has strength and speed, if not size.

“I feel like I have speed. I feel like I can move laterally, and that’s an advantage in coverage,” Arndt said. “Being a Sam, the linemen who come at you can’t move as fast.”

And that is what he plans to take advantage of.

“I think everything is about angles,” Arndt said. “It helps being at Sam on the outside taking angles and getting leverage on blockers, especially when you are going up against a guard as opposed to a fullback. You have to know what to do in each situation.

“It’s all about filling gaps. The way I look at it is give the blow as opposed to receiving it. That helps being undersized.”

It certainly has been trying getting to this point in his college career.

“I would say the low point comes as a freshman, not getting reps, not thinking you’ll ever play. Eventually, the light in the tunnel comes on,” he said. “The love for the game is what keeps you going, loving the grind. You have to realize you get better every day.”

There were, of course, temptations to go elsewhere, to go to a lower level say at Shepherd or Fairmont State, both of which recruited Arndt, and his cousin, running back Darren, who played at Shepherd before transferring to WVU to finish his career.

But Arndt didn’t want to believe that he had to go anywhere but the Division I level to play his football.

“I don’t think if I had to go anywhere I would have gone down a level,” he said.

That first year was awful for him, Arndt admitted, but by the time he got to his second season he saw things begin to happen.

“On a kickoff against Oklahoma in my second year it clicked,” he said. “I felt it was going well and things were moving along. Then I played in a game against Texas Tech and made some tackles and that moved my confidence forward. I felt I could achieve my goals.”

All he had to do was get someone to notice him, and when you are the little guy making the big plays, that happens automatically.

Arndt certainly caught defensive coordinator Tony Gibson’s eye this year.

“He’s practiced hard, he’s prepared. He had a great summer working out. His body’s changed, he’s stronger, he’s faster,” Gibson said. “He’s a leader for us on defense. He’s a guy we look to who knows what he’s doing, so we’re very excited for him.”

And it comes together on Saturday.