| Keilen Dykes | |
|---|---|
| College | West Virginia |
| Conference | Big East |
| Sport | Football |
| Position | Defensive Tackle |
| Jersey # | 96 |
| Class | Senior |
| Career | 2003 – present |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 295 pounds (133.8 kg) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | September 6 1984 Youngstown, Ohio |
| High school | Chaney High, Youngstown, Ohio |
| Awards | |
| 2006 first-team all-Big East 2007 first-team all-Big East |
|
Keilen Dykes (born September 6, 1984 in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American football defensive tackle that plays for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
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Early Life
As a senior in high school, Dykes earned all-Ohio, all-city, and all-NEO honors after recording 75 tackles and 9.5 sacks. He was also named the Youngstown Vindicator city defensive player of the year. Dykes had 18 sacks as a junior and was selected for the North-South and Big 33 Football Classic games.
Collegiate career
Freshman season
Dykes did not see varsity action in 2003 after enrolling at West Virginia, and then was redshirted by Rich Rodriguez. Dykes worked his way into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman. He recorded 37 tackles, six for a loss, and had two sacks on the season. Dykes had three tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass break-up against East Carolina and then recorded two tackles while starting against Central Florida. He also had four tackles, one for a loss, against James Madison and a sack with three tackles against Virginia Tech. Dykes started the Connecticut game and recorded four tackles, then had five tackles in the Syracuse win. He also had six tackles, two for a loss, and a sack against Rutgers. He suffered a back sprain in the Temple game, but bounced back with five tackles against Boston College.
Sophomore season
In 2005, Dykes earned the starting role on the defensive line for all 13 games. He started the season off with three tackles against Syracuse and Wofford, followed by four tackles in the win against Maryland. He had three tackles, two for a loss, and a sack against East Carolina followed by four tackles, 2.5 for a loss, against Rutgers. He then had a pair of sacks in the Connecticut win, then two tackles against Cincinnati. He finished out the season with three tackles and a tackle for a loss against South Florida.
Junior season
As a junior in 2006, Dykes led a strong Mountaineer rush defense with linebacker Kevin "Boo" McLee and safety Eric Wicks that played poorly on pass coverage during the second half of the season. Dykes had 32 tackles on the season, 5.5 tackles for a loss. Dykes also had 3 sacks on the season. The strong rush defense, led by Dykes' line, allowed just 93.3 rushing yards per game, but was spoiled by a pass defense that let 243.3 passing yards get by per game with 17 passing touchdowns being scored on the defense. Dykes was named first-team all-Big East at the end of the season, along with Wicks and McLee.
Senior season
Going into 2007, Dykes led a Mountaineers defense that is expected to improve dramatically with pass coverage, with the return of senior safety Wicks and sophomore star safety Quinton Andrews. Dykes and Wicks were both selected a preseason first-team all-Big East selections, while Dykes was selected as the #7 defensive tackle in the nation by Lindy's and Wicks was selected as the #7 safety. In the second game of the season against Marshall, Dykes recorded 2.5 tackles against Rimington candidate Doug Legursky. Against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, Dykes had an interception that he took 19 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time a defensive lineman had scored at West Virginia since 1981. The next two weeks, against Rutgers and Louisville, Dykes had three and four tackles, respectively. In the 28-23 victory over #22 Cincinnati, Dykes had only one tackle, but did force a fumble and recover the same fumble. In Dykes' final game as a Mountaineer, the 48-28 victory in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma, he recorded a tackle. Dykes was named first-team all-Big East for the second consecutive season following the final regular season game and awarded the John Russell Award and Captain Award by head coach Rich Rodriguez. At the end of his career, Dykes was leading the Mountaineer team with 44 starts.
