MORGANTOWN - Greg Robinson is obviously not a Sebastian Janikowski fan. Patrick Shadle? Well, he seems to run hot and cold on emulating the Oakland Raiders' rather rotund kicker.

How else to explain that twice during the Morgantown native's four seasons as Syracuse's kicker he has ballooned to near-Janikowski proportions, only to slim down both times?

Or, to be more precise, Shadle was asked to slim down.

No, make that told to slim down.

"Coach Robinson sat me down at the end of the year last year and told me, 'Lose the weight,' '' Shadle said Tuesday. "It as a kind of 'or else' and he had some repercussions that were going to follow if I didn't get in shape.''

Thus, when Shadle and the Orange (1-4, 0-1 Big East) arrive in Morgantown for Saturday's noon game with West Virginia (3-2, 1-0), the once-portly kicker will do so with significantly less baggage. Listed now at 201 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame (he swears he's actually 5-9), Shadle admits to having lost between 35 and 40 pounds since the end of last season.

Like Janikowski - never slim, but who ballooned to nearly 280 pounds (he's 6-2) a year or so ago - Shadle admits that losing the weight was the best thing for him.

"I feel like I'm more flexible, my stamina's better and I feel like I can last the whole season without my legs wearing out,'' Shadle said. "Kicking's a lot about leg speed and it's hard to swing your leg fast when you've got so much extra weight on.''

For Shadle - who excelled as both a punter and kicker at Morgantown High but wasn't offered a scholarship by West Virginia in part because the Mountaineers had Pat McAfee on their radar - this isn't the first time his weight has been an issue. During a freshman season in which he attempted just one field goal, he gained weight and was forced by then first-year coach Robinson to lose it. He did so and as a sophomore made 16-of-18 field goals and entrenched himself as the team's kicker.

As a junior, though, the weight started coming back on and, although statistically Shadle was solid (10-of-14 on field goals), the weight irritated Robinson and it was obvious.

Thus the offseason meeting and the edict to trim down or else.

"That's the way my body seems to handle it, I guess,'' said Shadle, who is learning a bit about it through his pre-physical therapy major. "I don't know if it's the body cycle gone wrong or what the deal is. But I always feel like I'm kicking better when I'm lighter and more in shape.''

And 235 to 240 pounds wasn't anywhere near being in shape.

MORGANTOWN - Greg Robinson is obviously not a Sebastian Janikowski fan. Patrick Shadle? Well, he seems to run hot and cold on emulating the Oakland Raiders' rather rotund kicker.

How else to explain that twice during the Morgantown native's four seasons as Syracuse's kicker he has ballooned to near-Janikowski proportions, only to slim down both times?

Or, to be more precise, Shadle was asked to slim down.

No, make that told to slim down.

"Coach Robinson sat me down at the end of the year last year and told me, 'Lose the weight,' '' Shadle said Tuesday. "It as a kind of 'or else' and he had some repercussions that were going to follow if I didn't get in shape.''

Thus, when Shadle and the Orange (1-4, 0-1 Big East) arrive in Morgantown for Saturday's noon game with West Virginia (3-2, 1-0), the once-portly kicker will do so with significantly less baggage. Listed now at 201 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame (he swears he's actually 5-9), Shadle admits to having lost between 35 and 40 pounds since the end of last season.

Like Janikowski - never slim, but who ballooned to nearly 280 pounds (he's 6-2) a year or so ago - Shadle admits that losing the weight was the best thing for him.

"I feel like I'm more flexible, my stamina's better and I feel like I can last the whole season without my legs wearing out,'' Shadle said. "Kicking's a lot about leg speed and it's hard to swing your leg fast when you've got so much extra weight on.''

For Shadle - who excelled as both a punter and kicker at Morgantown High but wasn't offered a scholarship by West Virginia in part because the Mountaineers had Pat McAfee on their radar - this isn't the first time his weight has been an issue. During a freshman season in which he attempted just one field goal, he gained weight and was forced by then first-year coach Robinson to lose it. He did so and as a sophomore made 16-of-18 field goals and entrenched himself as the team's kicker.

As a junior, though, the weight started coming back on and, although statistically Shadle was solid (10-of-14 on field goals), the weight irritated Robinson and it was obvious.

Thus the offseason meeting and the edict to trim down or else.

"That's the way my body seems to handle it, I guess,'' said Shadle, who is learning a bit about it through his pre-physical therapy major. "I don't know if it's the body cycle gone wrong or what the deal is. But I always feel like I'm kicking better when I'm lighter and more in shape.''

And 235 to 240 pounds wasn't anywhere near being in shape.

"Yeah, on a guy who is 5-9, that makes a big difference,'' Shadle said.

So he began working on the problem, so much so that in his goateed official photo this season Shadle looks almost gaunt by comparison.

"It wasn't hard to lose once I started getting on the right track,'' Shadle said. "I just had to make sure I was exercising and doing some sort of physical activity every day, not being sedentary. It's not hard to lose the weight if you're doing the right things in the way of exercise and diet.''

Robinson surely attributes any problems Shadle might have had to the weight, but saw more than just a few extra pounds.

"I think he let himself slip after his sophomore year,'' Robinson said. "He had success and it got to him a little bit. I don't think he prepared as hard. This year, his offseason and his summer regime were outstanding. And on top of that he took on a whole lot of schoolwork this summer, too. I think he just really buckled down in regards to everything and it's starting to show up.''

Indeed, Shadle has made 7-of-8 field goal attempts this season and his lone miss was a 51-yarder that bounced off an upright at Northwestern. For his career, Shadle has made 33-of-41 field goal attempts and his 80.5 percent success rate is the best in school history. He is on the Groza watch list as one of the top kickers in the country.

Still, coming home has not been a pleasant experience, at least as far as football is concerned. Shadle has made two field goals at Mountaineer Field - one in high school (Morgantown and cross-town rival University High played their season-ending games there when Shadle was in school) and the other was a meaningless 34-yarder at the end of West Virginia's 41-17 rout of the Orange two years ago.

It would be nice to have a chance at something more meaningful this weekend.

"Yeah, if that opportunity came up I would be excited and focused and ready to get the job done,'' Shadle said. "But I'd rather be kicking extra points. Those are easier and it means our team is doing well.''

And despite a relatively strong contingent of family and friends expected at the game on Saturday, Shadle knows there will be no outpouring of good will from most of the rest of the 60,000 in the stands.

"After four years I've gotten pretty good at blocking out anything negative coming from the stands,'' Shadle said.

Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.