MORGANTOWN - Scott Kozlowski didn't pack it in when he was taken out, being told by then coach Rich Rodriguez that he didn't have what it takes to punt for the Mountaineers.

Considered the nation's top high school punter when he arrived in Morgantown, Kozlowski had earned the starting spot in his red-shirt freshman season.

He lofted his first collegiate punt 48 yards and placed four of his first 17 punts inside the 20-yard line. But midway through the season, he was benched in favor of Pat McAfee.

"Pat had a good leg, but I wanted some closure," Kozlowski said. "I

wanted to hear it from Coach Rod why I wasn't punting, and all he said

was Pat would be punting. He never told me why."

Flash forward to 2009. Rodriguez is gone, and Kozlowski is still in Morgantown. The senior fought through a negative situation for two

seasons and is now reaping the benfits of his hard work.

He is leading the Big East Conference in punting and is ranked sixth in the nation, averaging 45.4 yards per punt. He has kicked them long, having a Big East best 63-yarder to his credit this season and seeing 10 of his 23 attempts sailing 50 yards or more, and he has pinned opponents deep.

Eight punts have been downed inside the 20 and three have been touchbacks. His punting against Colorado earned him accolades at the conference's Special Teams Player of the Week.

"Scotty's done a good job keeping (opponents) down deep," said WVU

linebacker J.T. Thomas. He's a great punter, always has been. He helps the defense out a lot."

In those two seasons in which he was relegated to the bench, Kozlowski entertained thoughts of transferring to a school in which he would see playing time.

But he said he did not want to go through the hassles of changing schools. He instead opted to prove his former coach wrong."He stayed the course," said WVU coach Bill Stewart, crediting Kozlowski's mental toughness. "He didn't want to leave West Virginia without proving to himself, his mom and dad and to his teammates that he could play at this level.

He worked on his game and didn't pout. He's been a valuable asset to this football team."

Kozlowski takes a more stubborn view as to why he stayed the course,

saying he was happy Stewart had enough faith in his abilities to give him another shot at being the No. 1 guy.

"I not only wanted to prove that I could do it," he said, "I wasn't going to be run out of town or quit the team."

Kozlowski said, looking back, he learned a lot about perserverance and said getting back on the field (even though fans hate seeing the punter enter the game, a signal that the offense has stalled) has been a great feeling.

"We're only halfway through the season," the West Palm Beach, Fla., native said. "Hopefully, I can continue and stay strong. It's not always about being the best.

It's just about helping the team and being consistent and being confident. I just happy to have another chance to prove myself."