|
by
Joel Welser
#7 West
Virginia Mountaineers
Big East
2006 Record: (11-2, 5-2)
Coach: Rich Rodriguez (50-24 at West
Virginia, 50-24 overall)
Starters Returning: 17 (7 offense, 8 defense,
2 specialists)
Offensive Starters Lost: WR Rayshawn Bolden,
WR Brandon Myles, OL Jeremy Sheffey, OL Dan Mozes
Offensive Starters Returning: QB Patrick
White, RB Steve Slaton, FB Owen Schmitt, WR Darius Reynaud, OL Jake Figner, OL
Greg Isdaner, OL Ryan Stanchek
Defensive Starters Lost: DT Warren Young, LB
Jay Henry, LB Kevin McLee
Defensive Starters Returning: DT Keilen
Dykes, DE James Ingram, LB Bobby Hathaway, CB Antonio Lewis, CB Vaughn Rivers, S
John Holmes, S Eric Wicks, S Quinton Andrews
Starting Specialists Lost: none
Starting Specialists Returning: K Pat McAfee,
P Scott Kozlowski
The biggest offseason news for West Virginia is
Coach Rich Rodriguez is still the coach. Under the tutelage of Coach Rodriguez,
the Mountaineers have become an elite football program and that will not end any
time soon as long as he remains in Morgantown. With most of the potent offense
returning, all eyes look to the defense to improve enough to take WVU to the
next level.
Offense:
Patrick White threw for 13 touchdowns, rushed for 18
more and was named the Big East offensive player of the year in 2006. If the
dual threat is the heart of WVU, Steve Slaton is the soul. Slaton rushed for
1,744 yards and 16 touchdowns. Combined, the duo rushed for nearly 3,000 yards.
It may be easy to say that the opposition must make White throw, but time and
time again the West Virginia offense broke down the defense and rushed to
victory.
When they do throw, the Mountaineers will be without
Brandon Myles. As a senior, Myles led the team with 522 receiving yards and
eight touchdowns. Darius Reynaud will be the main receiving threat this year,
but the team will have to find somebody to develop into a solid #2 target. The
offensive line returns three starters, but the absence of center Dan Mozes and
guard Jeremy Sheffey is a big concern. They may not have the name appeal of
White and Slaton, but will be missed just as much. Mike Dent and John Bradshaw
are the likely replacements and must quickly fill a big hole.
Defense:
Only three individuals have rushed for over 100
yards against the Mountaineers in the last three years, but it is the defense
that keeps WVU from running the table in the Big East. The team gave up 243
passing yards per game in 2006 and it all starts with a defensive line that has
not gotten enough pressure on the quarterback. Keilen Dykes, Johnny Dingle and
James Ingram all earned starts on the line last year and the unit should be
improved from last year.
The linebackers lose two starters, but return plenty
of experience with Bobby Hathaway, Marc Magro and Reed Williams. The secondary
that was questionable at best last year, returns all five starters, but that
does not mean the starting lineup is secured. Corners Antonio Lewis, Vaughn
Rivers and Larry Williams have senior experience, but there is a boatload of
young potential ready to make a push for more playing time. All-conference
safety Eric Wicks and freshman All-American Quinton Andrews are solid defensive
backs, but the unit as a whole will have to use their experience to be more
productive than they were last year.
The Bottom Line:
The offense will be nearly impossible to stop and
the ball will not even have to take many trips through the air. Getting involved
in high scoring shootouts is fun, but WVU really needs to do better on the
defensive end if they want to win the Big East. The 3-3-5 defense will see some
changes, but the key is getting more of a pass rush. |
From