2002 Statistics

written by Dave Bagchi

Two years ago when pass-happy Rich Rodriguez took over head coaching duties at West Virginia, few people would believe that the Mountaineers would have ended his second season averaging nearly 300 yards per game rushing. To his credit, he has remained patient and coached to the team strengths. As Rodriguez continues to do this, and considering the stacked deck from which he deals, look for this one-dimensional attack again in 2003.

Senior RB Quincy Wilson is ready to take over for departed Avon Cobourne (left as school's all-time career leading rusher). Wilson's promise is that he had a whopping 6.4 average over 900-plus yards. His success has been predicated, though, on subbing when the defense was tired. He is bigger and faster than Cobourne, just not as shifty or experienced. Questions reside over whether Wilson can be an every-down back. Neither of these backs were superior as pass-protectors. There is depth in the backfield to help Wilson - much-hyped incoming junior-college transfer KayJay Harris (240 lb), and young talents Erick Phillips and Jason Colson, look to emerge. The one constant will be big-time blocking FB Moe Fofana, the team's most underrated player. Facing 8- or 9-man fronts, Fofana is responsible for clearing the extra man. He should receive national recognition this season if the Mountaineers continue their rushing dominance. Look for either Harris or Fofana to play in the one-back for obvious passing situations if Wilson cannot learn to pick-up the blitz. The running game has backs, but linemen are a concern.

The Mountaineer backs are complimented and completed by the running of junior QB Rasheed Marshall and his devilish 666 yards and 13 TDs. The offense is complex, running several spread formations including shotguns and one-backs. Surprising for a team that is so dominant on the ground, but not surprising that these formations can deceive 18-22 year olds, as they must respect the pass also, which they do. Marshall's backups saw limited 2002 action and for good reason. Rasheed's shiftiness helps him avoid many big blows, but Marshall must learn to slide and/or go out-of-bounds more often to avoid those big hits he seems to like.

There is faith in Mountaineer land that coach Rick Trickett will be able to mold a new offensive line, yet easier said than done. Replacing their best lineman, Lance Nimmo, will be a tall task. The middle is also vulnerable from departures. Trickett is searching the junior college scene for offensive line help, showing not much sign of faith in his current replacements. This year's line (right now) looks like sophomore Josh Stewart, junior Jeff Berk, senior Ben Timmons, senior Geoff Lewis and senior Tim Brown. Look for highly-touted sophomore Dan Mozes to get his reps at guard as well. Coaches are high on Mozes for his rare combination of size (300+ pounds) and quickness. No disrespect to what this squad will ultimately achieve, but their inexperience, on both the individual and group-level, will cost WVU its 2002 national ranking of second in rushing.

Josh Bailey and Tory Johnson form a solid pair at tight end. Although they only combined for 14 catches last year, they are both strong blockers. Johnson is the senior and a bit under-sized. Bailey is the future. The 6'5 sophomore is a nightmare for opposing safeties in the open field. Look for Bailey to grow as a weapon and be a security blanket for Marshall.

The passing game has been somewhat disappointing. It averaged just 135 yards per game, and the major problem is Marshall's accuracy. Although he does not make many mistakes in term of interceptions (only 5), Marshall is inconsistent. It is difficult to gage his arm strength because he takes so many hits. Watching the games, the Mountaineer receivers are often open off the play-action, especially considering the defense focuses on the ground game. Marshall just flat-out misses them. Watching Marshall play, it seems he is thinking too much, worried about making mistakes more than just trying to make plays. He is a tremendous athlete and has a talented arm. Despite the critics, Marshall is progressing nicely overall. The Mountaineer coaches should simplify things to alleviate the pressure. He is a strength to the offense, just a liability to the passing game becoming a quality second dimension of their overall attack.

A combination of injuries, discipline issues and (QB) inconsistency caused the receiving unit to take a surprising step back. Considering the extra men in the box for run-stopping, the Mountaineers should get a lot of big passing plays. Yet leading WR Miquelle Henderson and departed Derrick Smith averaged only 12 yards on their 57 receptions. Henderson and expected-starter Aaron Neal provide big targets for Marshall, but lack separation skills. The Mountaineers are also looking for big things out of two players who sat out 2002 due to academic reasons, Chris Hendry and Brandon Myles. A telling sign that a team is in trouble at a position is when they are relying on two guys who didn't play a single snap the year prior. But within the evolution this offense is currently experiencing, any of these receivers can become that next difference-maker so sorely needed.

QB Rasheed Marshall (Photo Credit - Mike Hardy, WVU Photographic Services)

written by Dave Bagchi

Senior linebacker Grant Wiley is looking at an All-American season. Mostly under the radar last year, Wiley had 133 tackles, 13.5 tackles for losses, and even two interceptions. He is a big athlete who uses his strength in moving north to south and plays the ball well. Where he will need to improve is his lateral movement (footwork). Also, with this year's inexperience at defensive line, Wiley will surely take a lot more shots downfield from opposing blockers. His durability will be tested with double-teams who now know he's coming, least of all from us here.

Wiley is a big-time player, but needs help to be the impact player he potentially is. And the lingering problem of WVU's defensive speed remains. The Mountaineer defense was torched by backs coming out of the backfield to catch passes on chasing LBs. Adam Lehnortt, Leandre Washington, Scott Gyorko and Mo Howard will battle for the two positions alongside Wiley. Washington and Lehnortt will get the early edge. But expect Washington and Gyorko to win the jobs by season's end. Both are slightly under-sized but their speed can bring this missing element to the Mountaineer defense. The unit has to be set, or operate comfortably under the guise of rotating often. Either way, the unit has too much growth to still experience before any conclusive assumptions are made.

Senior defensive backs Brian King and Lance Frazier will provide WVU with strong outside coverage. Both are underrated and can use that to sneak up on unsuspecting offenses. King is a more physical coverage guy, while Frazier has the better speed and quickness to play off and go for the interceptions. The duo will allow defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel to experiment with some man-to-man coverage and protect his weaknesses up front by shuffling his two safeties and his bandit closer to the line.

The safety spots will be another giant question mark. Gone is the team's defensive leader, Angel Estrada. Look for FS Jahmile Addae to move to the strong-side to take advantage of his tackling abilities. This will allow room for sophomores Adam Jones and Mike Lorello to develop. Their key will be whether they can keep the receivers from getting behind them. The unit will be inexperienced and called upon to support the run. The learning curve is steep here, a rather do-or-die area for the Mountaineers. Their 2002 Achilles heel was a pass defense that allowed over 200 yards per game and a pass-rush that had only 16 sacks. It will get worse in 2003.

Five starters up front departed, including all three along the defensive line. Conclusively, the Mountaineers will have one of the nation's youngest defensive lines this season. Up front, sophomore DE Ernest Hunter is an extremely talented sophomore, but he must return from his leg injury that cut short his freshman campaign. The key to building a young defensive line quickly is to have depth. WVU fans may rejoice in their redshirt freshman crop, Craig Wilson, Jeremy Sheffey, Ben Clemmons, Warren Young and Rachid Stoury. A possible X-factor is troubled lineman Kelvin Dubouse, who battled disciplinary issues in 2002. Until they become a powerful run-stopping unit like 2002's squad, this entire defense has plenty to prove before it is again a reliable asset.

FS Jahmile Addae (Photo credit: All-Pro Photography by Dale Sparks)