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QB
Pat White |
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2006
Statistics |
Coach:
Rich Rodriguez
50-24,
6 years |
2006
Record: 11-2 |
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MARSHALL |
WON
42-10 |
E.
WASHINGTON |
WON
52-3 |
MARYLAND |
WON
45-24 |
at
East Carolina |
WON
27-10 |
at
Mississippi State |
WON
42-14 |
SYRACUSE |
WON
41-17 |
at
Connecticut |
WON
37-11 |
at
Louisville |
LOST
34-44 |
CINCINNATI |
WON
42-24 |
at
Pittsburgh |
WON
45-27 |
SOUTH
FLORIDA |
LOST
19-24 |
RUTGERS |
WON
41-39 (3OT) |
GATOR
BOWL |
Georgia
Tech |
WON
38-35 |
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2006
Final Rankings
AP-10, Coaches-10, BCS-13
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2007
Outlook |
The
good news: Rich Rodriguez is still
the head coach after a bizarre off-season
coaching carousel. Rodriguez shunned
the University of Alabama in favor
of his Alma matter back in January…the
same cannot be said for his assistants.
Three new offensive coaches will take
over - Tony Dews comes over from UNLV
to coach the WRs, while Greg Frey
and Rod Smith both come from South
Florida to take over the OL and QB
coaching duties, respectively. How
the coaching evolves in Rodriguez’
crazy system is almost as important
as how the players operate the show.
Still, don't expect much to change
in terms of schematics. Pat White
will keep defenses frozen with his
scrambling and running while Steve
Slaton continues to put up huge numbers
as he dashes through gaps. This will
still be the staple, much as the successful
previous two years have proven. The
difference with this WVU team, and
ergo why they garner a top five preseason
ranking, is the amount of depth. Every
position, in particular at the skill
sets, is as deep as Rodriguez has
ever had. The exception is the front
walls as the OL and DL may not be
quite as stacked, but both are formidable.
What’s
that we hear? Expect more passing
in 2007?! Pat White has failed to
be mentioned in the past as worthy
for national honors simply because
his number of throwing attempts has
been kept in check - running is in
vogue here and it does the needed
damage. But make no mistake - the
former MLB draftee out of high school
has an arm, which makes this team
extremely, unpredictably dangerous.
The keys to success and a BCS National
Championship bid lay in improvements
being seen amongst the defensive backfield.
WVU has a stable of quality athletes,
but how healthy the DL remains when
bodies here are hard to find will
tell much, too. The offense will put
up points; thus, the defense will
have to win any championships.
The
schedule once again is extremely conducive
to an undefeated run just like a season
ago. The non-conference games are
laughable (save Maryland). But just
like last season, the resurrection
of quality football in the newly constructed
Big East will put this team to the
test. A huge home game versus new
rival Louisville, led by All-American
Brian Brohm at QB, in the first week
of November should be circled. The
biggest road tests are at Rutgers
and South Florida. The year changes,
but the path to glory apparently has
not. This team has reached the 11-game
win plateau in each of the past two
years under the leadership White/Slaton/Rodriguez.
Simply put, this trio returns to treat
college fans to their best showing
yet. The recruiting is starting to
reap the benefits, and, consequently,
so are the victory totals. For fans
who have seen the recent genesis,
anything short of a National Championship
Game appearance will be a disappointment.
This is how far West Virginia Football
has climbed.
Projected
2007 record: 12-0
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WEST
VIRGINIA
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 4.5 |
DL
- 4 |
RB
- 5 |
LB
- 3.5 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 3.5 |
OL
- 3.5 |
.. |
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RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Pat White, 118-179-7, 1655 yds., 13
TD
Rushing: Steve Slaton, 248
att., 1744 yds., 16 TD
Receiving: Darius Reynaud,
39 rec., 520 yds., 2 TD
Scoring: Pat McAfee, 17-21
FG, 62-62 PAT, 113 pts.
Punting: Pat McAfee, 18 punts,
43.2 avg.
Kicking: Pat McAfee, 17-21
FG, 62-62 PAT, 113 pts.
Tackles: Quinton Andrews, 80
tot., 46 solo
Sacks: Eric Wicks, 7 sacks
Interceptions: Quinton Andrews,
5 for 67 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Darius Reynaud,
30 ret., 27.1 avg., 1 TD
Punt Returns: Vaughn Rivers,
18 ret., 10.8 avg., 1 TD
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DB
Eric Wicks |
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WEST
VIRGINIA |
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OFFENSE
- 7 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 9 |
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KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Rayshawn Bolden-WR, Brandon Myles-WR,
Jason Colson-RB/WR, Brad Palmer-TE,
Jeremy Sheffey-OG, Dan Mozes-C |
DEFENSE:
Craig
Wilson-NT, Warren Young-DT, Pat Liebig-NT,
Jay Henry-MLB, Kevin McLee-WLB |
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2007
OFFENSE |
This
offense is under the full guidance of QB
Pat White, the first of two offensive players
(along with RB Steve Slaton) in Morgantown
considered a top rated Heisman Candidate.
That distinction is important given the
vast array of talent at the QB position,
three of whom have previous starting experience.
The back up is Jarrett Brown, the hero of
last fall's important Rutgers triple-OT
victory as he admirably filled in for an
injured White. Former starting QB Adam Bednarik,
who sat out last season recovering from
shoulder surgery, was the leading passer
in the spring game. Given the depth at QB,
Bednarik will move to WR by August in an
effort to put him on the field (4.55 sec
in the 40). The same holds true for former
West Virginia prep Player of the Year Nate
Sowers, as he now becomes a full-time receiver.
In regards to the people catching the passes,
upwards of 13 different players have the
possibility of seeing substantial playing
time. Coaches have stated as much by declaring
that a true depth chart may not take shape
until mid-September. Senior Darius Reynaud,
last year's leading receiver, is a proven
commodity. 6’8 youngster Wes Lyons
is making some serious noise with his height
advantage. He has some fundamentals to work
on, but keep an eye on Wes. This is a proven
rushing offense (No.2 last year) based on
spreading defenses out and exploiting the
defensive matchups, and no one understands
how to exploit this better than All-American
RB Steve Slaton. His 1,744 rushing yards
and 16 ground scores, when combined with
White’s 1,219 rushing yards and 25
rushing TDs, are what made this offense
so feared as they ranked third in the land
for scoring. WVU won't likely mess with
what has gotten them this far until opponents
show an ability to stop the attack. Big
Owen Schmitt is back in the fold to carry
the load at either FB or the TB spot. His
bones crushing blocks and carries have now
become things of legend in Morgantown (has
lost only two yards rushing his entire collegiate
career). The Mountaineers success is also
attributed to a solid offensive line built
around smaller, quicker, yet less heralded
recruits. This could be one area that demands
a special scouting notice since highly regarded
OL coach Rick Trickett has moved on to Florida
State. Filling his shoes, ironically, will
be former FSU center Greg Frey…the
Morgantown/Tallahassee coaching merry-go-round
continues to circle. Frey comes from South
Florida where he successfully served as
the OL coach since 2000. Even with the graduation
of Rimington Trophy winner (Nation's Best
Center) Dan Moses and All-Big East guard
Jeremy Sheffey, this group is just as worthy
as any other to bunker the Blue and Gold
front wall. OT Ryan Stanchek is one of the
best anywhere and 2005 Freshman All-American
Mike Dent will help ease some of the transition.
With so many WRs, this spring saw most of
the emphasis being placed on the passing
game. Is this a move by head coach Rich
Rodriguez to develop the passing ability
of White so as to match his running prowess,
or is it an attempt to find a set of starting
WRs? Probably both, so look for White's
passing numbers to increase. This system,
built on a unique ground game which opens
up lanes for throwing, will finally start
to be utilized for its true aerial potential.
But if you still see a low number of pass
attempts, how could one argue the reasons?
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RB
Steve Slaton
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WEST
VIRGINIA 2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Pat
White-Jr (6-2, 185) |
Jarrett
Brown-So (6-4, 220) |
FB |
Owen
Schmitt-Sr (6-3, 260) |
Maxwell
Anderson-So (6-1, 240) |
TB |
Steve
Slaton-Jr (5-10, 190) |
Ed
Collington-Jr (6-0, 205) |
WR |
Tito
Gonzalez-Jr (6-2, 210) |
Wes
Lyons-So (6-8, 220) |
WR |
Darius
Reynaud-Sr (5-10, 200) |
Dorrell
Jalloh-Jr (6-0, 195) |
WR |
Nate
Sowers-So (6-2, 215) |
Carmen
Connolly-So (6-1, 190) |
TE |
Mike
Villagrana-Sr (6-4, 260) |
.. |
OT |
Ryan
Stanchek-Jr (6-4, 300) |
Selvish
Capers-Jr (6-6, 285) |
OG |
John
Bradshaw-Jr (6-6, 290) |
.. |
C |
Mike
Dent-Jr (6-4, 285) |
Eric
Jobe-Fr (6-4, 300) |
OG |
Greg
Isdaner-So (6-4, 315) |
Eric
Rodemoyer-Fr (6-4, 300) |
OT |
Jake
Figner-Jr (6-5, 305) |
Jon
Walko-So (6-7, 280) |
K |
Pat
McAfee-Jr (6-1, 220) |
Scott
Kozlowski-So (6-1, 185) |
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2007
DEFENSE |
One
year ago, the big question was how a completely
new set of players would perform in the
secondary; the losses were heavy. The results
of having such great run stoppers (ranked
13th) were a 109th-ranked pass defense.
The entire DB group returns, led by two-time
All-Big East selection Eric Wicks. Through
the spring, Wicks has been playing all three-safety
positions in their unique 3-3-5 alignment.
Oft-injured starting spur Ridwan Malik had
the best spring according to coaches. 2006
Freshman All-American Quinton Andrews has
certainly raised eyebrows from his free
safety position - he led the team in tackles.
Senior corners Lewis and Rivers have proven
their quickness and athletic ability by
being top-rated return men. As stated, the
results up to this point have been poor,
but the pedigree of athletes in this backfield
should eventually force drastic improvements.
The biggest changes on defense are the moves
of John Holmes and J.T. Thomas into the
starting outside LB spots since the first
day of spring, giving the LB corps a huge
boost in depth. Although the changes have
been duly noted, experience can be counted
on as well with veterans such as Magro,
Hathaway and Williams garnering extended
playing time. Also keep an eye on rising
sophomore Zac Cooper, former West Virginia
prep Defensive Player of The Year from three
seasons ago. His play earned praise from
defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and was
named as having one of the most surprising
springs from a back-up role. The Mountaineers
can sport early optimism from the fact that
senior Keilen Dykes leads this DL. He will
be worthy of some post-season accolades.
The key will be finding depth, as this unit
appears paper-thin. Guys such as Scooter
Berry and Doug Slavonic have provided some
surprise this spring, but none has proven
to be an every down player. This is an area
to be concerned about, especially in terms
of the injury front. Although, many of these
problems are offset by the fact that their
hybrid safeties/linebackers provide much
of the run support, swarming around the
ball. That’s how/why this system works.
This will be imperative as the DL struggles
to locate those on the roster who can pressure
opposing QBs. If some of the newcomers were
to find surprise playing time, the DL would
provide that opportunity. This unit did
pretty well until they ran into some real
offenses, and the lessons from how much
Louisville exploited them need to hit home
if WVU is to take any next steps.
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DT
Keilen Dykes
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WEST
VIRGINIA 2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Johnny
Dingle-Sr (6-3, 270) |
Scooter
Berry-Fr (6-2, 285) |
NT |
Doug
Slavonic-Jr (6-8, 260) |
Chris
Neild-Fr (6-3, 305) |
DT |
Keilen
Dykes-Sr (6-5, 295) |
James
Ingram-So (6-2, 265) |
SLB |
John
Holmes-Jr (6-3, 230) |
Bobby
Hathaway-Sr (6-1, 230) |
MLB |
Reed
Williams-Jr (6-2, 225) |
Marc
Magro-Sr (6-3, 240) |
WLB |
J.T.
Thomas-Fr (6-2, 220) |
Mortty
Ivy-Jr (6-3, 225) |
CB |
Antonio
Lewis-Sr (5-10, 185) |
Guesly
Dervil-So (6-0, 180) |
CB |
Vaughn
Rivers-Sr (5-9, 170) |
Larry
Williams-Sr (6-1, 190) |
SPUR |
Charles
Pugh-Jr (6-0, 200) |
Greg
Davis-Fr (6-3, 195) |
BAN |
Eric
Wicks-Sr (6-1, 205) |
Ridwan
Malik-Sr (6-1, 205) |
FS |
Quinton
Andrews-So (6-0, 210) |
Trippe
Hale-Fr (5-11, 195) |
P |
Pat
McAfee-Jr (6-1, 220) |
Scott
Kozlowski-So (6-1, 185) |
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2007
SPECIAL TEAMS |
When
it comes to putting the foot in football, look
no further than now junior Pat McAfee…the
WVU punter and kicker. He was the nation’s
No. 1 high school kicker (Scout.com) and won the
2003 national Punt, Pass and Kick contest. Entering
his third season, McAfee has already positioned
himself among the most productive kickers in school
history in career field goals and points scored.
After the Louisville loss, he assumed the punting
role and managed to average 44.2 yards per boot.
The return game is blessed with star-studded experience.
KR Darius Reynaud and PR Vaughn Rivers represent
some of the best the country has to offer. Also,
Antonio Lewis has proven to be more than legitimate
when called upon to return punts. The WVU offense
will win field position battles due to these efforts.
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