2009 Scouting Report- West Virginia (owner: CowbellBandit)

[Stier]

For those thinking that losing White is going to set WVU back, they are in for a shocker I believe.  This Brown kid is pretty good with some great experience.  Hopefully that defense lets them down bc that offense is going to have no problem putting up points...

I agree.  I have always been more concerned with facing Brown over White.  White seemed to fold when the going got tough.  Brown looked better than White 2 years ago when White went down with the knee injury here in Tampa.  I think that game would have been a bigger score differential had White stayed in the game.

I'm more concerned with Devine than Brown!

[windbane]

From espn spring wrap up at http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigeast?archiveId=4&start=31

Key losses

QB Pat White, OT Ryan Stanchek, OG Greg Isdaner, LB Mortty Ivy, CB Ellis Lankster, S Quinton Andrews, P/K Pat McAfee.

Youth up front: The Mountaineers will have one of the league's youngest and most inexperienced offensive lines in 2009. They're replacing three starters, and one of their returnees, center Eric Jobe, moved into a starting role late last season. Not surprisingly, then, the O-line was overwhelmed at times by the far more veteran defense this spring. Then left tackle Donnie Barclay suffered a leg injury in the spring game that will cost him a couple of months' worth of conditioning. This unit has to take shape in the fall, or West Virginia will have a hard time contending.

They might have a tougher time replacing their lost OL guys than we are.  Morty Ivy was their leading tackler like McKenzie was for us, Lankster and Ivy were tied for the lead in interceptions, and Pat White was one of the best Big East QBs ever and the most prolific running QB ever.  Their P/K is now in the NFL and they have yet to find a good replacement K.  Also, Jock Sanders might not be back.  Oh, John Holmes, their leader in sacks last year with 5, also is gone.

I'm not too worried about them.  They have some talent, but they have yet to prove they can block, pass, run without White, and replace their 4 important guys on defense (adding Holmes to the list above of key losses).

[CowbellBandit]

Link to the Scout.com Preview- lhttp://cfn.scout.com/2/862911.html

Aw shucks. Gee wiz. It’s almost impossible to dislike head coach Bill Stewart, one of the really good guys in the sport. He’ll test the allegiance of Mountaineer fans, however, if he produces another season without a BCS berth.

West Virginia began last season as the heavy favorite to win the Big East title, but lost four games for the first time in four years and lost its grip on the conference crown. In Pat White’s final season in Morgantown, a 9-4 mark and Meineke Bowl appearance just didn’t cut it. And Stewart and his offensive staff, namely Jeff Mullen, felt the brunt of the criticism in the first year in a post-Rich Rodriguez world.

Although expectations are as modest as they’ve been in a while, the Mountaineers will still enter this season as one of a small handful of favorites to win the Big East championship. Life after White surely doesn’t promise to be easy, but the program has the luxury of welcoming back fifth-year QB Jarrett Brown, electrifying RB Noel Devine, and top WR Alric Arnett. It’s a start for an offense that was a microcosm for last year’s disappointments. Jeff Casteel’s defense, on the other hand, has few flaws and a bunch of players, who’ll be vying for all-star recognition.

The further the program moves away from the Rich Rod era, the darker Stewart’s imprint becomes. This is his team, but that comes with a lot responsibility, such as keeping the prosperity rolling after so much success and after being heartbeat away from a national title shot in 2007. West Virginia fans have grown accustomed to championships and marquee bowl games, and if Stewart can’t deliver them, he won’t be quite as charming in 2010.

What to watch for on offense: The adjustment of the offensive line. It used to be that the Mountie linemen would be insulated by zone blocking schemes that masked their modest size and athleticism. Not anymore. This is a new era in the trenches in Morgantown, which requires the blockers to be far more versatile and mobile. West Virginia has been recruiting accordingly, but was a touch sporadic last fall, and still has some wrinkles that need to be ironed out in the offseason.

What to watch for on defense: Blitzes. Lots of blitzes. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel would like to bring pressure from all angles as long as it doesn’t jeopardize a pass defense that’ll be somewhat green at the corners. He certainly has the requisite athletes at outside linebacker and safety to create havoc and confuse offenses with a variety of different looks. J.T. Thomas, Pat Lazear, Sidney Glover, and Robert Sands all cover a lot of ground, and will be turned loose liberally.

The team will be far better if… starting QB Jarrett Brown excels in Jeff Mullen’s offense. He does not have to be Pat White, but he does have to good if West Virginia is going to trade last year’s December bowl invite for a January game. Brown certainly has the experience and the arm strength to be a good fit in an offense that’s become increasingly reliant on the forward pass. Succeeding a legend might be a bigger challenge than anything he does with his arm and his legs. 

The Schedule: It's an interesting non-conference schedule with home games against East Carolina, Colorado, and the rivalry battle with Marshall sure to get plenty of attention, while the road game at Auburn is tougher on paper than it will be when the Mountaineers arrive. There are four Big East road games, but they're nicely spread out with no killer stretches of time without a home game. However, going to South Florida and Cincinnati will be rough, while there's an off week before the showdown against Pitt.

Best offensive player: Junior RB Noel Devine. Over the last two years the Mountaineers have lost Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, and Pat White, opening the door for Devine to be the newest sparkplug of the offense. A 5-8, 175-pound lightning bolt, he’s averaged just under seven yards a carry for his career. If the West Virginia blockers, both linemen and receivers, can get him into the open, he’s as combustible as any player in the country.

Best defensive player: Senior LB Reed Williams. In many ways, he’s your prototypical Mountaineer player, smart, hard-working, and very productive. No, he doesn’t have next-level measurables, but he’s the glue of the unit, chasing down anything that moves from his middle linebacker spot. After missing most of 2008 to recover from shoulder problems, he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off in 2007, finishing the season as the Fiesta Bowl Defensive Player of the Game.

Key players to a successful season: The offensive line. Whenever West Virginia has been dominant it’s had an offensive line that consistently protected the passer and opened holes for the playmakers. This year’s edition is a little vulnerable, having to replace four starters and lean on a more anonymous group. If the offense is going to get beyond last year’s inconsistency, it’ll need the likes of Josh Jenkins, Selvish Capers, and Don Barclay to clear the path to prosperity. 

The season will be a success if ...West Virginia climbs back to the top of the Big East. After unexpectedly slipping from its perch a year ago, the Mountaineers are determined to make it back to a third BCS bowl game in the last five years. They have as much talent as anyone in the league, so shooting any lower would go against everything the program has achieved this decade.

Key game: Nov. 27 vs. Pittsburgh. Lose a game to the rival Panthers, and there’s tension in Morgantown. Two straight, and you better guard the ledges. The Mountaineers have lost the last two Backyard Brawls, creating a sense of urgency to get back on track. The last time these two schools met in West Virginia, Pitt dealt a stunning upset to the home team, ending its hopes of playing in the national championship game.

2008 Fun Stats

- Third Quarter Scoring: West Virginia 101 - Opponents 21

- Penalties: Opponents 77 for 662 yards - West Virginia 59 for 535 yards

- Rushing touchdowns: West Virginia 15 - Opponents 15

[CowbellBandit]

Make-or-break stretches in the Big East

May 29, 2009 9:44 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Football coaches will tell you that you've got to take it one game at a time, try to win each week and then add 'em up in the end.

Forget those clichés, though. Each team usually has a make-or-break point on their schedule. Today we identify the most crucial stretches for each Big East school in 2009:

Cincinnati: The Bearcats open the season at Rutgers, but their most important stretch comes at the end. They close the season with Connecticut, West Virginia and Illinois at home, followed by the finale at Pittsburgh. Their chances of repeating as Big East champs will be determined here.

Connecticut: In a three-week span from Oct. 24 to Nov. 7, the Huskies travel to West Virginia, play Rutgers at home and go to Cincinnati. We'll find out then if UConn is a contender or a pretender.

Louisville: A young team like the Cardinals needs some confidence early. That's why Games 2, 3 and 4 -- at Kentucky, at Utah and home against Pittsburgh -- could either be crushing or uplifting.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers' final three games -- Notre Dame, at West Virginia and Cincinnati -- could go a long way in determining what kind of bowl game they will play in this season.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights' soft schedule doesn't feature too many potential potholes in the nonconference portion. They should be right in contention until the end, when they get South Florida at home, travel to Syracuse and Louisville and then welcome West Virginia to Piscataway on Dec. 5.

South Florida: The Bulls' season likely will be made or broken in a four-game stretch between Oct. 15 and Nov. 12. That's when they play Cincinnati, go to Pittsburgh, host West Virginia and travel to Rutgers. South Florida will hope to reverse the midseason swoon that has plagued it the past two years.

Syracuse: With a new coaching staff that fans are ready to embrace, the Orange need to show some respectability at the beginning. The opening three contests -- Minnesota, at Penn State and Northwestern -- don't offer many breaks. Competing in those games at the very least and possibly winning one would do wonders for the program.

West Virginia: No surprise that the Big East backloads important games for its marquee teams. The Mountaineers finish up at Cincinnati, home in the Backyard Brawl versus Pitt and then at Rutgers to end the season. That's the definition of make-or-break time.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/ncfnation/0-8-205/Make-or-break-stretches-in-the-Big-East.html

[slick1ru2]

Not a bad record for what started out as looking like a team in disarray from a new coach and schemes.

Here's the Spring Wrap Up from ESPN-

2008 overall record: 9-4

2008 conference record: 5-2

...

[CowbellBandit]

Not a bad record for what started out as looking like a team in disarray from a new coach and schemes.

Here's the Spring Wrap Up from ESPN-

2008 overall record: 9-4

2008 conference record: 5-2

...

Yep, better conference record than us...

[CowbellBandit]

Big East position groups that are simply loaded

May 28, 2009 8:45 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

All teams are not created equal. And not all positions on a given team are on a level playing field.

There are some position groups that are much stronger than others. Today, we take a look at the areas where some Big East teams are simply loaded:

• South Florida's defensive line: Probably the most impressive-looking group, physically speaking, that I saw all spring. The Bulls' D-line is full of tall, rangy, athletic specimens. There's George Selvie, of course, but don't forget about Terrell McClain and Aaron Harris. And when Jason Pierre-Paul and Ryne Giddins come in this summer, the defensive line is going to be even more loaded.

• Pittsburgh's defensive line: The Panthers defensive front is just as strong as South Florida's, but in a different way. Dave Wannstedt prefers undersized, hyper-athletic players up front, and he's got them in spades with Greg Romeus, Jabaal Sheard and Mick Williams, among others.

• Rutgers' offensive line: The Scarlet Knights return all five starters from their offensive front, the only team in the Big East to do so. But this is more than just a collection of veterans. There are real stars on this unit in left tackle Anthony Davis and Rimington Trophy candidate Ryan Blaszczyk at center. Throw in improving right tackle Kevin Haslam, and you've got one loaded line.

• Connecticut's linebackers: All three of the Huskies' starting linebackers -- Scott Lutrus, Lawrence Wilson and Greg Lloyd -- are back, as well as the top three backups. And one of UConn's top recruits, Mike Osiecki, also plays linebacker. This is one position that's in extremely good hands for Randy Edsall.

• West Virginia's linebackers: The duo of Reed Williams and J.T. Thomas are about as good as it gets in the Big East. Anthony Leonard, who started last year, is running second-string behind Williams at the middle spot. The Mountaineers need to find a consistent player at the other outside slot, but they have solid candidates in Pat Lazear and Ovid Golbourne, among others.

Others considered: Cincinnati's wide receivers, Connecticut's safeties, Louisville's wide receivers, Rutgers' linebackers, South Florida's wide receivers, Syracuse's running backs and West Virginia's defensive line.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/ncfnation/0-8-193/Big-East-position-groups-that-are-simply-loaded.html

[CowbellBandit]

Mountaineers add to strength staff

June 4, 2009 10:48 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

West Virginia has hired Bryan Fitzpatrick as its coordinator of speed and skill development.

Fitzpatrick, who was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, will work under Mountaineers head strength coach Mike Joseph.

With the Vikings, he conducted strength training, flexibility and conditioning programs. From 2006-08, Fitzpatrick was an assistant strength and conditioning coach and assistant speed development coach at Penn State. Part of his duties there included getting graduating players ready to perform at the NFL Combine.

Schools are throwing more and more resources into their strength and conditioning programs. This move is another example of that. Fitzpatrick should have plenty of speed to work with at West Virginia, including such players as running back Noel Devine and incoming freshman Tavon Austin.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigeast/0-5-16/Mountaineers-add-to-strength-staff.html

[CowbellBandit]

Early Week 1 look-ahead: West Virginia

June 2, 2009 3:15 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Things are a little slow here in June, as to be expected. The good news is, the college football season will kick off three months from this weekend.

It's never too early to look ahead, and this week I'm going to give you some early previews of every Big East team's Week 1 opponent. Since I usually do these kinds of lists in alphabetical order and make fans of West Virginia, Syracuse and South Florida wait until the end, I'm going to flip it and go in reverse order for these.

So that means West Virginia is first up. Here's a sneak peek at the Mountaineers' Sept. 5 opener in Morgantown:

Team: Liberty Flames

Coach: Danny Rocco (24-10, fourth year)

2008 record: 10-2 (5-0 Big South)

Returning starters: Offense: 4/Defense: 4

About the Flames: Jerry Falwell's school had a pretty explosive offense last season. The Flames averaged 33.7 points and 446.7 yards per game while holding opponents to 18.7 points per game.

However, the FCS program lost a lot of firepower to graduation. Gone are running back Rashad Jennings (1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns), quarterback Brock Smith (2,620 yards, 19 touchdowns) and star receivers Dominic Bolden and Jonathan Crawford (who combined for more than 100 catches, 1,700 yards and 15 scores). Liberty returns only two offensive linemen, a fullback and a tailback from last year's offense.

The story is about the same on defense, where only one starting defensive lineman, one defensive back and two linebackers return in Danny Rocco's 3-4 scheme.

This has been a solid program of late, winning the Big South title the past two years. But Liberty did not play an FBS opponent in 2008, and coming to West Virginia will be a huge step up in competition. And the Flames will have to take on that challenge with an inexperienced bunch.

Random factoid: Liberty has two players from Germany on the roster.

Totally unscientific odds of West Virginia winning this game: 99.8 percent.

[CowbellBandit]

Hogan turning into defensive hero for West Virginia

July 10, 2009 10:58 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Even as he excelled at cornerback for West Virginia early last year, Brandon Hogan wasn't sure his position switch was working.

"I had never played defense before, so I didn't really know if I was doing great things," he said. "I was just making a couple of tackles a game and couple pass of breakups. But those are the things on defense that get you accolades and get you noticed. I was always used to having offensive numbers, like touchdowns and scoring."

The Mountaineers' coaching staff had no complaints with the way Hogan played. A nine-game starter, he finished with 60 tackles, a team-best seven pass breakups, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Not bad for a guy who played slot receiver as a freshman and didn't make the move to defense until fall camp last year.

"I surprised myself," he said. "Once I started making plays, it felt easy to me. I felt like I was unstoppable."

Hogan admits he was a little unsure about the position change when the coaches first broached the subject. Though he had played a little safety in high school, he was primarily an offensive guy, usually lining up at quarterback and sometimes running back.

But he took to the defensive backfield right away and even got to show off his old wide receiver hands with a two-interception performance in a win at Connecticut. By the end of the season, it was clear that Hogan had developed into one of the Big East's best corners.

"I learned that you can't ever get down," he said. "Whenever a play happens, just get it out of your head and play the next play. I learned a lot of techniques of the game, a lot of fundamentals and how to get better on my film work."

Hogan missed the Meineke Car Care Bowl for unexplained personal reasons, and his absence showed as North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks had a huge day.

With Ellis Lankster departed, Hogan becomes the Mountaineers' top corner. He said younger players in the defensive backfield have started looking up to him now. Hogan has been taking the best shots from the team's top two wide receivers, Alric Arnettand Bradley Starks, in summer 7-on-7 drills.

Hogan thinks he has improved over last year. Remember that this is his first full offseason to work at defensive back.

"I think I'll be a lot better," he said. "I'll get smarter with the game."

And now he'll know how to better interpret those defensive statistics. The offensive ones are a thing of the past.

"I feel like that's who I am now," he said. "I'm a cornerback."