Post by elp525 on Sept 21, 2011 4:48:07 GMT -5
Wednesday September 21, 2011
by Jack Bogaczyk
Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- You might say opportunity knocks for West Virginia's football program here Saturday night.
Then, considering the Mountaineers' opposition and the fast, aggressive style of play with which Coach Les Miles has added to LSU success, the Tigers just might knock down the door before the Mountaineers can answer.
"They're as good as any," WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen answered Tuesday, when asked how the first-year Mountaineers coach would rank No. 2 LSU (3-0) among teams he has schemed against in his career. "I was in Row 1, 50-yard line for the Cotton Bowl last year to watch them play Texas A&M.
"We played A&M at Oklahoma State last year, and we had a pretty good battle (38-35 Cowboys) and I knew what kind of players (A&M had). LSU just physically whupped 'em (41-24) in that game."
In Saturday's 8:12 p.m. kickoff in an ABC national telecast that also brings ESPN College GameDay to town, No. 16 West Virginia (3-0) might be facing the best to visit Mountaineer Field since top-ranked Miami (2002) and Ohio State (1998).
Then, the No. 2 Tigers might be superior to those two, because they combine the Hurricanes' speed and depth with the Buckeyes' meat-and-potatoes aggression.
LSU is a six-point favorite. In the friendly frenzy of Mountaineer Field, WVU hasn't been such an underdog since Louisville was a seven-point favorite for the Mountaineers' 46-44 triple-overtime win in October 2005.
One thing is certain. LSU won't be cowered by a sellout crowd of more than 60,000. Miles' program plays before way more than that all the time in the SEC.
Besides, this is the Tigers' third game against a ranked foe away from Baton Rouge this month. They smacked then-No. 3 Oregon in Arlington, Texas, for openers, then eased past No. 25 Mississippi State eight nights ago.
"I've been looking forward to this because I've been told Morgantown is a wonderful place to play," Miles said during his Monday media luncheon. "Their game-day experience is a lot like an SEC game.
"They have a crowd that is into their team and makes a lot of noise. Our guys enjoy that type of environment. They tell me that College GameDay will be there and it's another primetime nationally televised game. Our guys love that.
"It speaks to us in an environment like that. It is another challenge. The good news is that we've been on the road and understand it. We're getting to a point where our road character is established, as is our personality."
As if the Mountaineers needed something else to chew on, LSU owns the nation's longest non-conference regular-season winning streak, 35 games.
The Tigers haven't lost one of those since their only other visit to a Big East stadium, in the 2002 opener, a 26-8 decision at Virginia Tech ... which was ranked No. 16, like these Mountaineers.
One thing is certain: LSU won't have been this "into" a game at Mountaineer Field since one that lives in infamy - Pitt's 13-9 win on Dec. 1, 2007. That defeat dropped WVU from the BCS National Championship game and opened the door for the Tigers, who then beat No. 1 Ohio State for a second title in five seasons.
"Les has done a good job sustaining the program," Holgorsen said. "You don't win two national championships in a decade and be average. That just doesn't turn south that quick.
"And they've already been in two big games this year and won fairly easily, so to say (this game) won't be a challenge would be crazy."
LSU is 47-4 in Saturday night games under Miles. And the veteran coach said he doesn't look at road games "as adversity, other than getting in late at night after a road trip."
Miles wants his team to play with its "LSU personality." Holgorsen, with the GameDay prime-time hoopla closing in, wants - and needs - focus more than anything for his first game against a ranked team.
"Without a doubt, it's good," Holgorsen said of the ESPN and ABC treatment. "I've been there before, the excitement level ... The amount of eyes that will be looking at our stadium, facilities, our university, the city of Morgantown, the whole state of West Virginia, for that matter.
"I'm fired up about it, glad it's here and all that's stuff's a positive, but at the end of the day, it's about what we do to put the best product on the field we possibly could.
"We can't sit here and have a team meeting and be all giddy about it. We've got to figure out what our job is ... focus on what the actual job is at hand, which is playing the game.
"Our job is to worry about the game."
And LSU is a lot to worry about.
by Jack Bogaczyk
Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- You might say opportunity knocks for West Virginia's football program here Saturday night.
Then, considering the Mountaineers' opposition and the fast, aggressive style of play with which Coach Les Miles has added to LSU success, the Tigers just might knock down the door before the Mountaineers can answer.
"They're as good as any," WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen answered Tuesday, when asked how the first-year Mountaineers coach would rank No. 2 LSU (3-0) among teams he has schemed against in his career. "I was in Row 1, 50-yard line for the Cotton Bowl last year to watch them play Texas A&M.
"We played A&M at Oklahoma State last year, and we had a pretty good battle (38-35 Cowboys) and I knew what kind of players (A&M had). LSU just physically whupped 'em (41-24) in that game."
In Saturday's 8:12 p.m. kickoff in an ABC national telecast that also brings ESPN College GameDay to town, No. 16 West Virginia (3-0) might be facing the best to visit Mountaineer Field since top-ranked Miami (2002) and Ohio State (1998).
Then, the No. 2 Tigers might be superior to those two, because they combine the Hurricanes' speed and depth with the Buckeyes' meat-and-potatoes aggression.
LSU is a six-point favorite. In the friendly frenzy of Mountaineer Field, WVU hasn't been such an underdog since Louisville was a seven-point favorite for the Mountaineers' 46-44 triple-overtime win in October 2005.
One thing is certain. LSU won't be cowered by a sellout crowd of more than 60,000. Miles' program plays before way more than that all the time in the SEC.
Besides, this is the Tigers' third game against a ranked foe away from Baton Rouge this month. They smacked then-No. 3 Oregon in Arlington, Texas, for openers, then eased past No. 25 Mississippi State eight nights ago.
"I've been looking forward to this because I've been told Morgantown is a wonderful place to play," Miles said during his Monday media luncheon. "Their game-day experience is a lot like an SEC game.
"They have a crowd that is into their team and makes a lot of noise. Our guys enjoy that type of environment. They tell me that College GameDay will be there and it's another primetime nationally televised game. Our guys love that.
"It speaks to us in an environment like that. It is another challenge. The good news is that we've been on the road and understand it. We're getting to a point where our road character is established, as is our personality."
As if the Mountaineers needed something else to chew on, LSU owns the nation's longest non-conference regular-season winning streak, 35 games.
The Tigers haven't lost one of those since their only other visit to a Big East stadium, in the 2002 opener, a 26-8 decision at Virginia Tech ... which was ranked No. 16, like these Mountaineers.
One thing is certain: LSU won't have been this "into" a game at Mountaineer Field since one that lives in infamy - Pitt's 13-9 win on Dec. 1, 2007. That defeat dropped WVU from the BCS National Championship game and opened the door for the Tigers, who then beat No. 1 Ohio State for a second title in five seasons.
"Les has done a good job sustaining the program," Holgorsen said. "You don't win two national championships in a decade and be average. That just doesn't turn south that quick.
"And they've already been in two big games this year and won fairly easily, so to say (this game) won't be a challenge would be crazy."
LSU is 47-4 in Saturday night games under Miles. And the veteran coach said he doesn't look at road games "as adversity, other than getting in late at night after a road trip."
Miles wants his team to play with its "LSU personality." Holgorsen, with the GameDay prime-time hoopla closing in, wants - and needs - focus more than anything for his first game against a ranked team.
"Without a doubt, it's good," Holgorsen said of the ESPN and ABC treatment. "I've been there before, the excitement level ... The amount of eyes that will be looking at our stadium, facilities, our university, the city of Morgantown, the whole state of West Virginia, for that matter.
"I'm fired up about it, glad it's here and all that's stuff's a positive, but at the end of the day, it's about what we do to put the best product on the field we possibly could.
"We can't sit here and have a team meeting and be all giddy about it. We've got to figure out what our job is ... focus on what the actual job is at hand, which is playing the game.
"Our job is to worry about the game."
And LSU is a lot to worry about.
