Post by elp525 on Oct 9, 2011 9:59:38 GMT -5
10/08/2011
Garrett Cullen
Morgantown
Just glancing at the box score of West Virginia’s 43-16 win over Connecticut on Saturday, it looks like the Mountaineer offense had its way with the UConn defense. And it did – but only after a slow first half. West Virginia took control of the game and surged ahead with a commanding third quarter, outscoring Connecticut 23-0.
And as for the rest of the game? It was the West Virginia defense that kept the Mountaineers in control. The obvious play that started the momentum shift was Jewone Snow’s 78-yard fumble return down to the UConn 12 yard line to set up West Virginia in prime field position. Two plays later, the Mountaineers had a 17-9 lead, all the momentum and they didn’t look back.
“I was trying to keep going and keep going,” Snow said of the runback. “By the time I got to the other 40 or 30, man it caught up with me. I got tired and started tightening up, but I just tried to keep going.”
It was defensive back Pat Miller that jarred the ball free and caused the fumble.
“We were in the locker room and Coach Holgorsen had just said, ‘It’s a one turnover game,’” Miller said. “We were one turnover away from blowing out the game.”
And that’s just what the Mountaineers did after that.
“It was a game changer,” Snow said. “The momentum completely shifted over to our side, so it was a big play.”
The offensive side of the ball felt the momentum switch as well, as it seemed to set off a spark with the whole team.
“When Jewone got that interception, the whole sideline just blew up like firecrackers,” said receiver Ivan McCartney. “We were ready and the defense kept playing the whole game. For the offense, it took time for us to gell, but we did it in a matter of time.”
For Snow, meanwhile, that fumble return – which was second longest in school history – was just part of a great game overall. He finished third on the team in tackles with seven, behind Eain Smith and Darwin Cook who both collected eight.
“It does build your confidence,” Snow said. “But I don’t want to get too high – I’ve still got to correct some mistakes and get better each week and every day. That’s really my focus, just getting better.”
The redshirt freshman had his first career start the week prior against Bowling Green in replacement of the injured Doug Rigg.
“He’s still got to get a lot better, but he is improving,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. “He’s a wonderful kid who really wants to do well and he’s a guy that wants to play well for West Virginia and he’s a team guy. I think it’s important for him to do things right and he’s a good kid to coach.”
In terms of Saturday’s game, Snow did plenty of things right – and he says he’s getting more comfortable with his role on the field.
“There’s really no jitters anymore,” he said. “I know what I’m supposed to do and that’s just go out there, play hard and do my job.”
Overall on the year, Snow has 16 tackles in four games, including 1.5 for a loss. With those numbers, Snow has helped give some much needed depth at linebacker – a position where the Mountaineers lacked overall experience heading into the year.
“We’ll just keep banging away,” Casteel said. “He’s got a lot of work to do and I’ve got a lot of work to do and hopefully by the end of the year we’ll be okay.”
And if Saturday’s game was a sign of things to come from Snow, the Mountaineers should be more than okay.
Garrett Cullen
Morgantown
Just glancing at the box score of West Virginia’s 43-16 win over Connecticut on Saturday, it looks like the Mountaineer offense had its way with the UConn defense. And it did – but only after a slow first half. West Virginia took control of the game and surged ahead with a commanding third quarter, outscoring Connecticut 23-0.
And as for the rest of the game? It was the West Virginia defense that kept the Mountaineers in control. The obvious play that started the momentum shift was Jewone Snow’s 78-yard fumble return down to the UConn 12 yard line to set up West Virginia in prime field position. Two plays later, the Mountaineers had a 17-9 lead, all the momentum and they didn’t look back.
“I was trying to keep going and keep going,” Snow said of the runback. “By the time I got to the other 40 or 30, man it caught up with me. I got tired and started tightening up, but I just tried to keep going.”
It was defensive back Pat Miller that jarred the ball free and caused the fumble.
“We were in the locker room and Coach Holgorsen had just said, ‘It’s a one turnover game,’” Miller said. “We were one turnover away from blowing out the game.”
And that’s just what the Mountaineers did after that.
“It was a game changer,” Snow said. “The momentum completely shifted over to our side, so it was a big play.”
The offensive side of the ball felt the momentum switch as well, as it seemed to set off a spark with the whole team.
“When Jewone got that interception, the whole sideline just blew up like firecrackers,” said receiver Ivan McCartney. “We were ready and the defense kept playing the whole game. For the offense, it took time for us to gell, but we did it in a matter of time.”
For Snow, meanwhile, that fumble return – which was second longest in school history – was just part of a great game overall. He finished third on the team in tackles with seven, behind Eain Smith and Darwin Cook who both collected eight.
“It does build your confidence,” Snow said. “But I don’t want to get too high – I’ve still got to correct some mistakes and get better each week and every day. That’s really my focus, just getting better.”
The redshirt freshman had his first career start the week prior against Bowling Green in replacement of the injured Doug Rigg.
“He’s still got to get a lot better, but he is improving,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. “He’s a wonderful kid who really wants to do well and he’s a guy that wants to play well for West Virginia and he’s a team guy. I think it’s important for him to do things right and he’s a good kid to coach.”
In terms of Saturday’s game, Snow did plenty of things right – and he says he’s getting more comfortable with his role on the field.
“There’s really no jitters anymore,” he said. “I know what I’m supposed to do and that’s just go out there, play hard and do my job.”
Overall on the year, Snow has 16 tackles in four games, including 1.5 for a loss. With those numbers, Snow has helped give some much needed depth at linebacker – a position where the Mountaineers lacked overall experience heading into the year.
“We’ll just keep banging away,” Casteel said. “He’s got a lot of work to do and I’ve got a lot of work to do and hopefully by the end of the year we’ll be okay.”
And if Saturday’s game was a sign of things to come from Snow, the Mountaineers should be more than okay.
