Post by elp525 on Oct 28, 2011 5:03:34 GMT -5
October 27, 2011
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN -- The good news for West Virginia football this week is that Syracuse is in the rearview mirror.
The bad news? The Rutgers team that the Mountaineers face Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., while certainly not a mirror image, has much the same basic offensive and defensive philosophy.
So after absorbing a 49-23 trouncing at the Carrier Dome, the Mountaineers are forced to hit the Big East road again and see if they've learned anything.
Defensively, Rutgers ranks No. 6 in the nation in sacks. Syracuse sacked WVU's Geno Smith four times and harassed him on virtually every play.
To expect the same type of game plan by Rutgers is perfectly logical.
But just as significant is Rutgers on offense. Syracuse scored more points against West Virginia than any team in two decades and all but one kick return touchdown came from an offense that was fairly basic, but confused West Virginia with play action at times and simply pounded the Mountaineers at other times.
Rutgers, with a true freshman quarterback in Gary Nova, is likely to try the same thing ... and then some.
"They're going to have a tight end and a fullback, but they're going to get in three- or four-receiver sets more often," West Virginia Coach Dana Holgorsen said. "Syracuse didn't have to do that very much. They get in three- and four-receiver sets sometimes. (But Rutgers) still wants to control the clock and run the power and grind you."
The biggest difference between Syracuse and Rutgers, though, is probably at receiver -- not across the board, but in one spot.
Junior Mohamed Sanu ranks fourth in the nation in receptions per game (9.3), averages almost 100 yards receiving and is easily the most critical player to try to stop for any opposing defense.
"They run the play-action post to (Sanu), who's a really good player," Holgorsen said. "They also run a zone play and try to run a little slant. They try to get the ball in his hands as much as they do some of their running backs."
Sanu is filling a different role for Rutgers this season.
As a freshman and sophomore he was used some at wide receiver but his biggest contributions came as a wildcat quarterback. And he had some monster games.
This season, Sanu has attempted only two passes and run the ball just three times. He almost never lines up behind center.
"When he catches the ball 16 times a game, I'd keep him out as receiver, too," Holgorsen said, referring to a 16-catch game by Sanu against Ohio University this season. "He's been very productive at receiver.
"He's a good player. We've got to cover him. If he's out wide, we'll be in situations that it's one-on-one with the corners. If he's inside, we've got to pass him off, much like we didn't do with the tight end last week. The guy's an eligible receiver, so we've got to cover him."
Last week, Syracuse tight end Nick Provo caught three touchdowns, two of them without a defender within five yards of him. So identifying Sanu and following him wherever he goes will be critical.
"He moves around a bunch. He'll play inside and outside," Holgorsen said. "Our scheme is to have the corners cover guys outside. If we load up the box, we'll put them in one-on-one situations.
"When those guys release, then you've got to have stuff in the middle and identify what routes they're running and go cover them. We didn't do a good job with that last week."
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN -- The good news for West Virginia football this week is that Syracuse is in the rearview mirror.
The bad news? The Rutgers team that the Mountaineers face Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., while certainly not a mirror image, has much the same basic offensive and defensive philosophy.
So after absorbing a 49-23 trouncing at the Carrier Dome, the Mountaineers are forced to hit the Big East road again and see if they've learned anything.
Defensively, Rutgers ranks No. 6 in the nation in sacks. Syracuse sacked WVU's Geno Smith four times and harassed him on virtually every play.
To expect the same type of game plan by Rutgers is perfectly logical.
But just as significant is Rutgers on offense. Syracuse scored more points against West Virginia than any team in two decades and all but one kick return touchdown came from an offense that was fairly basic, but confused West Virginia with play action at times and simply pounded the Mountaineers at other times.
Rutgers, with a true freshman quarterback in Gary Nova, is likely to try the same thing ... and then some.
"They're going to have a tight end and a fullback, but they're going to get in three- or four-receiver sets more often," West Virginia Coach Dana Holgorsen said. "Syracuse didn't have to do that very much. They get in three- and four-receiver sets sometimes. (But Rutgers) still wants to control the clock and run the power and grind you."
The biggest difference between Syracuse and Rutgers, though, is probably at receiver -- not across the board, but in one spot.
Junior Mohamed Sanu ranks fourth in the nation in receptions per game (9.3), averages almost 100 yards receiving and is easily the most critical player to try to stop for any opposing defense.
"They run the play-action post to (Sanu), who's a really good player," Holgorsen said. "They also run a zone play and try to run a little slant. They try to get the ball in his hands as much as they do some of their running backs."
Sanu is filling a different role for Rutgers this season.
As a freshman and sophomore he was used some at wide receiver but his biggest contributions came as a wildcat quarterback. And he had some monster games.
This season, Sanu has attempted only two passes and run the ball just three times. He almost never lines up behind center.
"When he catches the ball 16 times a game, I'd keep him out as receiver, too," Holgorsen said, referring to a 16-catch game by Sanu against Ohio University this season. "He's been very productive at receiver.
"He's a good player. We've got to cover him. If he's out wide, we'll be in situations that it's one-on-one with the corners. If he's inside, we've got to pass him off, much like we didn't do with the tight end last week. The guy's an eligible receiver, so we've got to cover him."
Last week, Syracuse tight end Nick Provo caught three touchdowns, two of them without a defender within five yards of him. So identifying Sanu and following him wherever he goes will be critical.
"He moves around a bunch. He'll play inside and outside," Holgorsen said. "Our scheme is to have the corners cover guys outside. If we load up the box, we'll put them in one-on-one situations.
"When those guys release, then you've got to have stuff in the middle and identify what routes they're running and go cover them. We didn't do a good job with that last week."
