Post by cviller on Sept 28, 2007 6:53:36 GMT -5
By Christopher Marshall for MSNsportsNET.com
September 27, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Just how much has the West Virginia defense improved this season? The numbers alone would suggest quite a bit.
Last season the inexperienced unit struggled mightily against the pass, specifically in the second half of the season. Jeff Casteel’s group finished the 2006 campaign ranked No. 42 in scoring defense (21.7 points per game), No.62 in total defense (335.6 yards per game), and No. 109 in passing defense (243.3 yards per game). West Virginia did finish No. 13 in rush defense, giving up just more than 93 yards per game, but most critics believed that was simply a case of offenses saying why run when we can pass?
So far in 2007 there has been a drastic change in the defensive production. A year ago, while sporting the same 4-0 record as this year’s team, West Virginia headed down to Mississippi State having yet to record a single sack. Through four games this year, Gold and Blue defenders have sacked the quarterback 16 times, good for No. 8 in the nation with an average of 3.75 per game.
Not coincidentally, the Mountaineer defense has improved to No. 33 against the pass, giving up about 186 yards per game. Perhaps there really is something to Rich Rodriguez’s theory that a steady pass rush can help out the secondary.
“It makes a big difference for us in the secondary if we get pressure,” senior defensive back Eric Wicks said. “We only have to cover for three or four seconds if we are getting pressure. If we don’t get pressure it’s more like seven or eight seconds and when you’re covering that long it’s pretty easy for guys to get open.”
A look at the rest of the numbers so far this season only shows a brighter picture. West Virginia ranks No. 20 in scoring defense (17 points per game), No. 19 in rushing defense (87 yards per game and 2.6 yards per attempt), and No.15 in total defense (273.3 yards per game).
As we all know numbers can sometimes paint a deceiving picture, but there is no doubt the Mountaineer defense has improved tremendously this season. After playing steady if not spectacularly in their first two games, the unit came to life at Maryland by holding the Terrapins to just 169 yards over the final three quarters. They followed that up with their best performance in more than two years by holding East Carolina to only 162 yards and a meaningless late touchdown.
So what happened? Did Rodriguez and staff finally start putting an emphasis on that side of the ball? Did the players start eating their Wheaties before games? The answers, from players and coaches alike, are of course much simpler than that.
“I think their confidence is starting to grow,” Rodriguez said of his defense. “We do have more experience there than we did last year. I’m anxious to see if we can keep getting better defensively. That’s the thing I have been pleased with. I think we have improved every game defensively not just in keeping the points down but also fundamentally.”
Junior linebacker Reed Williams believes the experienced gained last year helped the defense pick up the cerebral complexities of the game more than it helped them physically.
“I think the experience we gained last year helped us with what we are doing this year so far,” Williams said. “We are having a lot fewer mental mistakes and missed assignments from the front end to the back end.”
Wicks says the stellar second half effort at Maryland gave the defense some confidence while also showing them how they could be even more successful in future games.
“It brought a lot of confidence because we played a good game at Maryland but we still made a lot of mistakes,” Wicks said. “It made us realize we can be a great defense if we lessen the mistakes and we did that against ECU and it showed.”
Of course the proof is in the pudding, and everyone will learn a little bit more about where the West Virginia defense stands this week when the Mountaineers invade sold-out Raymond James Stadium for a showdown tomorrow night against No. 18 South Florida in Tampa, Fla.
South Florida presents a myriad of challenges for the West Virginia defense and is the fastest and most athletic offense the Mountaineers have faced all season.
“It seems like every week that we play a different team they get more and more athletic,” defensive back Ridwan Malik said. “South Florida is definitely the most athletic team we have played. They are going to be on fire to play down there, too.”
The focal point of the Bulls offense centers on sophomore quarterback Matt Grothe. The Lakeland, Fla., native is a gritty, dual-threat quarterback that has yet to throw an interception this season.
“Grothe is a great player and I think he is really smart,” Williams said. “He does well with his checks and they get him in position to make plays.”
Jeff Casteel believes that in addition to having all of the physical attributes necessary to be a winning quarterback, Grothe also does the little things it takes: always finding a way to make a play even when it’s not there.
“Matt is a kid that has a lot of the intangibles also,” Casteel said. “He’s a leader and a winner. If they need six yards he will get them six and a half. He’s a playmaker and I have great respect for him.”
Wicks says blitzs need to be used with caution because of Grothe’s innate ability to scramble for yardage or hit a receiver deep down field while on the run.
“When you blitz everybody he’ll flush it out to where he’s deep enough that he still has about three or four seconds to make a decision and read the receivers,” Wicks said. “When he does that it’s pretty hard to cover back in the secondary.”
Casteel notes that while he can run - unlike a more run-first quarterback - he would rather throw.
“His eyes are always down field,” Casteel said. “He’s going to throw the ball if he can and that’s where he’s really dangerous because he has a lot of receivers that get open and create a lot of big plays by him scrambling.”
Williams and the rest of his mates are hoping when they do bring pressure they can give Grothe a jolt that might throw him off his game.
“You never want anybody to get comfortable sitting in that pocket back there. We have got to get back there and try to get some pressure on him and make plays,” Williams said. “The best way to get a quarterback out of his game is to hit him a little bit.”
Grothe is throwing to a trio of lightning-fast receivers that have each caught at least 10 balls so far this season. Taurus Johnson, Jessie Hester, and Amari Jackson all have sprinters speed and have combined to catch 33 balls for 385 yards and three touchdowns in three games.
“They have great speed and athleticism. We are going to have our work cut out for us trying to contain all those athletes,” Casteel said. “They are going to put four and five of those guys out there on the field together in empty sets to try to get the ball in their hands and let them make a play.”
Just how much has this West Virginia defense improved this season? We’ll know a lot more after Friday night.