Post by cviller on Sept 28, 2007 7:24:20 GMT -5
WVU ready for another hostile environment
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
TAMPA, Fla. — It’s not that Matt Grothe and his South Florida teammates have never played in this type of atmosphere. They have.
Just never before at home and in front of adoring — not taunting — fans.
.
WVU’s Steve Slaton has been bottled up by South Florida, which has limited the Mountaineer back to less than 3 yards per carry. That’s what the Bulls will have in their corner tonight, though, when No. 5 West Virginia plays No. 18 USF at Raymond James Stadium. The biggest home crowd in school history — all 65,657 tickets were expected to be sold by tonight’s 8 o’clock kickoff — will give South Florida the kind of advantage teams like WVU enjoy at almost every home game.
“I don’t know [what it’s going to be like] because I’ve never played in front of a sold-out crowd here. I don’t know what to expect,’’ said Grothe, the Bulls’ sophomore quarterback and offensive catalyst. “I know it is going to be loud after last week when North Carolina’s quarterback looked spastic trying to get the play off. That was with only 38,000. I can’t imagine how loud it will be with 65,000.”
Well, the crowd isn’t likely to rattle West Virginia, which has played in front of larger and perhaps even more hostile crowds the past few seasons and done quite well. A virtual road game with Georgia in the transplanted 2006 Sugar Bowl comes to mind.
Still, when the Mountaineers face their most serious test to date against what seems easily to be the best team they will face in the front half of this year’s schedule, it certainly isn’t going to hurt South Florida to have that type of support.
Then again, perhaps it won’t hurt West Virginia, either.
“Our guys have got to understand it’s going to be a hostile environment,’’ West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said. “But, at the same time, you’d rather go into an environment like that than go to a place when there’s nobody and nobody really cares.
“This supposedly is the biggest game they’ve ever played. And I’ve talked to our team about that. We’re highly ranked, and when you go somewhere they’re going to sell out the stadium. We have to remember we’ve been in this situation before.’’
There is more, of course, to this one than merely the crowd factor. In fact, it is fairly dripping with subplots from the West Virginia angle, such as:
• West Virginia is attempting to get payback for USF’s 24-19 upset over the No. 7 Mountaineers last year in Morgantown, a game that essentially cost the Mountaineers a BCS bowl berth.
• Former USF assistants Rod Smith and Greg Frey will be in their first game as WVU assistants against their old employer.
• Steve Slaton is trying to find running room against a team which in 46 career carries has held him to less than 3 yards per rush.
But perhaps more significant than anything else is the quarterback play on both sides. How will West Virginia’s defense do in containing Grothe? South Florida’s defense certainly did its fair share in the win at Morgantown last season, but Grothe is still very much the primary offensive weapon. And if the Bulls can’t move the ball and score, they can’t win.
And on the flip side, while USF has been successful in shutting down Slaton, stopping Pat White has been the difference between winning and losing. Two years ago White ran for 177 yards and had two long touchdown runs and West Virginia won. Last season he played hurt, gained 17 yards and the Mountaineers lost.
And for West Virginia’s players, it is that loss that has stuck in their collective craw for 10 months now. If there is any motivation needed besides a desire to remain unbeaten and on the national championship radar, that loss is it. The Mountaineers were in the driver’s seat at the time for the Big East’s BCS bowl berth as the highest-ranked team in a three-way tie with Louisville and Rutgers. The defeat sent WVU reeling.
Rodriguez, though, downplays it as much as he can.
“I’m not a big guy on harping on the so-called revenge factor. I don’t think that’s much of an issue in the game as far as those kinds of emotions go,’’ Rodriguez said. “If it helps your guys get focused during the week, that’s fine. But once the ball’s kicked off, I think what’s happened in the past is certainly in the past. It’s what’s going on right now that’s important.’’
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734