Post by cviller on Aug 29, 2007 18:28:57 GMT -5
By Jack Bogaczyk
Daily Mail Sports Editor
MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia has another preseason high to celebrate with its No. 3 Associated Press poll ranking.
With the season opener coming Saturday against Western Michigan, WVU has sold a school record 38,113 full-season tickets for the six games at Mountaineer Field in 2007.
"We'll still add a little bit to that," WVU Deputy Athletic Director Mike Parsons said Tuesday. "We do not count tickets as sold until we receive payment, and some of those are still coming in ... The number won't change a lot."
West Virginia's season ticket record of 41,206 was set in 1998, but that figure included 7,510 mini-plans (partial season packages) and 33,696 full season packages.
WVU dropped mini-plans for the first time this year and had no trouble selling out because of the Mountaineer following after 12-1 and 11-2 seasons and back-to-back bowl victories.
Last year, WVU sold 37,823 season tickets, and an all-time high 35,208 of those were for the full season. The school cannot sell more season seats because of allotments it must hold for student distribution, coaches, players and staff tickets and opponent seats.
Mountaineer Field's announced capacity is 60,000, but the stadium's actual seat spaces are slightly below that. WVU lost about 3,500 available seats several years ago when it added end zone suites and removed other seats to accommodate handicap seating.
Much of WVU's added season sales are connected to greater fundraising by the Mountaineer Athletic Club. In four seasons, the Mountaineers have added almost 13,000 in season ticket sales.
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UNLESS THE depth chart changes between now and Saturday, WVU could have as many as eight first-time starters in a Mountaineer uniform.
Offensively, center Mike Dent will make his starting debut, alongside a redshirt freshman right guard, either Eric Rodemoyer or Derek Hayes. Rodemoyer is the listed starter, but has been bothered throughout preseason camp by a high left ankle sprain.
If Coach Rich Rodriguez sends four wideouts onto the field for the first offensive plan, former Kennedy Award-winning quarterback Nate Sowers of Martinsburg could get the start at receiver.
Defensively, the new starters will be tackle Scooter Berry, linebackers Reed Williams (middle) and Mortty Ivy (weakside), cornerback Kent Richardson and senior Michigan transfer Ryan Mundy at free safety.
Middle linebacker J.T. Thomas and cornerback Ellis Lankster were likely starters until their indefinite suspensions following their Aug. 19 arrests.
That wouldn't have changed the number of new starters, however.
Williams would have slid to weakside linebacker in front of Ivy, and Lankster would have replaced another new starter in Richardson.
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THE STARTING linebacker trio of Moorefield's Williams, Ivy and hometown veteran Marc Magro has a combined one career start, and the unit also is hurting. Rodriguez said Williams will play with a bad elbow, and backup middle linebacker Bobby Hathaway will go despite a fractured hand.