Post by cviller on Sept 22, 2007 7:47:47 GMT -5
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN — Aside from being West Virginia’s only home appearance for the next month, there are at least three things that seem to make the Mountaineers’ game with East Carolina today intriguing.
Two of them may or may not have much bearing on the outcome.
Is Noel Devine ready to become more than a sensational bit player and be given a more fundamental role in West Virginia’s already obscenely talented offense?
• How much playing time, if any, will J.T. Thomas and Ellis Lankster be given, and how has a month off affected their impact on the defensive depth chart?
Assuming the No. 5 Mountaineers (3-0) take care of business against 24-point underdog East Carolina (1-2) in today’s ESPN2-televised noon game from Mountaineer Field, Thomas and Lankster seem all but certain to play. If they are going to help WVU’s defense in what figures to be a much more compelling game at No. 23 South Florida next Friday, they will need to at least get their feet wet today.
As for Devine’s role, well, that could be more pertinent to the outcome, which raises the third question of the day: Can East Carolina, for the third season in a row, befuddle West Virginia’s running game like almost no one else has over that span?
In playing the Mountaineers close the past two seasons — losing 20-15 here in 2005 and 27-10 in Greenville a year ago — the Pirates have held WVU to two of its lowest rushing outputs in that span. Two years ago Pernell Williams was West Virginia’s leading rusher with just 55 yards and the team gained only 127. Last season Steve Slaton gained 80 yards but averaged just 3.3 yards on 24 carries as the Mountaineers gained only 153 overall. Both figures were well under half WVU’s season average.
Devine, of course, makes things even tougher on the Pirates. Now there is not only the threat of Slaton, quarterback Pat White and fullback Owen Schmitt, but of the 5-foot-7 freshman who ran for 136 yards on just five carries last week against Maryland.
But East Carolina has obviously defied the odds the past two seasons and there is little reason to assume the Pirates won’t do the same today.
“I don’t think we’ve been surprised by what they’ve done,’’ West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said. “They’ve executed well, they’ve not given up the big play, they’ve brought their safeties down and they’ve tackled well in the open field.’’
If that sounds simple, it is. But there is still no escaping the fact that if it was as easy as it sounds, West Virginia wouldn’t be averaging a staggering 343 yards rushing per game. What has made East Carolina more effective in stopping WVU’s running game than virtually everyone else?
East Carolina coach Skip Holtz credits the play of his defensive backs, who have been good enough in the open field to make tackles and prevent Slaton and White from turning 5-yard gains into 50-yard touchdowns. But with three new starters in the secondary this year, Holtz is naturally concerned.
Still, East Carolina is giving up just 86 rushing yards per game this season and allowed Virginia Tech to run for just 33 yards on 31 tries in the opener. So those defensive backs — as well as the front seven — are obviously doing something right.
“They’ve done a great job tackling. They’ve got a couple new guys back there, but those safeties are still tackling pretty well and they’re still playing great against the run,’’ Rodriguez said. “They’ve had a few pass plays against them, but it was one of those things where one guy missed a tackle or another guy took the wrong angle and they got a big play out of it.
“Their linebackers are as good as anybody we’ll play all year and it may be the best defensive group of athletes we’ll play all year. They’re a talented team.’’
So, too, of course, is West Virginia. Despite a slip in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in each of the past two weeks — the Mountaineers were No. 3 to start the season — this is still a team that is not only averaging 47 points per game, but has also beaten the betting spread in every game.
“I wish I could have that kind of comfort or feeling going into this game, like they were moving backwards,’’ Holtz said. “I don’t know what people look at in the polls to vote them up or down, but they’re not watching the film I’m watching.’’
East Carolina has some weapons of its own, most notably junior quarterback Patrick Pinkney, who was third on the team’s depth chart the week before the season began, but in his first college start threw for 406 yards in a 34-31 win over North Carolina.
Holtz knows that it doesn’t matter how well Pinkney and the rest of the offense play if his defense doesn’t repeat its effort of the past two games against WVU.
“There are some teams that are great teams because they’re going to win every game 3-0. There are some teams that are going to win 53-13,’’ Holtz said. “Right now they’re one of those teams offensively. They’re going to score a lot of points.’’
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734.
