Post by rainman on Sept 19, 2007 5:55:47 GMT -5
Pirates not pushovers
By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— What are the keys to No. 5-ranked West Virginia (3-0) beating upset-minded East Carolina (1-2) in football here Saturday at noon?
“We’ve got to execute better offensively than we did in the last game,” coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday afternoon at his weekly press conference. “(The Pirates) have a quarterback that can scramble and get out of trouble.
“So we’ve got to be a little disciplined defensively. We’ve worked more in practice this week on pressuring them, because they run some of the same (offensive) schemes we do. We want to make more plays on their quarterback.”
Patrick Pinkney admittedly has impressed Rodriguez greatly, guiding the Pirates to a victory over North Carolina, a last-seconds 28-21 loss to Southern Mississippi and a 17-10 defeat at nationally ranked Virginia Tech.
The Mountaineer mentor also thinks the defense, which had its best game against Maryland in last week’s 31-14 victory, has got to come up with more big plays and keep pressure on the quarterback.
He noted that it has been a year and a half since WVU has scored a touchdown on either a defensive or special teams play. “So if we can get one, it will make a difference in winning the game.”
Rodriguez said the Pirates have done a good job of tackling against his teams the past couple years in close contests. And because they have similar plays, they can make the Mountaineers look silly.
“They do so many things, offensively, it requires more people to be alert and sharp defensively,” he continued. That is especially true on triple-option and quarterback run plays.
Rodriguez said the Mountaineers are really pretty lucky health-wise at this point in the season. Defensive nose tackle Keilen Dykes (foot sprain) and wide receiver Darius Reynaud (shoulder sprain) should be able to play Saturday.
But another wideout, Nate Sowers, and linebacker Archie Sims are doubtful performers. Both are nursing hamstring injuries.
Rodriguez is impressed with ECU’s linebackers.
“They’re as good as anybody’s we’ll play all year,” he said.
Quentin Cotton, the team’s top returning tackler, is one of the best linebackers in the Conference USA.
“He’s played as well as any linebacker I’ve seen in two years,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been impressed with their defensive front, too. It has been outstanding.
“ They’re just a talented team. They played us tough the last couple years, and this could be the same type of game.”
WVU players seem to have some bounce in their steps after enjoying two days off over the weekend, according to the veteran coach. “But some stay sore throughout the year. The rest should help the freshmen get used to a routine which is more time-consuming than the one to which they have been accustomed.”
Rodriguez said he’s confident quarterback Patrick White will bounce back from an admittedly not-so-good first half against Maryland.
“He knew right away what was wrong,” he explained. ”So it was just a matter of him calming now, which he did.
“You come to expect a high-level of execution from him. He’s a good competitor. Just dropping two shotgun snaps, that’s not like him.”
Defensively, his only concern is that they play with great effort, “trying to do what we ask them to do and win games. I’m not sensitive as some others. You’ve got to have a thick skin at times (against fans’ criticism).
“You could see they were getting more confidence and they played pretty well against Maryland.”
WVU’s 17th annual Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will begin a 9:30 a.m. in the Caperton Indoor Facility on Saturday. The public is invited to attend.
By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— What are the keys to No. 5-ranked West Virginia (3-0) beating upset-minded East Carolina (1-2) in football here Saturday at noon?
“We’ve got to execute better offensively than we did in the last game,” coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday afternoon at his weekly press conference. “(The Pirates) have a quarterback that can scramble and get out of trouble.
“So we’ve got to be a little disciplined defensively. We’ve worked more in practice this week on pressuring them, because they run some of the same (offensive) schemes we do. We want to make more plays on their quarterback.”
Patrick Pinkney admittedly has impressed Rodriguez greatly, guiding the Pirates to a victory over North Carolina, a last-seconds 28-21 loss to Southern Mississippi and a 17-10 defeat at nationally ranked Virginia Tech.
The Mountaineer mentor also thinks the defense, which had its best game against Maryland in last week’s 31-14 victory, has got to come up with more big plays and keep pressure on the quarterback.
He noted that it has been a year and a half since WVU has scored a touchdown on either a defensive or special teams play. “So if we can get one, it will make a difference in winning the game.”
Rodriguez said the Pirates have done a good job of tackling against his teams the past couple years in close contests. And because they have similar plays, they can make the Mountaineers look silly.
“They do so many things, offensively, it requires more people to be alert and sharp defensively,” he continued. That is especially true on triple-option and quarterback run plays.
Rodriguez said the Mountaineers are really pretty lucky health-wise at this point in the season. Defensive nose tackle Keilen Dykes (foot sprain) and wide receiver Darius Reynaud (shoulder sprain) should be able to play Saturday.
But another wideout, Nate Sowers, and linebacker Archie Sims are doubtful performers. Both are nursing hamstring injuries.
Rodriguez is impressed with ECU’s linebackers.
“They’re as good as anybody’s we’ll play all year,” he said.
Quentin Cotton, the team’s top returning tackler, is one of the best linebackers in the Conference USA.
“He’s played as well as any linebacker I’ve seen in two years,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been impressed with their defensive front, too. It has been outstanding.
“ They’re just a talented team. They played us tough the last couple years, and this could be the same type of game.”
WVU players seem to have some bounce in their steps after enjoying two days off over the weekend, according to the veteran coach. “But some stay sore throughout the year. The rest should help the freshmen get used to a routine which is more time-consuming than the one to which they have been accustomed.”
Rodriguez said he’s confident quarterback Patrick White will bounce back from an admittedly not-so-good first half against Maryland.
“He knew right away what was wrong,” he explained. ”So it was just a matter of him calming now, which he did.
“You come to expect a high-level of execution from him. He’s a good competitor. Just dropping two shotgun snaps, that’s not like him.”
Defensively, his only concern is that they play with great effort, “trying to do what we ask them to do and win games. I’m not sensitive as some others. You’ve got to have a thick skin at times (against fans’ criticism).
“You could see they were getting more confidence and they played pretty well against Maryland.”
WVU’s 17th annual Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will begin a 9:30 a.m. in the Caperton Indoor Facility on Saturday. The public is invited to attend.
