2007: A berth in the national championship game was served on a platter for the Mountaineers last season. Unfortunately for West Virginia, they couldn’t play up to the moment and choked against the Panthers in Morgantown to close the regular season on a sour note.
The music didn’t get much sweeter when alumni Rich Rodriguez left home to take on the challenge of coaching Michigan, while taking most of his assistants with him. Bill Stewart took over as head coach after his Mountaineers squad thoroughly dominated Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Strengths: The coaching staff might be brand new, but Stewart and company won’t exactly be starting from scratch. He’ll be inheriting one of the more veteran offensive lines in the nation. It also doesn’t hurt to have a quarterback and running back that are some of the best known in the country.
Pat White returns for his senior campaign with the Heisman Trophy squarely in his sights. The gunslinger out of Daphne, Alabama lead WVU in passing (1,724) and rushing (1,335) yards last season. It’s going to be interesting to see how well White performs this year as the offense shifts to a more balanced attack under new coordinator Jeff Mullen. That could mean we’ll see him installed at wide-out or the running back position while Jarrett Brown lines up under center. And that doesn’t even take into account White’s problems with the injury bug, which probably is one of the reasons to smooth out the gameplan
Regardless of who takes snaps, they’ll get the benefit of handing the ball off to Noel Devine in 2008. Devine proved he was worth the hype in his freshman season, gaining 627 yards on the ground…125 of which came on just three carries against Maryland. While he was used mostly in a “gadget” capacity behind Steve Slaton last year, this will be his first foray into being the No. 1 back at this level.
West Virginia’s o-line returns all five starters from a unit that cleared the path for the fourth best rushing offense (292.9), while giving up the sixth fewest sacks (13) in the nation. Four of the five big guys are seniors this season, with junior Greg Isdaner holding down one of the guard spots. If there are any questions about this unit, it would be based on overall size (average weight of 298) since it was geared towards a more mobile spread attack and not for a pro-style scheme. I’m thinking talent will overcome in this spot.
Weaknesses: The Mountaineers may still have the more important cogs to their offense back this season, the defense will be in a rebuilding phase.
Gone from the d-line are Keilen Dykes and Johnny Dingle. The duo helped anchor a line that allowed just 107.6 yards per game rushing. And let’s not forget that they also combined to log 13 sacks (10 coming from Dingle). Chris Neild and Zac Cooper are now tasked with making the Morgantown faithful forget about their predecessors. That will be easier said than done with Cooper, a 225 pound converted linebacker, has to finesse by offensive linemen that are 300 pounds.
West Virginia’s defensive woes don’t end in the trenches as its secondary will be practically brand new with just one returning starter to a set that utilizes five in its schemes. Quentin Andrews is the lone holdover from the 2007 unit that allowed 184.3 YPG through the air. His services will be in high demand during the season as he’ll be used to help double team the opposition’s top receiver. Unfortunately, that will leave the unproven cornerback corp to fend for themselves.
Player to Watch: Devine has to be the player that everyone is looking at as the wear up for the regular season. He was electrifying last year in a role that he was used primarily as a change of pace. The major question everyone has about Devine is how able he’ll be to handle the No. 1 role when he’s just 5’8” and 170 pounds. If he’s not up to the challenge, then the running game will be severely shorthanded.
Returning Starters: 14 (8 on offense, 4 on defense, both specialists)
Schedule: Opening the season against Villanova, at East Carolina, at Colorado and against Marshall is the perfect way to wean new players into the fold. A home tilt with Auburn will go a long way to determining if the Mountaineers are still national title contenders. Meanwhile, a road match with the Huskies is the lone bump in the Big East table.
Let Down: November 8 versus Cincinnati. West Virginia will be entering this game after hosting the Tigers and then traveling to Storrs to face the Huskies. The Bearcats played WVU tight last year. And while this won’t be the same caliber Cincy squad as Brian Kelly had in ’07, it could put another scare into the Mountaineers.
Look Ahead: November 28 at Pittsburgh. It’s hard to imagine that you could look ahead of a club that knocked you out of title berth. But when you have a big match with South Florida staring you in the face for the following week, you’ll tend to overlook the task at hand. Also, the Panthers have 15 returning starters from last year’s team. An upset for the second straight year is very possible.
Good Bets:
Sept. 18 at Colorado…The Buffs should be better in Dan Hawkins’ third year in Boulder. However, West Virginia is 6-1 in its last six tilts when taking on non-conference foes away from home.
Oct. 23 versus Auburn…Big game for both programs, but the Mountaineers have the distinct edge in this battle. WVU is 11-5-1 at home when facing teams form the SEC, winning three straight.
Prediction: This West Virginia squad will be largely unproven with a coach that has only one game under his belt at this level. That doesn’t mean the Mountaineers will fail to prove itself this season. Games against UCONN, Auburn and South Florida will mean that they’ll most likely lose once this year. Still, an 11-1 record will be an improvement and a great way to start the Bill Stewart Era.
You can reach Judd Hall via e-mail at judd@vegasinsider.com
