Prolific Players
October 24, 2002 12:38 PM | General
October 24, 2002
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – You may not realize this, but Saturday’s West Virginia-Miami game will feature two of college football’s most prolific players.
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| West Virginia's Avon Cobourne needs just 296 yards to break into the NCAA all-time top 20 in rushing yards. |
For Miami, quarterback Ken Dorsey has thrown 74 career touchdown passes entering this weekend’s action to rank 18th on the NCAA all-time list with Tim Couch of Kentucky, Shane Matthews of Florida and Dan Marino of Pitt.
Dorsey needs two more TD passes to move ahead of Houston’s Andre Ware into 17th place and needs 11 more touchdowns to reach the top 10 ahead of Louisville’s Chris Redman and BYU’s Jim McMahon.
Dorsey, with 7,602 passing yards, is also closing in on the NCAA top 50 in that category, too. Dorsey needs 799 passing yards to move into the top 50 all-time and pass BYU’s Robbie Bosco, who threw for 8,400 yards from 1983-85. And Dorsey needs just 89 passing yards against West Virginia Saturday to break Gino Torretta’s UM mark of 7,690 yards from 1989-92.
Meanwhile, West Virginia’s Avon Cobourne continues to climb up the NCAA career rushing list. This weekend Cobourne is currently in 32nd place with 4,331 career yards and needs just 38 yards to move past Deland McCullough of Miami, Ohio into 31st place.
Cobourne is only 296 yards away from moving past Oklahoma State’s Thurman Thomas into the NCAA all-time top 20 career rushers. Thomas gained 4,595 yards from 1994-97.
Not only is Saturday’s game important for Miami to keep its national championship hopes alive, but it is also an opportunity to watch two of the NCAA’s most productive players on the same field for one last time.
News and Notes
* Some have wondered this week how West Virginia can stay in the game against the mighty Miami Hurricanes. Well I’ve found a way: West Virginia defeated Cincinnati, which defeated TCU, which defeated Louisville, which defeated Florida State, which almost defeated Miami.
Yeah I know it’s a reach, too.
* Here is a very interesting note I found on page 12 of Miami’s football release this week. Before this season, the Hurricanes have been ranked No. 1 in the preseason twice in 1990 and 1992 and on neither occasion did they go on to win the national title.
In 1990, UM’s national title hopes were dashed at Notre Dame on Oct. 20 and finished the season ranked No. 3. Two years later in 1992, the Hurricanes went down to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl for the national title.
* I dug up last year’s Miami release for the West Virginia game and found another interesting note that was discontinued this season. Going into last year’s West Virginia game, Miami had played 40 games in temperatures below 55 degrees, holding a 22-18 record in such games.
After its game against WVU, Miami’s two forays north of the Mason Dixon line at Boston College and Virginia Tech were its most difficult of the year. On Nov. 10, 2001 at Boston College, Miami nearly saw its national title hopes go down the drain until an Edward Reed 80-yard interception return turned what could have been BC’s go-ahead touchdown into a game-sealing score for the Hurricanes.
Three weeks later on Dec. 1, 2001, Miami shivered its way to a narrow 26-24 victory over the Hokies at frozen Lane Stadium. The Hurricanes have only played two games in their history in temperatures below 30 degrees.
Although the forecast is not calling for temperatures quite that cold Saturday at Mountaineer Field, wouldn’t some freezing rain be nice to keep our friends from Miami a little bit distracted.
By the way, it has come to my attention that Miami has ordered hot seats from New Jersey just in case.
* I seem to recall the last time Miami standing bundled up on the West Virginia sidelines was in 1993. Didn’t West Virginia win that game?
* Here is another oddity: Saturday’s West Virginia-Miami game will be the fourth time the Hurricanes have played the Mountaineers after having faced Florida State. This year will also be the second-straight time the Hurricanes have had more than seven days to prepare for Rich Rodriguez’ no-huddle, spread offense.
Last year Miami had 12 days between its 49-27 win at Florida State to get ready for West Virginia on a Thursday night.
Miami has a full 14 days to get rested and ready for West Virginia this weekend.
“Like they need it,” joked West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez Tuesday.
* Saturday’s game will be the third time West Virginia has hosted the nation’s No. 1-ranked team. In 1986, No. 1-ranked Miami burned West Virginia 58-14 behind the slick passing of quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
Twelve years later in 1998, No. 1-ranked Ohio State opened the season in Morgantown with a 34-17 win over the Mountaineers. Both games were sellouts and rank among the largest crowds in Mountaineer Field history.
Overall, this will be the ninth time West Virginia has played No. 1 in football.
* I still get a chuckle over a story former West Virginia SID Joe Boczek once told me about the 1986 Miami game. About midway through the week, a worried Don Nehlen wandered over to the defensive wing of the Puskar Center to check in on his defensive coaches. Nehlen asked then-defensive coordinator Denny Brown if his patched up unit had any chance against the powerful Hurricanes.
“Yeah,” replied Brown, “if your offense can get us 60!”
As it turned out, Brown was right on the money. Miami only defeated West Virginia 58-14.
* One vivid personal memory I have as a WVU student about that Miami game was an injured Melvin Bratton blowing kisses to the student section as he was being driven off the field in a golf cart. You’ve got to love his style!
* The Hurricanes have one West Virginia native on its roster this year in long snapper Chris Harvey, an Accoville native who played at Man High School.
Several other Hurricane lettermen once called West Virginia their home over the years including Weirton’s John Canei, Charleston’s Dennis Harrah, Summerville’s Bill Lanham, Charleston’s John Barnett, Weirton’s Gene Trosch, Weirton’s Norm Blanchard and Anmoore’s Sam Fernandez. A total of 13 Mountain State natives have earned letters at Miami since 1937.
* For our Spanish fans in South Florida, Saturday’s game against Miami will air on Radio Unica (1210 AM) with Roly Martin and Jose Martinez describing the action.
* West Virginia’s Avon Cobourne had his consecutive touchdown streak snapped at six last weekend against Syracuse. It was the first time this season the Cherry Hill, N.J., native did reach the end zone. Cobourne has rushed for nine touchdowns in seven games.
* The Big East women’s soccer championship is shaping up to be a two-team battle between West Virginia of the Mid-Atlantic Division and Connecticut of the Northeast Division. Yesterday, the Huskies defeated Providence, 1-0 to clinch the Northeast title with a 5-0 record. The Huskies have one divisional game left against Virginia Tech on Sunday, Oct. 27.
West Virginia breezed through the Mid-Atlantic Division with a 5-0-1 league mark; it’s only blemish was a 1-1 tie at Seton Hall on Oct. 4. The Mountaineers will host a Big East tournament first round game in Morgantown on Sunday, Nov. 3, against either Virginia Tech or St. John’s.
The Big East semifinal and championship games will take place at the University of Connecticut, Nov. 8-10.
West Virginia has the most Division I victories this season with 15.
As of Thursday, No. 15 Princeton (12-0) and No. 12 Charlotte (13-0-1) are the only remaining undefeated teams left in women’s college soccer.
* MSNsportsNET.com will carry all of West Virginia’s postseason action live on the Internet, beginning with WVU’s first round Big East tournament game on Sunday, Nov. 3.
* A No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament could be on line for the Mountaineers next Tuesday, Oct. 29, when West Virginia travels to No. 10 Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions. Penn State owns a 13-2-1 record with matches remaining against Ohio State and Rutgers before facing WVU.
* West Virginia men’s tennis coach Ed Dickson will be taking two singles players and two doubles teams to the Omni Hotels/ITA Regional Championships this weekend in Philadelphia. Tony Epkey and Ian Bliss made the cut in singles play, while Epkey will team with Eric Kochanski and Bliss will be paired with Chris Green in doubles action.
Kochanski could also see action in singles play as an alternate.
Bliss and Green have been perfect this fall at No. 2 doubles winning all seven matches.
* According to the Gary Post-Tribune, former West Virginia standout forward Damian Owens will return to play for the Gary Steelheads of the Continental Basketball Association this season. Owens played professionally in Finland last summer.
Owens was a key member of West Virginia’s NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” run in 1998.
* Amos Zereoue, another 1998 West Virginia standout, will be making his first start of the season this Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Zereoue replaces starter Jerome Bettis, who injured his knee in last Monday night’s game against Indianapolis. Zereoue rushed for a career-high 87 yards last week against the Colts and scored two touchdowns against the Ravens in last year’s playoff game at Heinz Field.
* Preseason rankings are coming in for the West Virginia University wrestling team and TheMat.com has the Mountaineers rated fifth to start the season. West Virginia is also ranked ninth by the Amateur Wrestling News and 11th by Intermatwrestle.com. Eight of West Virginia’s 10 starters are individually ranked.
It is believed that West Virginia’s preseason No. 5 ranking is the highest in school history.
Have a great weekend!
