Seniors: Future Bright
December 30, 2002 03:55 PM | General
December 30, 2002
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With the sting of Saturday’s loss to Virginia in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl now subsiding, Mountaineer seniors James Davis and David Upchurch believe a solid foundation has been established for the future.
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| Quarterback Rasheed Marshall is one of several talented players returning for 2003. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
Linebacker James Davis says West Virginia’s 9-4 record is just a prelude of the things to come from second-year coach Rich Rodriguez.
“We’ve got players that can play right behind us. Coach Rod will always recruit and get the players he needs,” said Davis after Saturday’s disappointing loss to Virginia.
The Mountaineers must replace all three starters on its defensive line, two of its three starting linebackers, and two of its five starters in the secondary on defense.
Offensively, West Virginia loses record-setting running back Avon Cobourne, all-Big East offensive linemen Lance Nimmo and Ken Sandor, center Zack Dillow and wide receivers Phil Braxton, A.J. Nastasi and Derrick Smith.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors who played and very few juniors. The rest of our guys are freshmen and sophomores,” said Rodriguez. “We’re bottom heavy.”
Defensive tackle David Upchurch says the replacements are either in the program now or are on the way.
“We have a whole senior front but the guys backing us up have great experience so they should be fine. The linebacker position is going to be kind of slim but we have backups there with some key experience,” he said. “We bring back a great running back, a great quarterback and a good corps of receivers, two linemen and some great backups -- so the sky is the limit for West Virginia University.”
A player as productive as Cobourne is impossible to replace, but West Virginia has a player returning who could start at most Division I schools in Quincy Wilson. He finished the season rushing for 901 yards and a team-best 6.4 yards-per-carry average.
Quarterback Rasheed Marshall has improved as a passer and finished the season with 215 yards passing against Virginia in the bowl game. He accounted for more than 2,200 yards of offense and 22 touchdowns.
Jeff Berk and Tim Brown are returning starters on the offensive line and will be joined by solid backups Ben Timmons and Geoff Lewis. Mountaineer insiders believe redshirted freshman Dan Mozes is a budding star and could have played this year if needed.
Miquelle Henderson returns as the team’s top pass-catcher in 2002 with 40 receptions for 496 yards and two touchdowns. All three of WVU’s tight ends -- Tory Johnson, Josh Bailey and Ryan Thomas -- return for 2003 and combined for 17 catches and four touchdowns, as does bruising fullback Moe Fofana.
The defense has its share of playmakers returning too. First team all-Big East linebacker Grant Wiley led the team with 133 tackles and 13.5 tackles for losses. Safety Jahmile Addae led the team with four interceptions to go along with 99 tackles and six pass breakups.
Starting corners Brian King and Lance Frazier combined for four interceptions in 2002 and will be back to anchor the secondary.
Promising true freshman Mike Lorello got valuable time at safety and has the smarts to quarterback the Mountaineer defense in 2003. Multi-talented Pac-Man Jones also showed he has the athletic ability to guard Big East wide receivers.
“The young guys have got to come out and work hard for next year,” said Upchurch.
Backups Ernest Hunter, Fred Blueford and Ben Lynch got valuable time along the defensive line, while linebackers Adam Lehnortt, Leandre Washington and Scott Gyorko saw more action as the season wore on.
Rodriguez and his coaching staff signed a solid recruiting class last year and is hopeful of another talented haul this February. Several mid-semester additions are also expected.
“This year has been a stepping stone for the West Virginia program and the only way it can go is to the top. We’ve got a great nucleus and some great coaches,” said Upchurch.
The defensive lineman says the loss to Virginia will serve as an invaluable lesson for years to come.
“Maybe the best thing is that they know how to lose – because that can be the best teacher. This loss will help the program a lot,” said Upchurch. “Our focus wasn’t there and I think we thought we were a little better than we really were.”
Said Rodriguez: “We’ll be back. We’ve got a lot of work to do. As I said earlier in the year, at no point did we say that our program has arrived. You don’t arrive until you can line up, play poorly and still win.”
