The Past is the Past
October 07, 2003 10:54 AM | General
October 7, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For both West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, the past is the past.
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| Running back Quincy Wilson scored on a 60-yard touchdown run against Rutgers in 2001. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
Neither is going to dwell on West Virginia’s 80-7 victory over Rutgers in 2001, or WVU’s 40-0 triumph in Piscataway last year. They are both focusing solely on the here and now.
“I don’t think it really has any impact on this game,” said Schiano Monday of his team’s 80-7 loss in Morgantown. “There are so many new people and we’ve had such turnover on our roster that I think it’s a totally different team that’s playing. Certainly it will be mentioned throughout the week but I’ll try to minimize it with our football team.”
Rodriguez says the Rutgers team he’s studied on film is much different than the two that lost by a combined score of 120-7 over the last two years to the Mountaineers.
“To me it’s a completely different team,” he said. “They’re a lot more athletic on both sides of the ball. All of the skill positions on offense they’re more athletic and every guy on defense runs better and is more athletic.”
Rodriguez points to Rutgers’ 3-2 record and the fact that the Knights beat Navy, which last weekend upset No. 25-ranked Air Force.
“Rutgers is much improved: our players know that and our coaches know that,” he said. “We know we’re going to take a good shot from them and we’re going to have to be ready to play.”
West Virginia has played itself into a must-win situation against the Scarlet Knights Saturday, much as were the circumstances the last two years. West Virginia went into last year’s Rutgers game with a 3-2 record and in 2001, the Mountaineers were just 2-5 before facing the Knights.
“The best way to get confidence is to get a win; we haven’t had one in about a month now,” said Rodriguez.
GAME NOTES
SAGARIN RATINGS
A big reason why West Virginia has gotten off to a 1-4 start can be attributed to its schedule. In this week’s Sagarin Computer Ratings, West Virginia’s strength of schedule was the seventh toughest in the country behind Notre Dame, North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, East Carolina and Georgia Tech. Not coincidentally, all seven of those teams sport records of .500 or less and have combined to post a 9-27 mark.
Notre Dame has the nation’s toughest schedule to date and has managed just a 1-3 record, followed by North Carolina (0-5), Alabama (2-4), Colorado (2-3), East Carolina (0-5), Georgia Tech (3-3) and West Virginia (1-4).
Wasn’t it former coach Don Nehlen who used to say that good teams have good schedules?
Want to know the easiest way to get into the top 10?
Play an easy schedule.
Six of the teams currently listed in this week’s ESPN/USA Today Top 10 have schedules rated 49 or lower. No. 2 Miami has played the 54th toughest schedule, No. 3 Ohio State has played the 50th toughest schedule, No. 4 Virginia Tech has played the 113th toughest schedule, No. 5 Florida State has played the 49th hardest slate, No. 6 LSU has played the 92nd toughest schedule and No. 7 Nebraska has played the 71st hardest schedule.
Here are the power ratings of West Virginia’s 2003 football opponents:
3. Miami
16. Virginia Tech
19. Maryland
27. Pitt
33. Wisconsin
41. Boston College
45. Syracuse
54. Cincinnati
88. Temple
100. Rutgers
114. Central Florida
121. East Carolina
Here is the current strength of schedule ratings of the current teams in the Big East:
7. West Virginia
29. Boston College
39. Temple
54. Miami
74. Pitt
75. Syracuse
107. Rutgers
113. Virginia Tech
Be sure to catch Coach Rodriguez' Tuesday afernoon press conference this afternoon on Yahoo! Sports.
