CNNSI.com Team Previews

By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
June 23, 2003

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – CNNSI.com revealed its college football team previews for 2003 and gave West Virginia favorable mention.

Wrote CNNSI.com: This season, WVU is again expected to run to success. RASHEED MARSHALL is one of the country's fastest quarterbacks. Tailback QUINCY WILSON, son of ex-Chicago Bear Otis Wilson, is strong. The Mountaineers also have Eddie George lookalike KAY-JAY HARRIS, a five-star juco recruit, waiting in the wings.

Defensively, West Virginia has been tinkering with its surprisingly effective 3-3 stack. “We put in a lot during the spring and everybody adapted to it pretty well,” said linebacker GRANT WILEY, the heart of the WVU defense.

Concerns include Marshall's touch passes, a questionable receiving corps and depth along both lines. But after last season's turnaround (from 3-8 to 9-4, tied for the country's best), expectations are running high in Morgantown.

West Virginia opens 2003 on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Mountaineer Field against Wisconsin in a noon game to be televised on ESPN. West Virginia also has home dates against Cincinnati (Sept. 13), Rutgers (Oct. 11), Virginia Tech (Oct. 22), Central Florida (Nov. 1), Pitt (Nov. 15) and Temple (Nov. 29).

WVU plays East Carolina (Sept. 6), Maryland (Sept. 20), Miami (Oct. 2), Boston College (Nov. 8) and Syracuse (Nov. 22) on the road.

Although the priority date has passed, season tickets are still on sale and can be purchased by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME.

Junior RASHEED MARSHALL is already second in career rushing for Mountaineer quarterbacks with 876 yards and his 666 yards rushing last season broke Michael Vick’s Big East record for quarterbacks.

The WVU Sports Marketing Office has announced promotions for the Cincinnati, Rutgers and Temple home football games. The Cincinnati game on Saturday, Sept. 13 will be Family Day with a family of four getting four tickets and $15 in Mountaineer Bucks redeemable at the stadium concession stand for just $99.

The Rutgers game on Saturday, Oct. 11 is Parents Weekend with parents of WVU students eligible to purchase up to four tickets for just $25 each.

And the Temple game on Saturday, Nov. 29 is United Bank Two-for-One. Mountaineer fans will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets for the price of one with a special coupon obtained at United Bank outlets or via MSNsportsNET.com.

Single-game tickets go on sale Monday, July 7.

West Virginia is close to announcing official game times for the 2003 football season. So far only two game times have been finalized: the Aug. 30 home opener against Wisconsin will kickoff at noon and will be televised nationally on ESPN and the Wednesday, Oct. 22 game against Virginia Tech will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.

I ran into former Mountaineer tight end JOHN CAPPA at a Pittsburgh Pirates game recently and had a brief conversation with him. Cappa, now head football coach at Shadyside Academy, says he’s getting married in July.

The ACC’s very public pursuit of three or four Big East schools is now going on two months. As of Monday, June 23 ACC presidents have officially been on four conference calls lasting more than 10 ½ hours. My question is this: How long does it take to count to nine?


	Rasheed Marshall ranks second on the WVU rushing list for quarterbacks with 876 yards. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)

One more benign observation about this whole mess: I have learned much more about the ACC than I ever cared to know.

Former Morgantown High standout and ex-Mountaineer pitcher DAVID MAUST has been promoted to Double-A Harrisburg in the Montreal Expos organization. Maust had a 1.31 earned run average in 48 innings of work at Single-A Brevard County before his promotion. In one relief appearance with Harrisburg, Maust pitched two scoreless innings of relief with one strike out.

KATIE BARNES and RACHEL KRUZE are playing in the WUSA this summer for the San Jose CyberRays and the Philadelphia Charge respectively.

Barnes, a former first round pick of the Carolina Courage in 2002, was released during training camp and was immediately picked up by San Jose. The midfielder has played in 10 of 11 games, producing a goal and an assist so far.

Kruze has played six games for Philadelphia where she has managed one assist. Philadelphia is in last place in the WUSA standings with a 3-6-2 record while San Jose is in seventh place with a 4-6-1 record.

WUSA fans can catch Kruze and the Charge on PAX TV on Saturday, June 28 at 4 p.m. when Philadelphia plays host to Boston.

San Jose’s next nationally televised game is Saturday, July 5 against New York at 4 p.m. That contest will also air on PAX.

Congratulations to former Mountaineer players DAVID SAUNDERS and BASIL PROCTOR for helping Tampa Bay to the 2003 Arena Football League championship Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay finished the season with a 15-4 record.

One time Mountaineer COREY McINTYRE was also part of a championship team when Frankfurt Galaxy beat the Berlin Thunder in World Bowl XI on Saturday, June 15.

Training camp for the USA Basketball Men’s Junior World Championship Team begins Tuesday, June 24 in Dallas. Mountaineer sophomore forward KEVIN PITTSNOGLE is one of 18 finalists in contention for 12 roster spots that will make up the official USA junior team that will take part in the FIBA Junior World Championship Tournament in Thessaloniki, Greece, July 10-20.

Pittsnogle is one of five finalists standing 6-foot-10 or taller. The other four are Woodbridge (Calif.) High School center David Burgess, Michigan State center Paul Davis, UCLA center Ryan Hollins and Oregon recruit Mitch Platt.

The team is coached by Oregon’s Ernie Kent. University of Georgia head coach Dennis Felton is Kent’s top assistant. The USA Junior World Championships is comprised of the top 19-and-under male basketball players.

JOHN BEILEIN’S first overnight basketball camp is currently underway across campus at the WVU Rec Center. The second-year coach had a record turnout for this year’s camp and his high school team camp slated for June 27-29 is also full.

One of the athletic department’s big fundraisers takes place this week in Charleston. The 21st annual WVU Golf Classic will be played Friday morning at Berry Hills Country Club. For the second consecutive year Charter Communications is the title sponsor for the event, which helps fund endowed scholarships for more than 350 WVU student-athletes.

Have a great week!

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