2003 Opponent Capsules
June 04, 2003 04:59 PM | General
By John Antonik for
MSNsportsNET.com
June 4, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Coming off its first nationally ranked season since 1993, the West Virginia University football team will face a grueling 2003 schedule peppered with tough road games at East Carolina, Maryland, Miami, Boston College and Syracuse.
The Sporting News rated West Virginia’s 2003 road schedule the toughest in the Big East. Combine that with home dates against Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Temple and you’re looking at one of the most challenging football slates in school history.
“If you take a look at our schedule, it might be one of the toughest West Virginia has ever faced,” said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. “The fans love it because there are seven home games, but there are five or six teams on there that will be ranked preseason and the Big East is the strongest top to bottom that it’s ever been.”
ESPN.com’s Ivan Maisel rates five WVU grid opponents in his post spring top 25: #2 Miami, #9 Virginia Tech, #12 Maryland, #14 Pitt and #24 Wisconsin.
Here is an early summer team-by-team capsule of West Virginia’s 2003 opponents:
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| Anthony Davis (Wisconsin photo) |
Wisconsin at Morgantown, Aug. 30
2002 Overall Record: 8-6
2002 Big Ten Record: 2-6
2002 Statistical
Leaders (* = returners)
Rushing: Anthony Davis * (1,555 yards)
Passing: Brooks Bollinger (1,758 yards)
Receiving: Jonathan Orr * (842 yards)
Tackles: Ryan Aiello * (105)
Sacks: Jake Sprague (6)
Interceptions: Jim Leonhard * (11)
Preseason Capsule: With the return of all-Big Ten wide receiver Lee Evans after a season of inactivity and the emergence of sophomore Jonathan Orr (47 catches for 842 yards and 8 touchdowns) to go along with one of the country’s top rushers in Anthony Davis (300 carries for 1,555 yards and 13 touchdowns), Wisconsin appears to have the offensive firepower needed to make a run at the Big Ten championship.
The only question is whether or not Jim Sorgi is ready to assume the Badger quarterbacking duties on a full-time basis. Last year the 6-foot-5, 199-pound senior completed 38 of 70 passes for 536 yards and a touchdown in 11 games of mop up duty.
Coach Barry Alvarez must break in a new center and two other starters along the offensive line, posing the question of how long it will take for that unit to gel?
The defense has its top tackler returning in senior strong safety Ryan Aiello and senior inside linebacker Jeff Mack has shown signs of being a dominant college player, but Wisconsin’s secondary ranked 67th in the country last year and is being molded by its third coach in three years. Five-eight junior Jim Leonhard led the country with 11 picks last year as a sophomore.
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| Paul Troth (East Carolina photo) |
East Carolina at Greenville, N.C., Sept. 6
2002 Overall Record: 4-8
2002 C-USA Record: 4-4
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Art Brown * (1,029)
Passing: Paul Troth * (2,315)
Receiving: Richard Alston (702)
Tackles: Kelly Hardy (110)
Sacks: Josh Chilsom * and Hosea Jones (4)
Interceptions: Kelly Hardy and Chris Moore * (2)
Preseason Capsule: Last winter East Carolina opted for a defensive approach when it hired Florida defensive coordinator John Thompson to take over the ECU program annually orchestrated by free-wheeling offensive guru Steve Logan.
Thompson must repair an ECU defense that allowed 33.2 points and 207.1 yards per game rushing last year including 536 at West Virginia in Morgantown.
The Pirates have one of the nation’s most imposing blockers in 6-foot-6, 318-pound senior offensive tackle Brian Rimpf, a Lombardi Award candidate who will once again pave the way for 1,000-yard rusher Art Brown.
After enduring early season difficulties, quarterback Paul Troth managed to finish the year passing for 2,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, he threw 20 interceptions and only completed 49.3 percent of his pass attempts.
West Virginia’s last two trips to North Carolina to face East Carolina resulted in losses, including a 23-20 decision in Greenville in 1995.
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| Gino Guidugli (Cincinnati photo) |
Cincinnati at Morgantown, W.Va., Sept. 13
2002 Overall Record: 7-7
2002 C-USA Record: 6-2
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: DeMarco McCleskey (1,361)
Passing: Gino Guidugli * (3,543)
Receiving: Jon Olinger (1,114)
Tackles: Antwan Peek (100)
Sacks: Antwan Peek and Andre Frazier * (6)
Interceptions: Blue Adams (6)
Preseason Capsule: After winning a share of the C-USA regular season title and making its fourth bowl appearance in six years, Cincinnati coach Rick Minter will have to do some significant rebuilding this year to a team that lost 12 starters.
Minter must find adequate replacements for his leading rusher and top three receivers on offense. But Minter does have perhaps his most important player returning in junior quarterback Gino Guidugli, who set almost every UC single-season passing record in 2002. Guidugli finished the season completing 258 of 472 passes attempts for 3,543 yards and 22 touchdowns.
However, Guidugli will have to make the transition to an inexperienced receiver corps led by converted quarterback George Murray, who caught 26 passes for 278 yards and two scores last year.
Cincinnati’s defense must also be reconstructed with all-star defensive end Antwan Peek now in the NFL and top-flight defensive back Blue Adams lost to graduation.
UC’s defense will center on defensive linemen Trent Cole and Andre Frazier. Cole was the top newcomer to the defense last year and finished 2002 with 87 tackles and 12 TFL, while Frazier tied Peek for the team lead with six sacks.
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| Scott McBrien (AP photo) |
Maryland at College Park, Md., Sept. 20
2002 Overall Record: 11-3
2002 ACC Record: 6-2
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Chris Downs (1,154)
Passing: Scott McBrien * (2,497)
Receiving: Scooter Monroe (614)
Tackles: E.J. Henderson (175)
Sacks: E.J. Henderson (8.5)
Interceptions: Domonique Foxworth * (5)
Preseason Capsule: Ralph Friedgen, the most successful second-year coach in ACC history with a 21-5 record, has his foot firmly on the pedal of the Maryland football program and anticipates another high-speed chase for the ACC football title this season.
The coach will once again have a healthy Bruce Perry at tailback to keep the Terps offense running on all cylinders. Perry rushed for more than 1,200 yards in 2001 before a groin injury kept him out of two-thirds of last year. Perry will have plenty of competition in the form of Ohio State transfer Sam Maldonaldo and sophomore Josh Allen, who burned West Virginia for 116 yards in a Terrapin 48-17 victory in Morgantown last season.
Quarterback Scott McBrien overcame a rough start to finish 12th nationally in passing efficiency last season. The former West Virginia transfer passed for 2,497 yards and 15 touchdowns and was particularly impressive in Maryland’s 30-3 win over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.
Jafar Williams and Latrez Harrison are two capable threats at wide receiver.
On defense, Maryland must make up for the loss of All-American linebacker E.J. Henderson, who led the team with an absurd 175 tackles to go along with 8.5 sacks. D’Qwell Jackson filled in nicely for Henderson during spring practice, but is much smaller than the massive Henderson at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds.
Domonique Foxworth, Curome Cox, Leon Joe, Madieu Williams and Randy Starks are all outstanding players returning in coordinator Gary Blackney’s defense.
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| Jonathan Vilma (Big East photo) |
Miami at Miami, Fla., Oct. 2
2002 Overall Record: 12-1
2002 Big East Record: 7-0
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Willis McGahee (1,753)
Passing: Ken Dorsey (3,369)
Receiving: Andre Johnson (1,092)
Tackles: Jonathan Vilma (133)
Sacks: Jamaal Green (10)
Interceptions: Sean Taylor * (4)
Preseason Capsule: You know things are going good when a team can lose its top rusher, passer, pass receiver, pass rusher and a good portion of its offensive line and still be considered a national title contender. That’s what is expected of Miami and third-year coach Larry Coker once again this year.
Florida transfer has edged out 2002 backup Derrick Crudup for the starting quarterback job and Frank Gore finally makes his much anticipated return to the field after missing the entire 2002 season due to a serious knee injury.
Tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr., should assume an even more prominent role in Miami’s passing game and is considered one of the nation’s best at his position. Converted running back Jason Geathers is expected to be UM’s next big-play wide receiver, though he has had a career plagued by inconsistent play.
The Hurricanes lost six defensive linemen to the NFL but the line will have one solid anchor in Vince Wilfork. Playing right behind Wilfork is linebacker Jonathan Vilma, the team’s top tackler in 2002 with 133. Three all-Big East performers in the Hurricane secondary return for 2003.
Miami’s journey to the Sugar Bowl and the national championship game this season must go through Tallahassee, Blacksburg and Pittsburgh.
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| Nate Jones (AP photo) |
Rutgers at Morgantown, W.Va., Oct. 11
2002 Overall Record: 1-11
2002 Big East Record: 0-7
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Markis Facyson * (398)
Passing: Ted Trump * (740)
Receiving: L.J. Smith (384)
Tackles: Gary Brackett (130)
Sacks: Raheem Orr * (4.5)
Interceptions: Brandon Haw * (4)
Preseason Capsule: Now that he has settled an unsettling quarterback situation by picking Ryan Hart as his starter and having Ryan Cubit and his father Bill leave the program, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano can now once again focus his attention on what happens between the white lines.
That’s a good thing because Schiano’s two-year record of 3-20 hasn’t inspired a lot of good will and happiness in New Brunswick lately.
Rutgers does have 43 letterwinners and 12 starters returning and played Pitt, Tennessee and Miami close for a good portion of those games, but the Knights must somehow develop an offense that can move the ball and eliminate killer turnovers.
Rushing leader Markis Facyson and Clarence Pittman give the Knights two quality runners, and Nate Jones has developed a reputation as a home run hitter on special teams.
The defense will be led by Raheem Orr on the defensive line and Will Gilikson and Will Beckford at the linebacker corps. Orr was fifth on the team with 62 tackles to go along with 9.5 TFL. The Knights could also benefit with the addition of touted Florida prep standout Berkeley Hutchinson if he can become academically eligible.
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| Kevin Jones (Big East photo) |
Virginia Tech at Morgantown, W.Va., Oct. 22
2002 Overall Record: 10-4
2002 Big East Record: 3-4
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Lee Suggs (1,325)
Passing: Bryan Randall * (2,134)
Receiving: Ernest Wilford * (925)
Tackles: Mikal Baaqee (112)
Sacks: Nathaniel Adibi * and Cols Colas * (9)
Interceptions: Garnell Wilds * (5)
Preseason Capsule: After a “down year” finishing 3-4 in Big East play in 2002, Virginia Tech is poised to make a run for the Big East title this year. The Hokies have key conference games in Blacksburg against Miami, Syracuse and Boston College and will be anxious to play well against those three.
Tech returns starting quarterback Bryan Randall and it looks like he is going to hold off prep All-American Marcus Vick for the starting job in 2003. Randall passed for 2,134 yards and 12 touchdowns last year as a sophomore and is also a very capable runner.
Speaking of runners the Hokies boast one of the nation’s best in Kevin Jones, who will finally get the chance to shine now that Lee Suggs has moved on to the NFL. Tech coach Frank Beamer usually doesn’t let his tailbacks carry the football more than 20 times per game but he may alter that philosophy with Jones, a powerful runner with breakaway speed.
Lanky Ernest Wilford showed in 2002 that he can produce the big play and finished the year with 51 receptions for 925 yards to earn second team all-Big East honors.
Jake Grove anchors an offensive line that has two other starters returning in Jacob Gibson and Jimmy Martin.
As formidable as the offense looks, Virginia Tech’s defense could be even more dominant. Several top performers are back including two of the Big East’s top pass rushers in Cols Colas and Nathaniel Adibi. Tech also returns the entire starting group of linebackers and will field a secondary that includes potential two-way star DeAngelo Hall.
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| Atari Bigby (UCF photo) |
Central Florida at Morgantown, W.Va., Nov. 1
2002 Record: 7-5
2002 MAC Record: 6-2
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Alex Haynes * (1,104)
Passing: Ryan Schneider * (3,770)
Receiving: Doug Gabriel (1,237)
Tackles: Stanford Rhule * (127)
Sacks: Elton Patterson (9.5)
Interceptions: Asante Samuel (4)
Preseason Capsule: Central Florida coach Mike Kruczek has developed a sophisticated pro-style offense that produced a 1,000-yard rusher, a 3,000-yard passer and two 1,000-yard receivers last year.
The quarterback and running back both return, but Kruczek must find replacements for standout wide receivers Jimmy Fryzel and Doug Gabriel.
Tavaris Capers had a strong spring and has pushed himself to the forefront of the receiver corps.
Although Ryan Schneider isn’t quite in the mold of NFL star and UCF alumnus Dante Culpepper the senior has been nearly as productive. Last year the quarterback helped the Golden Knights finish sixth in the nation in passing and 11th in total offense. Schneider is on target to pass for more than 10,000 yards for his career.
Schneider will team with 1,000-yard rusher Alex Haynes to give UCF a solid offensive nucleus, but the Golden Knights must develop seven new starters.
Central Florida’s defense will be anchored by all-MAC strong safety Atari Bigby, a junior named to the Nagurski Watch List.
Bigby will team with junior safety Peter Sands, who finished second on the team last year with 119 tackles and second in interceptions with three.
Rashad Jeanty, considered one of the top pass rushers in the MAC, left school this spring two years early to pursue a professional career in Canada.
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| Doug Goodwin (Big East photo) |
Boston College at Chestnut Hill, Mass., Nov. 8
2002 Overall Record: 9-4
2002 Big East Record: 3-4
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Derrick Knight * (1,432)
Passing: Brian St. Pierre (2,983)
Receiving: Keith Hemmings (559)
Tackles: Josh Ott * (128)
Sacks: Derrick Rossy (6)
Interceptions: Ralph Parent (4)
Preseason Capsule: Boston College has gone to four straight bowl games under veteran coach Tom O’Brien, but that streak could be challenged this year by a schedule that includes road games at Penn State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech and home match ups against Notre Dame, Pitt and West Virginia.
The saving grace for the Eagles is a remaining non-conference schedule that includes Wake Forest, UConn and Ball State.
The strength of Boston College will once again be its offensive line, despite the loss of three starters. A real concern is the quarterback position, where preseason favorite Quinton Porter missed almost the entire spring after suffering a broken collarbone. Porter will also have to hook up with two new wide receivers.
The inexperience at quarterback and wide receiver means senior Derrick Knight should get most of the load on offense. Last year he finished third in the Big East with an average of 110.2 yards per game, amassing 1,432 yards and 12 scores.
The defense will be anchored by defensive tackle Doug Goodwin, whose 2002 season was cut short after five games due to injury. Josh Ott and Brian Flores are two pretty good players returning at linebacker. Ott produced a team-high 128 tackles to rank fifth in the Big East.
Junior cornerback Pete Shean started the first two games before his season ended with a torn ACL, while his replacement Larry Lester also returns.
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| Larry Fitzgerald (AP photo) |
Pitt at Morgantown, W.Va., Nov. 15
2002 Overall Record: 9-4
2002 Big East record: 5-2
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Brandon Miree * (943)
Passing: Rod Rutherford * (2,783)
Receiving: Larry Fitzgerald * (1,005)
Tackles: Gerald Hayes (133)
Sacks: Claude Harriott * (9.5)
Interceptions: Shawntae Spencer * (3)
Preseason Capsule: Any offense that has wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is going to be good. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Pitt sophomore has the ability to take over a game and could be the best player at his position in college football this year.
The primary beneficiary of Fitzgerald’s immense talents will be junior quarterback Rod Rutherford, whose erratic play last year was erased by a positive spring. Rutherford earned second-team all-Big East honors after throwing for 2,783 yards and 22 touchdowns, but it was his big turnovers that cost the Panthers an opportunity to win big games against Notre Dame and West Virginia.
Brandon Miree emerged as a capable runner and should assume more of the workload at tailback this fall, while three starters with significant game experience return along the offensive line.
Pitt loses two quality players on its defense in linebacker Gerald Hayes and defensive back Torrie Cox, but boasts one of the country’s top pass rushers in senior Claude Harriott, who is overcoming a knee injury that kept him out of the spring game.
Senior Lewis Moore is a three-year starter at linebacker and was third on the team in tackles in 2002 with 94.
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| Rich Scanlon (AP photo) |
Syracuse at Syracuse, N.Y., Nov. 22
2002 Overall Record: 4-8
2002 Big East record: 2-5
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Walter Reyes * (1,135)
Passing: Troy Nunes (1,337)
Receiving: Jamel Riddle (626)
Tackles: Clifton Smith (136)
Sacks: Louis Gachelin * (8.5)
Interceptions: Steven Gregory * (2)
Preseason Capsule: It’s difficult to argue with coach Paul Pasqualoni’s career record of 129-64-1, but the coach has come under fire in Syracuse after his team’s freefall to 4-8 in 2002.
A big reason for Syracuse’s first losing season in 16 years was inconsistent play from quarterback R.J. Anderson and a defensive secondary that couldn’t cover anyone.
Anderson is back once again at quarterback and Pasqualoni has tabbed him a team captain after his 12 of 16, 149-yard passing performance in the spring game.
Unpredictable senior Jonnie Morant was third on the team in receptions last year with 24, but that isn’t nearly the type of production the Orangemen expected out of one of the nation’s top recruits four years ago.
Walter Reyes and sophomore Damien Rhodes gives Syracuse a potent one-two-punch at running back. The two combined for more than 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns last year. Four of five starting offensive linemen return to pave the way for the duo.
The Syracuse defense must find a replacement for tackling machine Clifton Smith and must rework a secondary that gave up an alarming 303.8 yards per game last year. In addition, the Orangemen may also be without the services of starting linebacker Jameel Dumas, who left school in the spring.
Rich Scanlon is the lone returner at linebacker and will team with two good pass rushers in defensive linemen Louis Gachelin and Christian Ferrara.
Freshman All-American Steve Gregory is the leader in the secondary after ranking seventh on the team in tackles with 56.
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| Mike McGann (Big East photo) |
Temple at Morgantown, W.Va., Nov. 29
2002 Overall Record: 4-8
2002 Big East Record: 2-5
2002 Statistical Leaders
(* = returners)
Rushing: Tanardo Sharps (1,276)
Passing: Mike McGann * (1,994)
Receiving: Zamier Cobb * (483)
Tackles: Jamal Wallace (96)
Sacks: Dan Klecko (10)
Interceptions: Yazid Jackson * and Terrance Leftwich (3)
Preseason Capsule: There is perhaps no better 16-40 coach in college football than Bobby Wallace. Five years ago Wallace was presented a colossal mess when he took over the Temple football program and he has slowly moved the Owls back toward respectability.
Last year Temple supporters thought it was going to be their breakthrough season, but Temple once again slipped toward the bottom of the league standings with a 4-8 record.
Temple has 43 returning lettermen including six starters back on offense, but once again Wallace must try to blend in 23 incoming JUCOs.
Temple does have the benefit of having a year now in David Brock’s no-huddle, spread offense and Wallace is hopeful junior Mike McGann can get a handle on it. Last year McGann passed for 1,994 yards and threw 13 touchdowns, but he was picked off 22 times.
Makonnen Fenton is the likely candidate to take over the starting tailback duties from Tanardo Sharps who finished his career as one of the top rushers in school history.
Zamir Cobb, Terrance Stubbs and Sean Szarka have plenty of experience at the wide receiver position, while considerable retooling needs to be done along the offensive line.
The Temple defense must deal with the graduation of Dan Klecko, a first team all-Big East pick who led the team with 10 sacks. Sophomore Rodney Wormley is the only starter returning up front.
Sophomore linebacker Rian Wallace is the team’s top returning tackler with 76 stops, which ranked third on the team last year.
