Compiled by John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
September 18, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Post-game notes following West Virginia’s 19-16 overtime victory over Maryland Saturday afternoon at Milan Puskar Stadium:
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Kay-Jay Harris ran for 142 yards and scored a touchdown Saturday against Maryland.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
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Game captains for West Virginia were Scott Gyorko, Jason Hardee, John Pennington and Jeff Berk. Coach Rich Rodriguez selects game captains each week. Team captains will be elected at the end of the season.
There were no first-time starters for West Virginia against Maryland. Offensive guard Jeff Berk made his 32nd career start today for the Mountaineers, WVU’s team leader in consecutive starts.
Saturday’s game was the first time since Ralph Friedgen took over at Maryland in 2001 that West Virginia has limited the Terrapins to less than 300 yards of offense.
“The last couple of times we played them they got out on us early and kind of got a lot of momentum and we couldn’t do a whole lot to stop them and today with the crowd noise and our guys being able to make some plays and we were able to make it go back and forth which we weren’t able to do in the last two or three games,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel.
West Virginia defensive tackle Ben Lynch was flagged for a critical offsides on fourth down late in the game that gave Maryland a first down to extend its drive that eventually wound up with Novak missing a potential game-winning 49-yard field goal. Lynch says part of the blame goes to fellow Oil City native Adam Lehnortt, who pushed Lynch from behind in an effort to beat the snap.
“I sort of had a little assistance from our middle linebacker,” said Lynch. “He apologized to me but who knows, if he wouldn’t have done it I might have went offsides anyway. It was just one of those things that makes the game more interesting.”
“We can’t make mistakes on fourth down,” added Casteel.
Maryland senior offensive guard Kyle Schmitt was a big topic of conversation in the post-game press room for unflattering remarks he supposedly made about the West Virginia team. Quarterback Rasheed Marshall carried a photocopy of a Schmitt quote directed toward him into the media room.
“How can this guy say anything about me when he’s not even a defensive player?” asked Marshall. “Second of all, I really don’t think he’s that much better than what people say he is. I saw him get pancaked a few times throughout the game: I made it a point to watch him just in case we won and I came across him so I can let my thoughts be heard.”
Marshall says WVU strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis found Schmitt’s quote on the Internet. “They sit on the computer and look for these things and that was a big gift for me yesterday,” Marshall said.
Defensive tackle Ben Lynch was also miffed at Schmitt, “I believe there was a quote from my old friend Kyle Schmitt that said they were going to run down our throat and drive us where ever they wanted to but I think we pretty much made him take his words and swallow them whole.”
Marshall admits his emotions after the game were “50-50” happiness and relief. “It’s a good feeling to win it but at the same time I’m not going to have to hear people saying, ‘But you’ve got to beat Maryland.’ That was my last shot against them unless we play them in a bowl game again so I went out with a victory.”
Adam Jones’ interception in the first quarter was his first of the season and sixth of his career. He added another one later in the first quarter for his seventh career pick. “He’s a great competitor, a leader on our defense and on our team and when you start picking up teams you want him on your team. He’s just a great competitive athlete that always wants to be the guy that is making the play that decides whatever it is that you’re playing for,” said Casteel.
The last time a West Virginia player had two interceptions in a game was Brian King, last year at Boston College. The Mountaineers picked off Maryland quarterback Joel Statham three times Saturday and also collected two fumbles.
Casteel says his team practices overtime defensive situations, “Just not in front of 60,000,” he said. “We practice it in camp and during the week so our guys are comfortable with the situation – they just got to go out and execute.”
Kay-Jay Harris’ six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his fifth touchdown of the season and ninth of his career.
West Virginia’s 7-0 lead in the first quarter was the first time the Mountaineers have led in a game against Maryland since the 2000 season. West Virginia won the game, 30-17.
Anthony Mims’ interception in the second quarter was the first of his career.
Brad Cooper’s 45-yard field goal in the third quarter was the second longest of his career. His career best came last week on a 54-yard field goal at UCF, the second longest in school history.
Kay-Jay Harris went over 100 yards for the second time in his career. His other came in the first game of the season, a 337-yard performance against East Carolina. Harris also went over the 1,000-yard mark for his career, now showing 1,010 yards.
Rasheed Marshall moved into eighth place all-time in career pass completions at WVU. Marshall now has 319, trailing Major Harris (1987-89) who had 324 career completions for seventh place.
Marshall says he saw former West Virginia University and Brashaer High School great Major Harris on the sidelines during Saturday’s game. He also had a chance to have a quick chat with him after the game.
“I happen to look over and I saw him standing there on the sideline and I started laughing in my head thinking he’s at a big game like this. In the overtime I ran to the sideline and the guy hit me out and I got up and he was standing right there. I was just laughing in my head,” Marshall said.
Chris Henry’s seven-yard touchdown catch in overtime was his fourth of the season and 14th of his career; Henry’s touchdown marked the fifth consecutive regular season game that he has caught a touchdown.
All 10 of West Virginia’s pass completions each went for a first down.
WVU is now 2-1 all-time in overtime having won two consecutive contests when the game moves to extra periods. WVU’s last victory in overtime came at Rutgers in 2000, a 31-24 double-overtime Mountaineer victory.
Interestingly, newspaper columnists Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Joe Starkey and Sam Ross of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review were in Morgantown covering the West Virginia-Maryland game instead of Pitt’s home game today against Nebraska.
Phil Caskey and Bryan Messerly contributed to this report.
