Countdown to Kickoff
October 14, 2005 10:42 AM | General
October 14, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia (5-1, 2-0) takes on Louisville (4-1, 0-1) in a Big East tussle Saturday afternoon at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. The game will be televised regionally by ABC (Dave LaMont, Terry Bowden and Trenni Kusnierek) and will kickoff at 3:30 pm.
There are no single-game tickets remaining for this homecoming contest. The West Virginia University Hall of Fame Class of 2005 consisting of consensus All-American Mike Compton, women’s track All-American Connie Ellerbe, multi-sport athlete Charley Hockenberry and basketball standouts Jim McCormick, Bucky Bolyard and Roger “Shorty” Hicks will be inducted before the game.
Former West Virginia University coach Don Nehlen will be recognized during Saturday’s game by the National Football Foundation for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, and members of the 1975 Peach Bowl team will be recognized for the 30th anniversary of that outstanding season.
Those unable to make it to Morgantown this weekend can follow the game on ABC TV. Stations in West Virginia carrying the game include: WCHS (Charleston), WOAY (Beckley), WVTX (Wheeling), UPN Cable and Time Warner Cable (Clarksburg) and Adelphia Cable Channel 3 (Morgantown).
Fans outside the viewing area can follow the MSN radio broadcast via Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 144.
Here is Saturday’s Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – The Mountaineers ranked TENTH in the nation in punt returns with an average of 16.45 per return. Antonio Lewis returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown during West Virginia’s 20-15 win over East Carolina earlier this year.
9 – West Virginia is ranked NINTH in the country this week in total defense giving up just 261.8 yards per game.
8 – Louisville has EIGHT scoring drives of three plays or less already this year. Seven of those scoring drives have actually come in two plays or less.
7 – SEVEN Mountaineer players have now started 19 or more games led by senior Mike Lorello’s 32 career starts. Jahmile Addae is next with 31 starts, followed by Dan Mozes (30), Garin Justice (29), Ernest Hunter (27), Josh Bailey (25) and Anthony Mims (19).
6 – The West Virginia defense has 12 more sacks than last year through the first SIX games. The Mountaineers show 18 sacks for minus 117 yards. At the same time last year, WVU had just six sacks for minus 39 yards.
5 – West Virginia has won FIVE of the six meetings against Louisville. The Mountaineers’ only loss in the series came in Morgantown in 1990 when the Cardinals down West Virginia 9-7.
4 – The Mountaineers have only lost FOUR times in its last 24 regular season games dating back to the 2003 season. West Virginia is 12-2 in Big East games during that span.
3 – In West Virginia linebacker Boo McLee’s last THREE games, the junior has produced 28 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for losses and recovered a fumble.
2 – West Virginia quarterbacks Adam Bednarik and Pat White have passed for more than 100 yards in a game just TWO times this year. Bednarik has both of them, throwing for a season-high 116 yards against East Carolina and passing for 104 in the season opener against Syracuse.
1 – Freshman Steve Slaton became the FIRST WVU tailback this year to run for more than 100 yards in a game with his 139-yard performance last Saturday at Rutgers. Slaton’s total was the most by a WVU runner since Kay-Jay Harris ran for 142 yards in game three of last year against Maryland.
Enjoy Saturday’s game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete post-game coverage.
