July 26 Notebook
July 26, 2005 04:05 PM | General
July 26, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Watching the show “Who’s #1: Greatest Records” on ESPN Classic last night I came up with an idea: which WVU football records are the most difficult to break? After a quick scan through last year’s Mountaineer football guide here are a few that could be difficult to top:
Todd Sauerbrun’s 46.3 career punting average
Sauerbrun led the country in punting in 1994 with an average of 48.4 yards per punt (the NCAA record for the highest average with 50 or more punts in a season) and his 46.3 career average is the best in NCAA history. Only four players in WVU annals have even averaged more than 40 yards per punt in a season with a minimum of 50 attempts; the closest to Sauerbrun is Greg Hertzog’s 43.0 punting average in 1989.
Paul Woodside’s .903 field goal percentage in 1982, converting 28 of 31
Woodside’s accuracy is among the best in NCAA history and his 28 of 31 converted in 1982 led the nation. He was a perfect 23 of 23 from a distance of 40 yards or less and he finished his career making 65 of 81 for a .802 accuracy rating. Charlie Baumann made 20 of 27 field goal attempts in 1988 to come the closest to Woodside.
John Mallory’s seven career punt returns for touchdowns
John Mallory averaged 20.1 yards per punt return as a sophomore in 1965 scoring three times. He returned a total of seven punts for scores from 1965-67, tying Oklahoma’s Jack Mitchell (1946-48) for the most punt return TDs in NCAA history. WVU’s Danny Buggs and Willie Drewery have since come the closest to Mallory, returning three each.
Rasheed Marshall’s 68 touchdowns responsible for
It took 85 years for someone to exceed Ira Errett Rodgers’ 66 career touchdowns responsible for, so that alone has to count for something. To beat Rasheed Marshall’s school-record 68 career touchdowns responsible for, it probably has to be a quarterback much in the mold of Marshall and Major Harris -- pass-run specialists. Marshall’s career TDs are broken down this way: 44 through the air and 24 on the ground.
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| A ball carrier must average 108 yards per game over 48 games to reach Avon Cobourne's WVU record of 5,164 career yards.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
Avon Cobourne’s 5,164 career rushing yards
Although it’s now more attainable with 12-game regular seasons, Avon Cobourne’s four-year rushing total of 5,164 yards will still be a hard one to reach. It remains the ninth-highest rushing total in NCAA history and for a player to reach Cobourne’s record he must average nearly 108 yards per game over 48 career games – no small feat in today’s rough and tough sport of major college football. Just as equally daunting is Cobourne’s 1,050 career carries, or 264 more than the next closest WVU runner Amos Zereoue.
George Allen’s 45 rushing attempts against Georgetown in 1933
Hall of Fame coach Earle “Greasy” Neale apparently knew how to ride a horse. He gave the football to running back George “Eck” Allen a staggering 45 times against Georgetown in 1933 – a WVU record that still exists 72 years later. Allen finished the game with 150 yards, an average of just 3.3 yards per try. A couple of recent WVU backs have come close to Allen’s record: Amos Zereoue ran 41 times in a three-overtime loss to Pitt in 1997 and Quincy Wilson carried 40 times in a victory over Rutgers in 2003.
Gerry Fisher’s 57 pass attempts against Maryland in 1951
Considering the era, it is remarkable that Coach Art “Pappy” Lewis would try 57 pass attempts in a game against Maryland in 1951. But considering how good the Terps were back then that was probably the best chance for West Virginia to move the football. Fisher’s record still stands 54 years later, although three WVU quarterbacks have since tried at least 50 pass attempts in a game. The most recent was Brad Lewis’ 52 pass tries against Maryland in 2001.
Bobby Moss’ 7.8 career yards-per carry rushing average
Bobby Moss’ 1955 season was one of the most remarkable in WVU history. The Huntington native ran 98 times for 807 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. His per-carry average was a staggering 8.2. Here are the per-carry averages of some of West Virginia’s best-ever running backs: Artie Owens (6.4), Quincy Wilson (5.5), Amos Zereoue and Bob Gresham (5.2), and Robert Alexander and Undra Johnson (5.0).
Here are a few more obscure records that will be tough to match:
And here is the list of football records that still exist at least 50 years after they first happened:
Briefly:
West Virginia plays host to the Hokies in Morgantown on Saturday, Oct. 1. The game will kickoff at noon.
The Mountaineers’ other ACC foe, Maryland, was predicted to finish fifth in the Atlantic Division with just three poll points more than sixth-place Wake Forest. West Virginia travels to College Park to take on the Terps on Saturday, Sept. 17. That game will also kick off at noon.
Collington made a 70-yard touchdown reception on the game’s first play from scrimmage and also scored on a 1-yard run. He finished the game rushing for 28 yards on eight carries and had 98 all-purpose yards. Connolly caught 3 passes for 104 yards including a 72-yard touchdown reception.
Both Collington and Connolly hail from in the Pittsburgh area.
Also, WVU women’s basketball sports information director Phil Caskey informs me that center Yelena Leuchanka has now been fully cleared by WVU doctors to participate in individual drills. Leuchanka went down with her second season-ending knee injury prior to West Virginia’s Big East opener agaisnt Boston College last January.
Her recovery this time was faster than her previous ACL injury.
I recently tracked down several members and coaches of that team for an extensive feature that will run in each of the football game programs this fall commemorating the ’75 Peach Bowl season.
Can you name West Virginia’s offensive and defensive MVPs for the ‘75 Peach Bowl? The answers are at the bottom.
The ESPN Sports Century series has already covered the athletic careers of former WVU greats JERRY WEST and SAM HUFF.
In Utah’s final game against San Antonio on July 22, Fischer played six minutes coming off the bench and failed to score. Utah won the contest 80-75.
Opening round opponents have been announced and Team USA will battle the German National Team in the first round. That means Gansey could go up against West Virginia teammate Joe Herber, who is currently trying out for the German National Team.
First Lt. Black chose airborne school in Fort Benning, Ga., and is now a member of the 10th Special Forces Group.
“I was excited to be in the 10th Special Forces Group and I was excited to deploy,” Black recently told TheMat.com. “I was ready to take whatever challenge just to see how effective I could be.”
As a WVU wrestler, Black completed his career in 1991 as one of just six wrestlers in school history to accumulate more than 100 career victories. The two-time Eastern Wrestling League champion finished fourth at the 1991 NCAA championships in the 177-pound weight class. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
This new position will serve as the league’s primary basketball administrator and contact. He will represent the conference on a day-to-day basis in the overall administration, management and control of the men’s basketball programs. He is the son of former Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt.
Curtain says he has already received commitments from 12 former coaches although Nehlen declined the offer.
Last year, the Bowl Championship Series used the Associated Press Top 25 poll to help determine its national championship game but the AP asked that it stop using its poll to help determine the two teams. The BCS recently announced the creation of another poll that will be comprised of 114 former coaches, players and administrators, plus some media members.
Answer: Artie Owens (offensive) and Ray Marshall (defensive)
Have a great week!
