Summer Football Preview
July 08, 2005 11:20 AM | General
July 8, 2005
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CBS Sportsline Rates WVU Slate 3rd Toughest |
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez will be searching for some answers when fall camp commences next month. Among the most pressing questions … Who will wind up as the team’s starting quarterback? Is there enough time this fall to develop quality depth at wide receiver and at linebacker? Who will be the team’s kicker and punter? Who will emerge as the team leaders? Can Dee McCann adequately fill Pacman Jones’ shoes at cornerback? Can the team remain healthy? West Virginia faces a 2005 football slate rated the third-toughest in the country by a formula devised by CBS Sportsline. The Mountaineers have stiff challenges on the road at Syracuse, Maryland and Rutgers and key home games against Virginia Tech, Louisville and Pitt. You can order your West Virginia University single-game and season tickets by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging onto WVUGAME.com. Here is quick summer synopsis of each opponent:
Sunday, Sept. 4, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse is playing one of the most ambitious schedules in the Big East this year with non-conference games against Virginia, Florida State and Notre Dame. SU is aiming to get the Greg Robinson era off to a good start with its season opener against West Virginia in the Carrier Dome on Sunday, Sept. 4 on national TV. Several of Robinson’s assistant coaches have come from the pro ranks including offensive coordinator Brian Pariani, who spent the last 10 years learning the West Coast offense under Mike Shanahan with the Denver Broncos. Perry Patterson won the starting quarterback job last year over Joe Fields but Robinson is non committal on who will be under center for the opener. Under Patterson, Syracuse had the nation’s 100th ranked passing attack last year averaging just over 170.3 yards per game. The Orange will undoubtedly improve that figure this year, but will still rely on a punishing ground game led by one of the Big East’s top returning tailbacks in senior Damien Rhodes. The offensive line should be solid with four seniors, but the Syracuse receiver corps doesn’t have that big-name weapon it usually has had in the past.
The real strength of the Orange this year should be their defense, with 10 of 11 players having started or having earned significant playing time last year. Robinson will serve as the team’s defensive coordinator and plans on employing a wide array of blitzes. That should suit the skills of defensive end James Wyche, perhaps the Big East’s top returning defensive player. The linebacker corps has been tweaked with Kelvin Smith and Kellen Pruitt moving to new positions and the secondary should be much improved with free safety Anthony Smith and cornerback Tanard Jackson returning. Steve Gregory moving over from wide receiver should help the secondary as well. In addition to spending time in the pros as a defensive coordinator, Robinson has also served as special teams coach and that should suit the Orange well.
Saturday, Sept. 10, Morgantown, W.Va. Wofford is two years removed from winning the Southern Conference championship and is coming off another successful season last year with an 8-3 record and a Top 20 I-AA ranking. Veteran coach Mike Ayers has won 29 of his last 37 games since 2002 and his team features a wingbone attack that ranked second nationally in rushing with an average of 305.1 yards per game. Senior halfback Gabriel Jackson is the Terriers’ top returning ground gainer and is the SoCon’s second-leading returning rusher with 647 yards in 2004. He averaged an impressive 7.0 yards per carry. Josh Collier is expected to take over the starting quarterback position after seeing action last year as a freshman. The Terriers may throw the football a little more this year in an effort to get the ball into the hands of senior Adrien Borders, a newcomer to the football program. The Liburn, Ga., resident is a three-time conference track champion and also scored more than 1,000 career points in basketball. In the Terriers’ final spring scrimmage he scored on a 50-yard reverse. Preseason I-AA All-American selection Kevin Hodapp headlines Wofford’s offensive line. Defensively, Wofford returns its top tackler in 6-foot-1-inch, 245-pound junior linebacker Justin Franklin. The Jacksonville, N.C., native earned all-conference honors last year and he is being touted as one of the school’s best-ever linebackers. Franklin will team with linebacker holdover Jim Thurman. Up front Wofford has a two-time all-conference performer in Katon Bethay. The secondary returns three starters.
Saturday, Sept. 17, College Park, Md. Maryland is looking to bounce back this year after enduring a 5-6 campaign in 2004. Terrapin coach Ralph Friedgen has said he wants to return to the hard-nosed style of play his first three teams successfully employed. Offensively, Friedgen has to get better play out of the quarterback position. Joel Statham started all but one game last year but struggled at times and was replaced in the season finale by Sam Hollenbach. Jordan Steffy is also a contender for the quarterback job but he missed most of spring drills with arthritis in his knee. RB Josh Allen tore his ACL in the Wake Forest game and will redshirt the 2005 season. That leaves the bulk of the ground work to senior Mario Merrills, a 400-pound bench presser with 4.46 speed. Senior Derrick Fenner and junior tight end Vernon Davis will be a formidable pass-catching duo. Maryland must find replacements for defensive end Shawne Merriman, who left a year early for the NFL, and pass rushing specialist Kevin Ely. Big-leaguer D’Qwell Jackson will make up some of the difference and could be one of the best linebackers in the ACC this year. Jackson racked up 259 tackles the past two seasons and should be ready to go this fall after missing spring drills following wrist surgery. The Terrapins also have some parts to replace in the secondary with three starters lost to graduation. Maryland is extremely young with 60 players on its roster with three or more years of eligibility remaining, but the Terps have recruited well the past two years signing back-to-back top 20 recruiting classes. That should help accelerate the rebuilding job.
Saturday, Sept. 24, Morgantown, W.Va. Skip Holtz was hired last winter with the task of rebuilding East Carolina’s football program. The Pirates slipped to 3-20 the last two years under John Thompson and Holtz will need some time to repair the damage. His first objective is to establish a quarterback and most of his attention during the spring was focused on freshman Davon Drew. Patrick Pinkney and Kort Shankwiler are also still in the mix. If Drew earns the starting job, it will be the fifth different starting quarterback East Carolina has had in five years. Sophomore tailback Chris Johnson emerged last year as ECU’s top ball carrier after prying the starting job away from two established seniors. His 561 yards and five touchdowns aren’t eye opening but were the result of East Carolina being behind in every game and having to pass the football. The wide receiver corps was bolstered in the spring by the outstanding play of transfer Aundrae Allison, who earned himself a starting job. He should team with Kevin Roach and Brian Howard to give East Carolina a respectable pass-catching unit. The offensive line has a pair of seniors and a junior returning. The ECU defense will be led by senior middle linebacker Chris Moore, the team’s top tackler the past two seasons. Edge rusher Richard Koonce also returns after leading the Pirates with six sacks last year. Holtz is high on redshirt freshman Jarrett Wiggins as a pass rusher, too. Senior Shauntae Hunt and Lorenza Pickett have experience up front and the secondary has a large group of players returning with experience.
Saturday, Oct. 1, Morgantown, W.Va.
Last year Virginia Tech surprised the ACC by winning seven of eight games to capture the conference regular season title and face Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. This year the Hokies appear to be just as strong with 14 starters returning. The biggest question mark will be how well Marcus Vick handles the quarterback position after serving last year’s school-imposed suspension. Hokie supporters believe Vick has all of the tools to make Virginia Tech’s offense go like Bryan Randall did last year and his big brother Michael did during the 1999 season. Making Vick’s job easier is the fact that veteran coach Frank Beamer has surrounded his quarterback with a talented cast of skill players. Running back Mike Imoh and wide receivers Eddie Royal and Josh Hyman are big-time performers. The one question mark on offense is Tech’s line which is thin and unproven. Left tackle Jimmy Martin and left guard Will Montgomery are two good ones, though. Virginia Tech’s defense is expected to be stout once again this year with a defensive front as good as any in the ACC. Senior end Darryl Tapp had 8.5 sacks last year and will be turned loose to create havoc once again this season. Linebackers Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall are an impressive duo who should have outstanding seasons. The secondary returns senior corner Jimmy Williams, but must find replacements for free safety Vincent Fuller, rover James Griffin and corner Eric Green. Depth could be a concern there for the Hokies. Last year Tech ranked second in scoring defense yielding just 12.8 points per game, and ranked fourth in both passing defense and total defense. Anything close to that this year could mean another ACC title for the Hokies.
Rutgers Last year Greg Schiano was able to repair a horrendous offense. This year it’s the defense that has to make dramatic improvement. If Rutgers can put both facets together at the same time, it could mean the school’s first bowl appearance in decades. The Scarlet Knights have 17 starters returning including its three primary offensive weapons in fullback Brian Leonard, wide receiver Tres Moses and quarterback Ryan Hart. Leonard will have NFL scouts camping out in Piscataway with his size (6-feet-2 and 240 pounds) and versatility (led the team in rushing and caught 61 passes out of the backfield). Moses’ 2004 campaign was as productive as any wide receiver in the country and Hart has consistently posted gaudy passing figures. Offensive coordinator Craig Ver Steeg’s West Coast system helped the Scarlet Knights rank sixth in the country in passing. However, Hart has been mistake prone firing 38 interceptions the past two seasons. If Hart can stay healthy and he can keep most of his throws to the red jerseys, he will break all of the school’s major passing records. Unhappy with his team’s play on defense, Schiano turned to someone he trusted most to coordinate that unit – himself. Rutgers ranked 104th in total defense giving up 428.7 yards per game and it was the defense that was the main reason Rutgers slipped to 4-7 after winning is season opener against Michigan State in impressive fashion. Six linebackers with starting experience return and the front four has a chance of being solid. Three regulars return in the secondary led by corners Joe Porter and Derrick Roberson. The difference maker for Rutgers could be its kicking game. Jeremy Ito led all freshmen last year with 15 field goals and was able to convert six kicks of 40 yards or longer. If Rutgers can hang onto the ball, its offense should be able to score a lot of points this year.
Saturday, Oct. 15, Morgantown, W.Va. Louisville has been anxious to shine on the big stage and now it gets its opportunity as a first-year member of the Big East Conference. The Cardinals were the best team that didn’t make it to a BCS bowl last year and finished the 2004 campaign ranked in the top 10. Despite losing quarterback Stefan LeFors to graduation, Louisville believes it won’t miss a beat with former national prep player of the year Brian Brohm now under center full time. Brohm has a loaded backfield to work with in running backs Michael Bush and Kolby Smith. The offensive line and wide receiver corps are also experienced, though Louisville must find a replacement for top receiver J.R. Russell. One intriguing candidate to fill that spot is 6-foot-6-inch Mario Urrutia, whose size could pose serious matchup problems for Big East corners. The Cardinals have a few more questions to answer on defense – particularly at linebacker and safety. Junior college transfer Nate Harris is expected to contribute right away as well as defensive end Zach Anderson. Harris was once a top Miami recruiting target before legal problems forced him to go the JUCO route. Louisville coach Bobby Petrino is high on his defensive line with several capable performers in the fold. The secondary should be solid though there is some concern at safety. If Louisville’s defense can keep pace with its offense then the Cardinals could find themselves in the BCS bowl game it missed out on last year.
Saturday, Oct. 22, Tampa, Fla. Big East newcomer South Florida hopes that it can fly under the radar screen and sneak up on a few teams this season. Last year the Bulls fared miserably against its three Big East foes, losing by a combined 129-46 to Pitt, Louisville and Cincinnati. South Florida is just eight years removed from the formation of its football program and already has the opportunity to compete for a BCS bowl bid. Coach Jim Leavitt has a defensive background and was disappointed in the way his unit performed in 2004, ranking 94th in scoring defense and 95th against the pass. He believes that side of the ball will be much better with nine starters returning. Most uplifting is an athletic and versatile defensive line led by senior defensive end Terrance Royal. Two players not in USF’s lineup last year that should help this fall are strong safety Johnnie Jones and defensive tackle Tim Jones. Offensively, South Florida is implementing a new spread offensive system being deployed by Rod Smith – a Rich Rodriguez protégé. Smith must first decide if returning starter Pat Julmiste is his man at quarterback. If he’s not, then it could be Auburn transfer Courtney Denson or maybe even touted Florida prep standouts Matt Grothe or Carlton Hill. Tailback Andre Hall ran for more than 1,300 yards last year and gives South Florida a good base for its running game in 2005. One-time WVU recruiting target Johnny Peyton has the tools to be a first-rate Big East wide receiver and even though USF has to replace three starters along the offensive line, Leavitt believes that unit will be improved this year.
Wednesday, Nov. 2, Morgantown, W.Va.
Connecticut made its successful Big East debut last year by winning eight games and becoming the sole returning conference member to win its bowl game last year. This year the Huskies have a number of parts to replace on offense and defense. And the big question in Storrs is who is going to replace Dan Orlovsky at quarterback? Either junior Matt Bonislawski or redshirt freshman D.J. Hernandez will get the call. Bonislawski has attempted seven passes for his career and Hernandez has never played a down for the Huskies. That means Coach Randy Edsall will rely heavily on a running game that features two 1,000-yard rushers in Cornell Brockington and Terry Caulley. Brockington carried the load last year while Caulley was on the mend from a serious knee injury. If that’s not enough, Larry Taylor is back to give Connecticut three standout runners which could mean one of them – possibly Caulley – lining up at wide receiver on occasion. UConn doesn’t have an established receiver to lean on and must replace Keron Henry’s production. Brandon Young, who missed the entire 2004 season due to injuries sustained in a car accident, looks like the guy to replace Henry. He caught 50 passes his first two seasons in the Connecticut program. Connecticut must also find three new starters along the offensive line. Edsall has concerns on defense, too, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary. Co-captain James Hargrave is the only starter returning from a linebacker corps that featured Alfred Fincher and Maurice Lloyd. Secondary is the most inexperienced spot on the team with just two starters returning. The defensive line appears to be the strength of the defense although there are no big-name players in that unit.
Wednesday, Nov. 9, Cincinnati, Ohio By all standards, Coach Mark Dantonio’s first season at Cincinnati in 2005 was an unqualified success. After a rough 2-4 start, he was able to steer the Bearcats to a strong 5-1 finish and a victory over Marshall in the Fort Worth Bowl. This year the work is really just beginning for Dantonio, who must find a replacement for record-setting quarterback Gino Guidugli, top rusher Richard Hall, leading receiver Hannibal Thomas, top tackler Tyjuan Hagler and top pass rusher Trent Cole. Where to start? The quarterback job could wind up in the hands of freshman Dustin Grutza or junior college transfer Nick Davila. There may not be a 1,000-yard rusher in the stable this year, but Cincinnati has three pretty good young tailbacks in Butler Benton, Bradley Glatthaat and Mike Daniels. Sophomore Earnest Jackson has big-play capability and tight end Brent Celek set a school record with eight touchdown catches last year. Cincinnati could have a pretty well-balanced offense if the offensive line, with four new starters, can jell. There is work to do on defense too, with Dantonio searching for eight new starters. The only holdovers are defensive end Adam Roberts, cornerback Antoine Horton and strong safety Dominic Ross. Dantonio believes he may have a budding star in sophomore defensive end Anthony Hoke, and several freshmen may be asked to fill holes in the defense to help provide depth.
Panthers
At-A-Glance 2004 Stat Leaders 2005 Schedule Pitt has its eye on back-to-back BCS bowl berths with 16 starters returning from a team that won a share of the Big East title last season. New coach Dave Wannstedt has the conference’s top returning quarterback in Tyler Palko and a big threat in wide receiver Greg Lee, but he plans to tone down former Coach Walt Harris’ West Coast passing style in favor of a punishing running game. Palko is easily the marquee quarterback of the Big East, passing for 3,067 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2004. His play late in the Notre Dame and West Virginia wins helped Pitt reach the Fiesta Bowl. Wannstedt has an incumbent running back in Raymond Kirkley, but he was impressed with the hard running of freshman Rashad Jennings during the spring. Blue-chip freshman Conredge Collins may also be a factor when he arrives in August. Wannstedt put in a lot of work with the offensive line and likes the way they are progressing. Defensively, Pitt has two standouts in linebackers H.B. Blades and Clint Session. However, Pitt must find some capable bodies in front of them at defensive line. Last year’s starting defensive end Thomas Smith was moved to defensive tackle and the other three spots up front will be occupied by new players; one of them could wind up being talented true freshman Craig Bokor. The secondary is in good shape with three of its four starters returning. Freshman Darrelle Revis has a chance to be a real good one at corner. A pair of all-Big East kickers in Josh Cummings and Adam Graessle gives Pitt an advantage in special teams. Pitt joins Louisville as the two preseason favorites to capture the Big East regular season title. |
2004
Record: 
2004
Record: 8-3 
2004 Record: 4-7
2004 Record: 8-4
2004 Record:
2004 Record:
