Young Guns
September 13, 2005 09:28 AM | General
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005
Rich Rodriguez wasn’t kidding when he said this year’s Mountaineer team was young. Freshmen and sophomores combined to score all of the points in Saturday’s victory over Wofford. The oldest player to score for WVU was the grizzled veteran Adam Bednarik who’s a redshirt sophomore. Two of the team’s five touchdowns came from Jason Gwaltney and Darius Reynaud, who both joined the team in August.
I know we’re only two games into the season, but it’s still a head-shaker to look at the rushing statistics and see Pat White as the team leader and Adam Bednarik as the second leading ground gainer. The quarterbacking tandem is averaging 110 yards per game on the ground and 169 yards per game through the air. That works.
The offensive future of Mountaineer football took center stage on that 95-yard second-quarter drive against Wofford when Gwaltney and Steve Slaton took turns chewing up yardage. Have there ever been two true freshmen at West Virginia that looked so impressive so early in their careers?
Yes, the receiving corps remains a work in progress, but you have to give the ‘ole boys an ‘atta boy for effort. Eleven different players have caught passes in the first two games and that includes Adam Bednarik, who accidentally threw one to himself. Hey, whatever it takes.
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| Tony has been impressed with the play of true freshman wide receiver Jeremy Bruce.
AP photo |
That diving sideline layout reception from true freshman Jeremy Bruce against the Terriers was only the beginning of the things I believe he’ll be able do for this team. A preseason ankle sprain has slowed the Beaver Falls, Pa., native, but he’ll be a productive member of the pass catching corps as the season progresses.
Reserve defensive lineman Warren Young has been assistant coach Bill Kirelawich’s whipping boy since he arrived on campus. Kirlav had to be smiling late Saturday night when Young morphed into Michael Strahan for a series. Young, a native of the great-sounding hometown of Eightmile, Ala., recorded two sacks in the same series.
And now, few nuggets to nibble on as the Mountaineers get ready for their annual date with Maryland.
Be sure to turn down the television set and turn up MSN’s radio broadcast for this Saturday’s Maryland game. Airtime is 11:30 am.
