Another Road Test
October 01, 2006 08:09 PM | General
October 1, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Don’t be fooled by Mississippi State’s 1-4 record, says West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. The six-year coach is convinced that the Bulldogs will be the most talented team WVU has faced so far this year.
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| Patrick White is coming off a career-best 216-yad passing performance at East Carolina.
AP photo |
“They will have more guys drafted into the NFL than we will this year,” Rodriguez said. “They are the most talented team we’ve played so far compared to our first four opponents.”
Mississippi State got behind quickly to No. 9 LSU and lost 48-17 in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The Tigers scored the first five times they had the football in rolling up a 35-0 lead behind the accurate passing of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who was 13 of 14 for 272 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Russell tied a school record with 14 straight completions and finished 18 of 20 for a career-high 390 yards in just three quarters of action.
LSU chose to go to the air because Mississippi State has been stout against the run, permitting just 104.6 yards and 3.0 yards per carry on the ground this year. The Tigers managed just 108 yards on 38 carries Saturday against the Bulldogs. Tulane was the most effective team running the ball against Mississippi State, gaining just 129 yards on 36 tries in a three-point victory on Sept. 16.
The run is West Virginia’s preferred method of moving the football, the Mountaineers averaging 299.8 yards per game so far this season. In its last game at East Carolina two weeks ago, WVU had a season-low 153 yards on 42 tries.
Quarterback Patrick White had his best day throwing the football, completing 17 of 24 passes for a career-high 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns. White also threw a career-high three interceptions.
“There are going to be days when we have to throw the football more and people will shut down your running game,” Rodriguez said. “We’re not a wishbone, Navy type of option team. We work pretty hard on the passing game. We’re prepared -- I just hope we can execute it.”
Rodriguez said his team used the off week working on fundamentals.
“It was also a time to have two or three plays on offense and two or three plays on defense that we will take a look at,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is particularly weary of a Bulldog defense that permitted 15 points in the season opener to South Carolina and 10 in a win over Alabama Birmingham.
“Their defense has kept them in games this year and that’s why they’re competing in the SEC,” he said. “Defensively they probably have two or three first-day NFL draft guys.”
The game presents West Virginia with an opportunity to play in the Deep South. The Mountaineers actively recruit Florida, the Gulf Coast, and parts of Louisiana.
“We wanted to schedule an SEC team to have a visible presence,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been recruiting down south for many years. Since Coach Nehlen was here they recruited down in Florida and Coach Trickett has recruited Mississippi and Mobile, Ala., because he’s familiar with that area and it has been beneficial to us.
“We try to target the northeast and the southeast but if there is a young man interested in us anywhere in the country and we think we can win championships with him we’ll recruit him,” Rodriguez said.
Despite Mississippi State’s losing record, Rodriguez expects a large and passionate crowd to greet his No. 4-ranked team next Saturday at 55,000-seat Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
“The SEC prides itself on their fans, their loyalty and the passion that they have,” Rodriguez said. “There aren’t any SEC schools that want for anything as far as facilities, support and the personnel that you need to have. They’ve got a great tradition. Sylvester (Croom) has got those guys playing hard. I know they’ve struggled at certain times on offense but I think they’re more dangerous now with Omarr Conner, who we tried to recruit several years ago.”
Conner, a converted wide receiver, is the third guy under center for the Bulldogs after starting quarterback Michael Henig broke his collarbone against South Carolina in the season opener.
Conner took over the Bulldog offense against Tulane, completing 15 of 25 passes for 241 yards. Conner scored the winning touchdown in overtime two weeks ago against UAB, and passed for 212 yards and a touchdown last Saturday against LSU.
Receiver Tony Burks caught four passes for a game-high 103 yards and a touchdown against the Tigers.
“If you talk to our guys they will say, ‘OK, it’s an SEC team, it’s on the road at their place,’” Rodriguez said. “Even though we’ve got some very talented players, we’re not one of those that are going to line up, mess around, and beat people.
“We’re not overloaded with first-round NFL draft picks on our team,” Rodriguez added. “That doesn’t tell what kind of football team you’re going to have, but we also have to understand how we have to play and how we have to execute and why we win games.”
Briefly:
“I had an experience playing them in the Peach Bowl when I was at Clemson in that (Georgia) Dome and you can imagine what 30,000 cowbells sound like,” he said. “I think all 30,000 were back at our hotel the night after the game still ringing them. It will be very, very loud and what you hope to do is for your guys to try and make enough plays to keep the crowd out of it, particularly early.”
“I think because everybody up north recruits down south anyway so I don’t know if there is as much difference. I think that’s past perception. Thirty-forty years ago when people didn’t go out and recruit as much that was probably true,” said the coach.
“It’s going to be another warm day down there,” Rodriguez said. “It’s going to be in the heat of the day. I was hoping that we’d have some heat but it doesn’t look like that so we may have to go into the indoor building one day and crank up the heat.”
