Throw out the Records
November 14, 2006 02:31 PM | General
November 14, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia’s Boo McLee says you can throw out the records because they don’t mean a thing in the Backyard Brawl.
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| Linebacker Kevin McLee says anything can happen in the Backyard Brawl.
Pete Emerson photo |
West Virginia (8-1) has the better record and the momentum heading into Thursday night’s annual clash with the 6-4 Pitt Panthers at Heinz Field, but McLee was on the field the last time the Mountaineers were at Heinz Field in 2004. The result was a 16-13 Pittsburgh victory that sent the Panthers to the Fiesta Bowl to face Utah.
“The records don’t matter because it’s going to be a great game no matter what,” McLee said. “It’s the Backyard brawl and I know they are going to be ready for us and we have to step up and do what we can on defense to try and stop them.”
Pitt is coming off a tough 46-45 overtime loss at Connecticut last Saturday night. The Panthers had a 14-point lead in the second half but couldn’t hold on.
Panther quarterback Tyler Palko threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns and running back LaRod Stephens-Howling had 154 yards and a pair of scores.
Palko is one of the nation’s most proficient passers, completing 161 of 235 of his pass attempts for 2,223 yards and 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Palko’s 173.8 efficiency rating is second in the country.
McLee says Palko is a good pocket passer but his biggest plays come when he’s on the move.
“I’d rather he be in the pocket,” McLee said. “He makes his best plays when he’s running around and making you miss and throwing the ball up in the air. As long as we keep him from running around too much and keep him in the box we’ll be fine.”
The objective, according to McLee, is to try and hit Palko as often as possible.
“You’ve got to be aggressive and try and put as much pressure on him as possible and see how he can handle it,” McLee said.
Panther coach Dave Wannstedt’s desire of becoming a more balanced offense team has been realized with the development of Stephens-Howling, small in stature but tough and durable. Stephens-Howling ran for a career-high 221 yards at Syracuse and shows 801 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games.
“He looks real quick, real shifty and once he gets going he’s real fast to catch,” McLee said.
Growing up in Uniontown, Pa., roughly halfway between Morgantown and Pittsburgh, McLee has a good understanding of the importance of the Backyard Brawl in this region. He has been spending this week explaining the rivalry to some of the younger players on the team.
“I’m going to go hard this week and hopefully the other guys will watch and do the same because they’re going to be ready for us,” McLee said. “Preparation is the key.”
Although close by, Pitt never offered McLee a scholarship.
“I never wanted to go to Pitt but I don’t hold a grudge on them for not recruiting me as hard as some other schools,” McLee said. “That’s not something that I’m going to hold a grudge on them for the rest of my life. But I’m going to go into the game with something to prove just like I go into every game like that.”
Briefly:
“I think they are going to come out stronger than they’ve ever been,” he said. “They are coming off a couple of losses but they were tough. I think they know that they have a big rivalry coming up and they know that they have to play hard to beat us. I think they are going to bring all that they’ve got and we’re going to bring all that we’ve got.”
“They have some pretty good guys and they go up for the ball,” said Wicks. “That’s one thing that I’ve seen. We have to D them up and try and stay physical, bang them on the line and try and get them off their timing a little bit.”
Pitt’s Derek Kinder and Oderick Turner both stand taller than 6 feet. Six-four, 255-pound tight end Steve Buches is also a big part of the Panther passing game.
Kinder leads the team with 40 receptions for 681 yards and six touchdowns. Buches is third on the team with 21 catches for 259 yards and four scores.
West Virginia has run for more than 300 yards in 10 of its last 12 games including 313 last week against Cincinnati.
