By the Numbers
November 27, 2006 04:08 PM | General
November 27, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – No. 13-rated Rutgers has an opportunity to claim a share of the Big East title and secure the conference’s BCS bowl spot with a victory over No. 15 West Virginia this weekend. Here is a look at Saturday’s game by the numbers:
13 and 15: The national rankings of both Rutgers and West Virginia. The Mountaineers reached as high as No. 3 before losing at Louisville. WVU fell out of the Top 10 for the first time this season after dropping a 24-19 decision to South Florida last weekend.
Rutgers, meanwhile, cracked the Top 10 for the first time in school history when it was ranked seventh following a 28-25 come-from-behind victory over Louisville. The Scarlet Knights have spent 10 straight weeks in the rankings -- a school first.
|
Statistical Leaders |
||
| WVU | Category | RU |
| White, 1,524 | Passing Yards | Teel, 1,589 |
| Slaton, 1,621 | Rushing Yards | Rice, 1,495 |
| Reynaud, 494 | Receiving Yards | Harris, 351 |
| McLee, 67 | Tackles | Greene/Frierson, 69 |
| Andrews, 4 | Interceptions | Greene, 4 |
| Rivers, 180 | Punt Returns | Foster, 127 |
| Reynaud, 607 | Kick Returns | Foster, 333 |
| McAfee, 41.6 | Punting Average | Radigan, 44.6 |
| Wicks, 7 | Sacks | Three with 6 |
40 and 2: The number of times West Virginia has played a nationally ranked team while ranked and the number of times Rutgers has played a nationally ranked team while also ranked. Saturday’s game will be the seventh time a ranked Rich Rodriguez West Virginia team will take on a nationally ranked opponent. Rutgers’ only other meeting against a ranked team while also ranked was at home against Louisville on Nov. 9.
1,621 and 1,495: The rushing figures of West Virginia’s Steve Slaton and Rutgers’ Ray Rice. Slaton is now 90 yards shy of breaking Avon Cobourne’s school record of 1,710 yards produced in 2002. Slaton enters this week as the nation’s second leading rusher averaging 147.4 yards per game. Rice eclipsed a 33-year Rutgers record when he passed J.J. Jennings’ 1,353 yards in the Cincinnati game. Rice is averaging 135.9 yards per game.
 |
 |
| Slaton | Rice |
225 and 215: The number of rushing yards Rutgers’ Ray Rice and West Virginia’s Steve Slaton had against Pitt this season. Both represent career rushing highs.
2 and 3: The national rankings of West Virginia’s offense and Rutgers’ defense. The Mountaineers are averaging 480.7 yards per game while the Scarlet Knights defense is permitted 243.5 yards per contest.
312.1 and 98.8: The number of rushing yards West Virginia averages per game this season and the number of rushing yards Rutgers has given up so far this year. West Virginia has the nation’s No. 2 ranked rushing offense while Rutgers is ranked 18th against the run.
5: The number of opponents that have failed to rush for more than 100 yards against Rutgers’ defense. The Scarlet Knights held Ohio to a season-low minus-6 yards in a 24-7 win on Sept. 16. Howard managed just 48 yards on 31 tries in a 56-7 Rutgers win on Sept. 23.
 |
 |
| White | Teel |
1,589 and 1,524: The passing yardage of Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel and West Virginia quarterback Patrick White. Teel has attempted 22 passes per game while White has tried 14.9 passes per game. Teel has thrown 13 interceptions while White has tossed seven.
35: The number of catches by Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard this season. The senior leads the squad in receiving this year and shows 204 career receptions for 1,859 yards and 13 touchdowns.
99: West Virginia’s national ranking against the pass this year, giving up 232.6 yards per game.
27 and 21: The number of defensive and special teams touchdowns produced by Greg Schiano’s and Rich Rodriguez’s teams at Rutgers and West Virginia since 2001. Schiano has had at least one defensive score every year at Rutgers, while Rodriguez has enjoyed at least one special teams score in each of his six seasons at West Virginia.
27-10 and 11-20: The home record of West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez and the road record of Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. The Mountaineers have gone 15-3 at Milan Puskar Stadium during the last three years under Rodriguez and have never lost at home to Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have produced their best road record this year under Schiano going 4-1 against North Carolina, South Florida, Navy, Pitt and Cincinnati.
9-0: West Virginia’s record in night games at Milan Puskar Stadium under Coach Rich Rodriguez.
17-6: Rutgers coach Greg Schiano’s two-year record at Rutgers that includes a 9-4 mark in Big East play.
6-5, 299 vs. 6-2, 283 and 6-2, 299 vs. 6-2, 256: The average heights and weights of Rutgers’ offensive line against West Virginia’s defensive line, and the average heights and weights of West Virginia’s offensive line against Rutgers’ defensive line.
27-4: West Virginia’s record against Rutgers in all-time series play. All four of Rutgers’ wins have come in Piscataway, N.J. – the last being in 1994. The last two games have been played in New Jersey.
1 and 1: The number of nationally ranked teams West Virginia and Rutgers has faced so far this season. The Mountaineers dropped a 44-34 decision at No. 5 Louisville on Nov. 2, while the Scarlet Knights knocked off the No. 3-rated Cardinals a week later in Piscataway, 28-25 on No. 9.
West Virginia's best non-conference victories this year were against Maryland and East Carolina while Rutgers' top two non-conference victories were against Illinois and Navy.
|
Tale of the Tape |
||
| WVU | Category | RU |
| 38.7 | Points | 28.3 |
| 465.2 | Total Yards | 323.2 |
| 312.1 | Rushing Yards | 177.9 |
| 45.2 | Rushing Attempts | 38.4 |
| 6.9 | Yards Per Rush | 4.6 |
| 153.1 | Passing Yards | 145.3 |
| 17.1 | Pass Attempts | 22.1 |
| 13.4 | Yards Per Completion | 12.3 |
| 18.9 | Points Allowed | 12.3 |
| 312.5 | Total Yards Allowed | 243.5 |
| 79.9 | Rushing Yards Allowed | 98.8 |
| 2.6 | Rushing Yards Per Attempt Allowed | 2.9 |
| 232.6 | Passing Yards Allowed | 144.6 |
| 12.4 | Passing Yards Per Completion Allowed | 11.7 |
