By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
August 31, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Here is this week’s West Virginia University sports news and notes:
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Antonio Lewis |
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West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is pretty confident that his young secondary will be up to the task this year. The Mountaineers are replacing four of their five starters from last year’s Sugar Bowl-winning squad. Two of those four are still in NFL camps as of Thursday afternoon.
"We’re not totally inexperienced,” Rodriguez said. “Antonio Lewis played a whole bunch and Larry Williams has played a whole bunch. Quinton Andrews hasn’t played yet but he’s practiced like a veteran. He’s very, very smart and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes back there.
“Antonio, Vaughn Rivers and Larry Williams, to me, those guys are veterans.”
The secondary will be anchored by senior safety Eric Wicks, who Rodriguez believes could be one of the best defensive players in the Big East this season.
Rodriguez is just as encouraged about his team’s passing game. Last year the Mountaineers averaged 116.5 yards per game through the air and have yet to average more than 165 yards per game in five seasons under Rodriguez.
“Pat has thrown the ball the best I’ve seen in his short career,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve really been pleased with our veteran receivers catching the ball, too. I don’t know if we’ve thrown the ball more in camp in the past, but I know we have completed more this year. We’re not going to throw a whole lot if we can’t complete them.”
The coach is particularly pleased with the progress his sophomore QB has made understanding the total picture.
“With young quarterbacks you worry more about what our guys are doing and you don’t have enough focus on what (the other team) is doing,” Rodriguez said. “When they get experience they can concentrate more on what they’re doing and that’s where Pat is. He knows our system.”
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Patrick White |
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And if there comes a time when teams choose to drop eight and rush only three, Rodriguez says West Virginia will really be in business.
“I’ve heard (Texas coach) Mack Brown say several times with Vince Young that if he drops back to pass he hopes everyone is covered because then he has to take off and run,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes that’s true with Pat. If everyone is covered maybe (running) isn’t a bad thing.”
One more item from Rich Rodriguez’s Tuesday afternoon press conference: the coach has been very pleased with the way Scott Kozlowski has punted the football during the preseason.
“He’s booming the ball,” Rodriguez said. “He’s getting the ball off really quick and he’s getting the ball off as fast at Phil (Brady) did last year. This will be his first game and I’m sure he will be nervous but he’s worked really hard so far with the things we do in our punting game.”
Five true freshmen were listed on the two-deep roster released by the WVU Sports Communications Office earlier this week. On offense, Morgantown’s Maxwell Anderson is listed as Owen Schmitt’s backup at fullback. The defense has two true freshmen backups in Boogie Allen at corner and J.T. Thomas at weakside linebacker.
David Brewer is listed as Scott Kozlowski’s backup at punter while Carmen Connolly is the backup holder.
The Mountaineers head into this year having been ranked in each of the last nine Coaches’ polls. West Virginia cracked the Top 25 back on Oct. 9, 2005, snapping a seven-week hiatus. Since 2004, West Virginia has appeared in 26 of the last 33 Coaches’ polls.
Connecticut officially opens the Big East football season tonight with a home game against Rhode Island. The game will be televised in New England on ESPN Regional TV.
Saturday’s other Big East action includes Rutgers playing at North Carolina on ABC, Syracuse traveling to Wake Forest, Pittsburgh playing host to Virginia, Eastern Kentucky traveling to Cincinnati and South Florida playing host to McNeese State.
On Sunday, Louisville will take on state rival Kentucky on ESPN Sunday night football at Papa John’s Stadium.
West Virginia’s Steve Slaton is one of 50 preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award presented to college football’s top running back.
I swear ESPN.com TV writer George Solomon looks just like Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim. And I don’t know whether that’s a good or a bad thing for George.
My wife’s grandfather recently celebrated his 96th birthday by purchasing a 42-inch, flat-screen plasma TV. That’s a pretty good indication that he’s got plans for number 97.
I recall reading a quote that Eisenhower once made about growing old. He said no one wants to live to be 100 … unless your 99.
There is a myth going around in the Steel City that the Pittsburgh Panthers are getting commitments from 99 percent of the Western Pennsylvania high school football players that they go head-to-head with against West Virginia. According to one blogger, family ties to West Virginia University and other extenuating circumstances are the reasons the remaining one percent have chosen to jump over Dave Wannstedt’s wall and head on down to Morgantown.
To get another perspective, I recently asked a member of the WVU football staff just how many Western Pa players they have been able to lure away from Pitt since they took over in 2001. He counted at least seven players off the top of his head, and quickly added that there would be more to come.
A couple of years ago back in our Kum Bah Ya days when John Swofford was rifling through the Big East's wallet, I had written a couple of favorable stories about Pitt and recall being gently reminded by one die-hard West Virginia fan: Don't ever write anything nice about them. Remember clown, even if we're all on a ship that's sinking, they're still Pitt.
It's really nice that things are back to normal.
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Mike Lorello |
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There are still 21 former Mountaineer football players on NFL rosters with final reductions coming up this Sunday afternoon. Among those still hanging in there is rookie free agent safety Mike Lorello of the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Defensive tackle Antwan Lake was released by the Atlanta Falcons but has since signed with the New Orleans Saints.
Is it just me or is Katie Couric looking 20 pounds slimmer these days since she signed with CBS?
Former Mountaineer guard Joe Herber hit a 3-point shot in Germany’s 85-65 loss to the United States Wednesday in the World Basketball Championships. Herber scored seven points in a 78-77 win over Nigeria and had four points in an 18-point victory over Panama. Germany is presently 5-3.
Some more details are coming out about the mega-TV deal the Big East recently signed with ESPN. According to today’s New York Daily News, the six-year agreement is worth $258 million, or slightly less than what the ACC signed with the cable company in 2004. The Big East’s deal also affords more exposure for its 16 members.
I think there are two things any sane person can deduce from this agreement: one, the Big East isn’t going anywhere, and two, the existing schools are going to be very reluctant to add anyone else to the mix to dilute their TV revenues.
Have a great weekend!
