Measuring Stick
September 14, 2006 08:37 AM | General
September 14, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Beating Maryland doesn’t guarantee future success, but the game has been a pretty good predictor of the type of football season West Virginia usually has.
 |
||
| West Virginia's 19-16 win over Maryland in 2004 helped the Mountaineers secure a Gator Bowl berth against Florida State.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
West Virginia has won 16 times since the two schools began playing on an annual basis in 1980. Of those 16 wins, 13 came during years in which the Mountaineers went on to make a bowl appearance. Only four times (1984, 1994, 2002 and 2003) has West Virginia lost to Maryland and gone on to play in a bowl.
The average record of the West Virginia teams that beat Maryland is 8-4; when the Mountaineers lose the average mark is 6-6.
At the same time, a Maryland win over West Virginia doesn’t necessarily mean a post-season appearance is in the cards for the Terps. When Maryland wins the West Virginia game it has gone to a bowl game six times (out of 11 victories). However, the Terps have only gone to two bowls in the years they lose to WVU.
The pattern holds up for current Maryland coach Ralph Freidgen, too. Maryland is three for three in bowl-game appearances when it beats West Virginia during the regular season and is zero for two when it loses to the Mountaineers.
Will the same hold true this year? Stay tuned.
Coach Rich Rodriguez believes Maryland is probably the biggest team West Virginia will face this year. Maryland goes 6-6, 320; 6-3, 289; 6-2, 318; 6-5, 301; 6-9, 350 across its front, with a pair of 260-pound-plus tight ends. All four tailbacks weigh at least 215 pounds and the starting fullback is 256.
“They will be eating peanuts off our guy’s heads out there on defense,” Rodriguez joked.
After next year’s game in College Park, Maryland will take a two-year break in the series to play a home and home series with California. The series is scheduled to resume in 2010.
“I don’t really know the parameters of what happened,” Rodriguez said Tuesday. “I was told that Maryland had got another series so we’re going to be off the schedule for 08 and 09 and then pick back up.
“A lot happens, particularly recently in college football. Every institution has their own goals and ideas on what they want to do with their schedule,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know the reasons why and all I’m really worried about is this game anyway.”
Maryland doesn’t have a weapon quite like Vernon Davis was last year at tight end, but Rodriguez says the Terps still have a pair of real good ones in junior Joey Haynos and Dan Gronkowski.
“They’ve got two big targets there and they do a lot of play action on first and second down,” Rodriguez said. “They fake the running play and get the ball to the tight end not only on crossing routes but also deeper routes. That’s tough to defend especially in certain formations. You can have them covered with 5-11 and 6-foot DBs and their guy is 6-8 and he’s going to get the ball away from you.”
Rodriguez said his team is preparing for multiple looks from Maryland’s defense tonight.
“The two teams we have played were basically even-front defenses and Maryland plays both,” he said. “We expect them to run their even-front and we think for sure they will run some of their odd-front defenses. Some of the things are similar to what we do with blitz schemes out of the odd-front, moving backers around, blitzing from different angles and blitzing corners. They move number four (Josh) Wilson around and blitz him not only from the corner but also out of the nickel (defense).”
The Big East has an opportunity to capitalize on its early-season momentum with key out-of-conference games this weekend. West Virginia plays Maryland Thursday night, Louisville plays host to Miami, Pitt plays host to Michigan State, Connecticut plays host to Wake Forest, Syracuse travels to Illinois and Cincinnati plays at Ohio State.
“Any time you beat a team with a national name it gives more credence to our league,” said Rodriguez. “The thing I’m anxious to see is if a team loses a game do they jump all over the league? Some of the teams I’ve seen get beat in the ACC or the Big Ten … when that team got beat like Illinois did at Rutgers? I don’t see anybody jumping on the credibility of the Big Ten. Had that been a Big East team or that score been reversed, everybody would have said, ‘Ooh, look at the Big East.’
“Just because one team has one bad game doesn’t mean the league is bad,” Rodriguez continued. “We’ve been fighting that for two years now. I don’t hear the grumblings of the other conferences when Illinois gets beat like that or N.C. State loses to Akron.”
Rodriguez has a simple explanation for why Milan Puskar Stadium is so electric during Thursday night ESPN games.
“There’s a lot of time between when that game starts and all the tailgating going on,” he chuckled. “The atmosphere here is really electric at night. Most of the players played their high school games at night and that’s what they’re kind of accustomed to doing.”
True freshmen defensive backs Boogie Allen and Guesly Dervil will continue to see action, especially in the nickel and dime defensive packages.
“We didn’t do a whole lot coverage wise but they weren’t blowing assignments and they didn’t look totally lost out there and they competed,” Rodriguez said of their first two games. “They still have a ways to go and you’re a little nervous because they weren’t in during crunch time. It’s a little different playing in a tight game in the fourth quarter, but we saw enough that we’re going to keep progressing and we certainly need depth in our nickel and dime defenses.”
Maryland has had a fine tradition of linebackers dating back to E.J. Henderson and D’Qwell Jackson and Rodriguez believes have another one in that mold in junior Wesley Jefferson.
“Wesley Jefferson was a highly recruited guy and we really liked him,” Rodriguez said. “He can run and make a lot of plays for them. From the days when E.J. Henderson and D’Qwell Jackson were two of the best linebackers we’ve ever played against … Wesley has the same type of ability.”
After spending all fall camp worrying about his wide receiver corps, Rodriguez says the position is now beginning to stabilize under second-year Coach Butch Jones.
“We’re pleased with Wes Lyons,” Rodriguez said. “We think he’s gotten better each week. He’s a big target. Brandon Myles has been solid. Dorrell Jalloh is getting healthier and he’s a good football player. Tito Gonzales has emerged.
“The guy that caught our eye a little bit in the last game from a blocking standpoint was Carmen Connolly. We’ve got to give him a chance to play some more.
“Darius Reynaud and Jeremy Bruce are probably two of our better players with the ball in their hands,” Rodriguez said. “We have to find ways to get them the football.”
Rodriguez said quarterback Patrick White didn’t do any work with the first offense on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week due to a strained muscle in his ribs. This week White has taken all of the reps with the first group.
“I wasn’t even sure he was going to play (against Eastern Washington),” Rodriguez said. “Before the game he suited up and said he didn’t feel anything. He’s bouncing around this week pretty well.”
