Pitt Preview
November 29, 2007 01:23 PM | General
November 29, 2007
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – This Saturday West Virginia University will be playing a football game as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team for the first time in its history when the Mountaineers play host to Pitt in the Big East season finale.
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| Freshman Noel Devine ran for 118 yards in last week's 66-21 win over Connecticut.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
WVU reached No. 1 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll after LSU lost to Arkansas last Friday. The Mountaineers are No. 2 in this week’s AP poll. It’s the highest either West Virginia or Pitt has been ranked the week of the Backyard Brawl since Pitt was ranked No. 2 heading into the 1982 game.
West Virginia (10-1) has already sewn up the Big East title and a BCS bowl spot, but could reach the BCS title game with a victory over the 4-7 Panthers. Pitt comes to Morgantown playing the spoiler role, something Coach Dave Wannstedt is playing up to his team this week.
“I think it is easier to climb the mountain than it is to stay on top,” Wannstedt said. “And in our case -- we can go down there and play loose and have fun with this thing. We'll just enjoy it and play as hard as we can and see where it goes.”
Inexperience at quarterback has hampered Pitt’s offense this year but Wannstedt does have the next great running back in the Big East in freshman LeSean McCoy, who shows 1,180 yards and became just the third true freshman in conference history to run for 1,000 yards in a season.
McCoy broke Tony Dorsett’s freshman record of 13 touchdowns with his 14th rushing score against USF and he shows six 100-yard games this year. His season high was a 172-yard performance against Michigan State in week three.
“He’s got speed and it seems like he always makes the first guy miss,” said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. “I have been impressed with him overall; he catches the ball and he blocks pretty well, too.”
Wannstedt has always preferred a power running game to go with a great defense and McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling gives Pitt two good ones in the backfield.
“I think this is what they wanted to get to,” Rodriguez said. “It starts with the tailback and the two guys up front – they have two tackles that are going to be in the NFL – and some physical tight ends. If we can’t stop their run then they will keep running.”
An early season injury to Bill Stull and ineffective play by Kevan Smith has forced Pitt to go with true freshman Pat Bostick at quarterback. Bostick was the top high school quarterback prospect in Pennsylvania last year.
In nine games Bostick has completed 145 of 233 passes for 1,433 yards and eight touchdowns. He is coming off his best passing performance of the year in a 48-37 loss to South Florida where he completed 24 of 37 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions.
Pitt has three players that have at least 30 catches this year led by T.J. Porters’ 35 catches for 327 yards. Oderick Turner has 33 catches for 467 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns, while McCoy has 32 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown.
“They have guys that we know about pretty well because we were recruiting them,” Rodriguez said. “This is a game that they could let it all loose. We can expect trick plays and different things that they have not shown.”
Rodriguez has been really impressed with Pitt’s defense that is giving up 308.1 yards per game. Middle linebacker Scott McKillop leads the nation in tackles averaging 12.91 tackles per game.
“I have been very impressed with Scott McKillop. He’s leading the nation in tackles and it’s not a situation where he’s making them 15 yards down the field – they are tackles that are at the line of scrimmage or four or five yards away.”
Rodriguez also likes Pitt’s defensive front, with six or seven quality players available up front.
“They are probably deeper up front than they have been,” Rodriguez said.
The Panthers secondary has not given up big plays this year.
West Virginia’s Patrick White and Steve Slaton have had big games against Pitt’s defense. In 2005 in Morgantown as freshmen, White ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns and Slaton had 34 carries for 179 yards and three total touchdowns.
Last year in Pittsburgh, the duo became just the third tandem in NCAA history to run for more than 200 yards in the same game. White accounted for 404 yards of total offense and Slaton had a 23-carry, 215-yard night against Pitt at Heinz Field. Slaton also caught six passes for 130 yards.
The Mountaineers have added an extra dimension in the backfield with the development of true freshman Noel Devine, coming off an 11-carry, 118-yard performance against Connecticut. Devine has run for 508 yards this season, averaging 9.6 yards per carry.
“He is another fast guy who is explosive,” Rodriguez said. “Parts of his drawbacks are part of his advantages – he is small and sometimes they can’t see him. He can get behind those big guys and then get to the second level.”
Darius Reynaud has caught 56 passes this year for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns. Reynaud’s catches and touchdown catches put him in the Top 10 among all-time single-season pass catchers at WVU.
“He is a better receiver now than he was when he was a running back so he is running better routes,” Rodriguez said. “He still has some improvements to make in his game but he’s an explosive player. He makes a big play each game.”
Saturday’s game will be the last home game for West Virginia’s 17-player senior class. Rodriguez said it will be an emotional night for everyone involved in the program.
“Friday night they will get carried off at practice, we’ll hear some testimonials at the end and I don’t think there has been a time that I’ve done this when it hasn’t been emotional,” Rodriguez said. “I think it will be a great atmosphere on Saturday.”
Game time is 7:45 p.m. and the contest will be televised nationally by ESPN (Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe).
Fans can access the radio broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 140 and also on the Internet through MSNsportsNET.com.
