Posted by Tim Goodenow: Dec. 28, 2007 (3:50 p.m.)
West Virginia senior safety Ryan Mundy will make his fifth bowl appearance Wednesday in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, but his first in a Mountaineer uniform. Mundy, a post-graduate transfer from Michigan, is winless in four attempts with the Wolverines. Michigan is 0-4 the last four years while the Mountaineers are 2-2, having won two straight. Here are Mundy's bowl games and West Virginia's bowl games during that span of time:
Michigan
2007 Rose Bowl: USC 32, Michigan 18
2006 Alamo Bowl (12/28/05): Nebraska 32, Michigan 28
2005 Rose Bowl: Texas 38, Michigan 37
2004 Rose Bowl: USC 28, Michigan 14
West Virginia
2007 Gator Bowl: West Virginia 38, Georgia Tech 35
2006 Sugar Bowl: West Virginia 38, Georgia 35
2005 Gator Bowl: Florida State 30, West Virginia 18
2004 Gator Bowl: Maryland 41, West Virginia 7
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West Virginia players get loose before Friday's practice at Scottsdale Community College.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
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West Virginia is going to a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year for the first time in school history. The previous best stretch was five in a row from 2002-07 when the Mountaineers made trips to the Continental Tire Bowl, three Gator Bowl appearances and a Sugar Bowl. The Mountaineers are appearing in their fifth straight New Year’s bowl game, which is also a school record.
Defensive graduate assistant Pat Kirkland will coach the cornerbacks in the bowl game Wednesday. Now in his second season with WVU, the former Glenville State defensive coordinator fills the void with the departure of Tony Gibson who followed Rich Rodriguez to Michigan.
There will be more to come on Coach Kirkland tomorrow.
The wind died down today making it feel much warmer on the practice field. The punters and kickers were letting it fly early in Friday’s practice.
There was a large contingent of media members present for player interviews today. Roughly 40 media folks gathered to speak with requested players and interim coach Bill Stewart.
Several players were asked which bowl gift was the favorite and it was a unanimous choice – the 20-inch flat screen.
Linebacker Reed Williams was one of several players aware of the West Virginia-Oklahoma basketball game being played in Charleston tomorrow evening:
“It’s kind of cute how it worked out,” Williams smirked. “Anytime you can get that big three – football, basketball, baseball – rivalry-type game going on it’s something neat. It just happened to work out that way. Hopefully they will get things started with a win tomorrow night and then we’ll take care of business on Jan. 2.”
The former Mountaineer making an appearance at today’s practice was 1984 Bluebonnet Bowl MVP Kevin White. White led a balanced offensive attacked in a 31-14 victory over Texas Christen. White, currently a judge in Arizona, and his WVU teammates rolled up over 500 total yards of offense, with 302 yards through the air and another 200 on the ground.
