Posted Friday, September 5, 2008 (12:05 pm)
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Mountaineer players wrap up Friday's walkthrough outside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo
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Don’t be surprised if you see Mortty Ivy playing middle linebacker Saturday against East Carolina. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel mentioned earlier this week that Ivy knows all three linebacker positions and he could very well play the middle if Reed Williams is not cleared to go. If that happens, look for veteran John Holmes in Ivy’s spot at strong linebacker with J.T. Thomas playing the weak side position.
West Virginia’s offensive plan of attack last week against Villanova had as much to do with the fact that the Mountaineers no longer have Owen Schmitt blocking at fullback as it does Jeff Mullen’s controlled-passing background at Wake Forest.
The multi-talented Schmitt was a weapon as a lead blocker on sweeps and in the I-formation, and the Mountaineers don’t have a player remotely close to Schmitt leading the way. Of course, Owen Schmitts don’t fall out of the sky every day either.
Because of the anticipated wet conditions, field position and special teams could play a big factor in Saturday’s game. Pinning the other team deep in its territory may wind up meaning points for the kicking team.
West Virginia’s last bad weather game came at No. 25 Rutgers in 2007 when the Mountaineers came away with a 31-3 victory. Quarterback Pat White was magnificent, completing 10 of 16 passes for 144 yards and rushing 22 times for 156 yards and a touchdown. Dorrell Jalloh was West Virginia’s leading receiver with four catches for 44 yards.
Don’t look for these numbers to repeat themselves on Saturday: 13, 106, 54 and 160. Those figures represent East Carolina’s first downs, rushing yards, passing yards and total offense in last year’s 48-7 loss to West Virginia.
Former coach Rich Rodriguez admitted after last year’s ECU game that his team’s performance was one of their best during his seven years in Morgantown. If you recall, the Mountaineers were fed up with hearing about how East Carolina had stymied their rushing offense in close wins in 2005 and 2006.
East Carolina’s team speed has been a concern of West Virginia coach Bill Stewart. Earlier this week, Coach Stew remarked that the Pirates will be one of the fastest teams on WVU’s schedule.
“They’ve got some guys who can run right around us – guys who will run through us and they’ve got guys that can make us miss,” Stewart said. “We better be on our A-game. If we get sideways at all we’ll have trouble in Greenville.”
East Carolina isn’t the first choice for high school football players in the Carolinas. The Pirates are probably not second or third either. But that does not mean that East Carolina does not recruit well. In fact, Bill Stewart is extremely impressed with what Coach Skip Holtz has done during his four years at East Carolina. Of the 82 players from North Carolina on East Carolina’s roster, the majority of them come from the eastern half of the state along the I-95 corridor.
“Oh my Gosh they have recruited,” Stewart said. “Just look at their roster. They kept guys in the program and they kept them in school. They have veteran defensive linemen. These aren’t a bunch of kids we’re playing – these are men.”
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Terrance Cooper, Houston Texans fullback Vonta Leach and New York Giants offensive lineman Guy Whimper all hail from eastern North Carolina and played for the Pirates.
The past list of East Carolina players from eastern North Carolina includes Carlester Crumpler, Leonard Henry, George Koonce, Jerris McPhail, Tootie Robbins and Zack Valentine.
The point is this: there are many good football players right around Greenville, N.C.
West Virginia assistant coach Lonnie Galloway knows the area and that is one of his recruiting territories for the Mountaineers.
If you are traveling to Greenville and you beat the storm I advise you to go out and get a barbeque sandwich or some barbeque chicken. The key is to find the place with the most flies. The more flies there are around the place the better the food tastes.
Trust me on this. One of the best sandwiches I have ever had in my life came from Greenville, N.C.
Be sure to stop back later this afternoon to watch a video report from Greenville from the MSN team.
