Game Preview
December 06, 2010 02:10 PM | General
WEST VIRGINIA ROSTER | WEST VIRGINIA STATS | WEST VIRGINIA RESULTS | NC STATE ROSTER | NC STATE STATS | NC STATE RESULTS
Two teams that like to throw the football on offense and pressure the quarterback on defense will be on display in Orlando, Fla., when West Virginia takes on North Carolina State in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl.
Twenty first-ranked West Virginia (9-3), the bowl’s No. 2 pick from the Big East Conference, is riding a four-game winning streak with recent blowout wins coming against Cincinnati (37-10), Pitt (35-10) and Rutgers (35-14).
WVU’s offense has come alive at the end of the year, producing 419 yards against Cincinnati, 362 against a solid Pitt defense and a season-high 523 yards in the regular-season finale against Rutgers.
Sophomore quarterback Geno Smith has been the team’s catalyst, completing 65.8 percent of his pass attempts for 2,567 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Miami resident has tried all but 10 of West Virginia’s passes this season and has only been intercepted six times.
Senior Jock Sanders (64 catches for 670 yards and 4 touchdowns) and sophomore Tavon Austin (53 catches for 757 yards and 8 touchdowns) is the first pass catching duo since 1999 to have more than 50 receptions in the same season for the Mountaineers. Both Austin and Sanders have also been used out of the backfield, combining for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Austin shows nine TDs in just 68 total touches from the line of scrimmage.
Noel Devine has not had the senior season he anticipated, still needing 116 yards rushing to achieve 1,000 yards for the third straight year, but a painful foot injury sustained in the LSU game is mostly to blame and the coaching staff is hopeful the time off before the bowl game can help him regain his step.
Complimenting Devine in the backfield is a pair of 225-plus-pounders in Ryan Clarke and Shawne Alston. Clarke has become a reliable short yardage back and leads the Mountaineers with eight rushing touchdowns, while Alston (242 yards) has also seen increased action late in the season.
West Virginia’s offensive line has remained intact for most of the season with Don Barclay, Josh Jenkins, Joe Madsen, Eric Jobe and Jeff Braun getting most of the reps; four of those five will return in 2011.
Turnovers have been the primary issue for West Virginia’s offense – the Mountaineers have had eight games this year with multiple turnovers, including nine in their three losses to LSU, Syracuse and Connecticut. WVU had three turnovers in its 21-point win over Rutgers with all three fumbles coming in the red zone.
Because of its turnover problems, defense has been West Virginia’s calling card in 2010. The Mountaineers show top five national rankings in rushing defense (85.1), scoring defense (12.8), total defense (251.3) and sacks (3.33). Veteran defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel has an experienced and aggressive group of players that have held opposing teams to less than 100 yards rushing in eight of 12 games this year.
Junior defensive end Bruce Irvin is third in the country in sacks with 12, getting all of them in West Virginia’s last nine games. Junior defensive end Julian Miller has also had a terrific year with eight sacks, 13 tackles for losses and 50 total stops. For his career Miller has produced 20 ½ sacks, 30 ½ tackles for losses and 124 total tackles.
Nose tackle Chris Neild, who missed most of the Rutgers game with a hamstring injury, has anchored the middle of West Virginia’s 3-3-5 stack defense. Senior Scooter Berry has also had an effective year, giving the Mountaineers one of the best defensive fronts in the Big East.
Behind them, linebackers J.T. Thomas (63 tackles and 7 tackles for losses) and Anthony Leonard (65 tackles and 6 ½ tackles for losses) have had exceptional seasons. Sophomore safety Terence Garvin is the team leader in tackles with 71, while also producing 4 ½ tackles for losses, four pass breakups and a sack.
Junior corner Keith Tandy is fifth in the country in interceptions with six and is sixth with 15 total passes defended (9 breakups and 6 interceptions). On the other side, teams avoided senior corner Brandon Hogan, who finished the regular season with three interceptions and six pass breakups before leaving the Rutgers game with a knee injury.
Sophomore Tyler Bitancurt is 10 of 15 in field goals this year after only missing two his freshman season. Four of his five misses have been blocked. Senior Gregg Pugnetti has been solid this year with a 41.7 punting average.
NC State (8-4), the bowl’s No. 3 selection from the Atlantic Coast Conference, shows wins over Western Carolina, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest and North Carolina this year.
The Wolfpack have a quarterback-centric offense with one of the top playmakers in college football in junior Russell Wilson, who ranks 11th in the country in total offense averaging 306.8 yards per game. Wilson has completed 280-of-482 pass attempts for 3,288 yards and 26 touchdowns while also ranking second on the team in rushing with 394 yards and nine more scores.
Owen Spencer (57 catches for 868 yards and 4 touchdowns) and Jarvis Williams (46 catches for 636 yards and 4 touchdowns) are a cause for concern, as is junior tight end George Bryan (32 catches for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns).
James Washington and Mustafa Greene have combined to rush for 753 yards and score five touchdowns from the running back position.
NC State, as was the case when Tom O’Brien was coaching at Boston College, utilizes a massive offensive line much similar to what the Mountaineers faced earlier this year against LSU and Connecticut. Eight of NC State’s 10 offensive linemen listed on the two-deep roster weigh more than 300 pounds, including 325-pound senior right tackle Jake Vermiglio.
The Wolfpack have committed 21 turnovers this year with 14 coming from Wilson through the air.
State’s defense, just like West Virginia’s, is geared toward stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback. The Wolfpack rank fourth nationally in sacks (3.25) and tackles for losses (7.83) and are 12th against the run allowing just 113 yards per game. The vast majority of the rushing yards NC State has given up this year came in just two games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (the two teams producing a combined 546 yards on the ground).
State has two defenders that will require constant attention in 6-foot-5, 293-pound junior defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy and 6-foot-1, 231-pound senior linebacker Nate Irving.
Irving is fourth in the country with 20 ½ tackles for losses to go with a team-best 93 total stops. He also shows 5 ½ sacks and six quarterback hurries. Sweezy shows 13 tackles for losses and a team-best six sacks to go with 46 tackles and six quarterback hurries. Strongside linebacker Audie Cole has managed 92 tackles, 10 ½ tackles for losses and five sacks while DBs Brandan Bishop (59 tackles and 3 interceptions) and Earl Wolff (88 tackles) have also been productive.
The Wolfpack secondary has been susceptible to the pass, allowing opponents this year to throw for 2,730 yards and 20 touchdowns with a pass efficiency rating of 137.11, which ranks 88th in the country.
State is also 105th in net punting with an average of 33.73. Kicker Josh Czajkowski has hit 17-of-22 field goal tries with a long of 47. He has had two blocked.
The Champs Sports Bowl will be the third time these two schools have met in postseason play, the team teams splitting Peach Bowls in 1972 and 1975. Lou Holtz-led NC State blew out the Mountaineers in the ’72 game before Bobby Bowden-led West Virginia exacted a measure of revenge, claiming the ‘75 game 13-10.
This will be the 10th overall meeting between the two schools with West Virginia holding a narrow 5-4 advantage in the series.
Kick is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
- John Antonik
Two teams that like to throw the football on offense and pressure the quarterback on defense will be on display in Orlando, Fla., when West Virginia takes on North Carolina State in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl.
Twenty first-ranked West Virginia (9-3), the bowl’s No. 2 pick from the Big East Conference, is riding a four-game winning streak with recent blowout wins coming against Cincinnati (37-10), Pitt (35-10) and Rutgers (35-14).
WVU’s offense has come alive at the end of the year, producing 419 yards against Cincinnati, 362 against a solid Pitt defense and a season-high 523 yards in the regular-season finale against Rutgers.
Sophomore quarterback Geno Smith has been the team’s catalyst, completing 65.8 percent of his pass attempts for 2,567 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Miami resident has tried all but 10 of West Virginia’s passes this season and has only been intercepted six times.
Senior Jock Sanders (64 catches for 670 yards and 4 touchdowns) and sophomore Tavon Austin (53 catches for 757 yards and 8 touchdowns) is the first pass catching duo since 1999 to have more than 50 receptions in the same season for the Mountaineers. Both Austin and Sanders have also been used out of the backfield, combining for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Austin shows nine TDs in just 68 total touches from the line of scrimmage.
Noel Devine has not had the senior season he anticipated, still needing 116 yards rushing to achieve 1,000 yards for the third straight year, but a painful foot injury sustained in the LSU game is mostly to blame and the coaching staff is hopeful the time off before the bowl game can help him regain his step.
Complimenting Devine in the backfield is a pair of 225-plus-pounders in Ryan Clarke and Shawne Alston. Clarke has become a reliable short yardage back and leads the Mountaineers with eight rushing touchdowns, while Alston (242 yards) has also seen increased action late in the season.
West Virginia’s offensive line has remained intact for most of the season with Don Barclay, Josh Jenkins, Joe Madsen, Eric Jobe and Jeff Braun getting most of the reps; four of those five will return in 2011.
Turnovers have been the primary issue for West Virginia’s offense – the Mountaineers have had eight games this year with multiple turnovers, including nine in their three losses to LSU, Syracuse and Connecticut. WVU had three turnovers in its 21-point win over Rutgers with all three fumbles coming in the red zone.
Because of its turnover problems, defense has been West Virginia’s calling card in 2010. The Mountaineers show top five national rankings in rushing defense (85.1), scoring defense (12.8), total defense (251.3) and sacks (3.33). Veteran defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel has an experienced and aggressive group of players that have held opposing teams to less than 100 yards rushing in eight of 12 games this year.
Junior defensive end Bruce Irvin is third in the country in sacks with 12, getting all of them in West Virginia’s last nine games. Junior defensive end Julian Miller has also had a terrific year with eight sacks, 13 tackles for losses and 50 total stops. For his career Miller has produced 20 ½ sacks, 30 ½ tackles for losses and 124 total tackles.
Nose tackle Chris Neild, who missed most of the Rutgers game with a hamstring injury, has anchored the middle of West Virginia’s 3-3-5 stack defense. Senior Scooter Berry has also had an effective year, giving the Mountaineers one of the best defensive fronts in the Big East.
Behind them, linebackers J.T. Thomas (63 tackles and 7 tackles for losses) and Anthony Leonard (65 tackles and 6 ½ tackles for losses) have had exceptional seasons. Sophomore safety Terence Garvin is the team leader in tackles with 71, while also producing 4 ½ tackles for losses, four pass breakups and a sack.
Junior corner Keith Tandy is fifth in the country in interceptions with six and is sixth with 15 total passes defended (9 breakups and 6 interceptions). On the other side, teams avoided senior corner Brandon Hogan, who finished the regular season with three interceptions and six pass breakups before leaving the Rutgers game with a knee injury.
Sophomore Tyler Bitancurt is 10 of 15 in field goals this year after only missing two his freshman season. Four of his five misses have been blocked. Senior Gregg Pugnetti has been solid this year with a 41.7 punting average.
NC State (8-4), the bowl’s No. 3 selection from the Atlantic Coast Conference, shows wins over Western Carolina, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest and North Carolina this year.
The Wolfpack have a quarterback-centric offense with one of the top playmakers in college football in junior Russell Wilson, who ranks 11th in the country in total offense averaging 306.8 yards per game. Wilson has completed 280-of-482 pass attempts for 3,288 yards and 26 touchdowns while also ranking second on the team in rushing with 394 yards and nine more scores.
Owen Spencer (57 catches for 868 yards and 4 touchdowns) and Jarvis Williams (46 catches for 636 yards and 4 touchdowns) are a cause for concern, as is junior tight end George Bryan (32 catches for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns).
James Washington and Mustafa Greene have combined to rush for 753 yards and score five touchdowns from the running back position.
NC State, as was the case when Tom O’Brien was coaching at Boston College, utilizes a massive offensive line much similar to what the Mountaineers faced earlier this year against LSU and Connecticut. Eight of NC State’s 10 offensive linemen listed on the two-deep roster weigh more than 300 pounds, including 325-pound senior right tackle Jake Vermiglio.
The Wolfpack have committed 21 turnovers this year with 14 coming from Wilson through the air.
State’s defense, just like West Virginia’s, is geared toward stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback. The Wolfpack rank fourth nationally in sacks (3.25) and tackles for losses (7.83) and are 12th against the run allowing just 113 yards per game. The vast majority of the rushing yards NC State has given up this year came in just two games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (the two teams producing a combined 546 yards on the ground).
State has two defenders that will require constant attention in 6-foot-5, 293-pound junior defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy and 6-foot-1, 231-pound senior linebacker Nate Irving.
Irving is fourth in the country with 20 ½ tackles for losses to go with a team-best 93 total stops. He also shows 5 ½ sacks and six quarterback hurries. Sweezy shows 13 tackles for losses and a team-best six sacks to go with 46 tackles and six quarterback hurries. Strongside linebacker Audie Cole has managed 92 tackles, 10 ½ tackles for losses and five sacks while DBs Brandan Bishop (59 tackles and 3 interceptions) and Earl Wolff (88 tackles) have also been productive.
The Wolfpack secondary has been susceptible to the pass, allowing opponents this year to throw for 2,730 yards and 20 touchdowns with a pass efficiency rating of 137.11, which ranks 88th in the country.
State is also 105th in net punting with an average of 33.73. Kicker Josh Czajkowski has hit 17-of-22 field goal tries with a long of 47. He has had two blocked.
The Champs Sports Bowl will be the third time these two schools have met in postseason play, the team teams splitting Peach Bowls in 1972 and 1975. Lou Holtz-led NC State blew out the Mountaineers in the ’72 game before Bobby Bowden-led West Virginia exacted a measure of revenge, claiming the ‘75 game 13-10.
This will be the 10th overall meeting between the two schools with West Virginia holding a narrow 5-4 advantage in the series.
Kick is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
- John Antonik
Alumni Series | Violet Hewett
Friday, May 01
SWIM: What it Means to Represent West Virginia
Wednesday, April 29
SWIM: What it Means to Become a Mountaineer
Wednesday, April 29
Gold-Blue Spring Festival Fan Recap
Sunday, April 19
