Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
May 06, 2010 03:10 PM | General
(3:12 p.m.)
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| Jeff Mullen |
Numbers, numbers, numbers … If you like numbers then today’s blog is for you. Here is what Jeff Mullen’s offense is averaging during the coordinator’s first 26 games at West Virginia:
Here is what Rich Rodriguez’s offense averaged during his first 26 games at West Virginia:
Now, here is what Rich Rodriguez’s offense averaged during his 86 games with the Mountaineers:
Mullen’s and Rodriguez’s offensive numbers are fairly comparable after 26 games. Keep in mind, too, that during those first two years both coaches had to work with personnel not fully suited to their particular systems.
What Rodriguez’s teams specialized in during his WVU tenure (particularly in 2006 and 2007 with Pat White, Steve Slaton, Darius Reynaud and Owen Schmitt) was the big play. Rodriguez’s Mountaineer teams had 119 offensive plays from the line of scrimmage of 40 yards or longer, with nearly half of those (52) coming during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. That averages out to about 1 ½ 40-yard plays per game for Rodriguez’s WVU coaching career. During the 2006-07 seasons, the Mountaineers averaged two 40-yard plays per game from scrimmage.
In two years under Mullen, West Virginia’s offense has produced 22 plays from scrimmage covering 40 yards or longer (Among current players nine of those 40-yard plays have come from Noel Devine. Next in line is Brad Starks with three; Tavon Austin and Jock Sanders have one each).
That averages out to less than one 40-yard play per game.
One other stat of note: Rodriguez’s WVU teams had 22 defensive/special teams touchdowns for an average of about one every four games during his Mountaineer tenure. Since 2008, West Virginia has had just three defensive/special teams touchdowns for an average of about one every eight games.
Consequently, to match Rodriguez’s phenomenal scoring production, the Mountaineers are going to need to produce more big plays from the line of scrimmage and get more defensive/special teams scores.
Coincidentally, during Don Nehlen’s last season in 2000, the Mountaineers had 14 plays from the line of scrimmage covering 40 yards or longer and five defensive/special teams touchdowns. West Virginia averaged 29.7 points per game that season.
More numbers ...
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| Noel Devine |
Pat White’s longest run from scrimmage was 76 yards as a freshman against South Florida in 2005; Steve Slaton’s longest run from scrimmage was 65 yards as a sophomore against Cincinnati in 2006.
1. Alabama, 91,312
2. Nebraska, 77,936
3. Ohio State, 65,223
4. Auburn, 63, 217
5. Penn State, 55,000
6. Florida, 51,500
7. Florida State, 50,000
8. Texas, 44,250
9. Virginia Tech, 40,000
10. Georgia, 38,742
11. Tennessee, 35,891
12. Michigan, 35,000
13. Mississippi State, 34,127
14. Mississippi, 30,229
15. Michigan State, 30,000
16. Arkansas, 30,000
17. North Carolina, 29,500
18. Notre Dame, 27,241
19. Clemson, 27,000
20. North Carolina State, 25,372
21. Oregon, 25,211
22. Wisconsin, 23,567
23. Iowa, 23,502
24. LSU, 22,710
25. South Carolina, 22,000
26. West Virginia, 21,029
The national average for the 105 schools that responded to the survey was 13,845. Nine schools did not play spring games and six did not respond, one of them being Cincinnati from the Big East.
Here were the spring game attendances from the rest of the Big East:
West Virginia’s announced attendance of 21,029 was the most ever recorded for a spring game, topping the estimated 18,000 that showed up for the 2008 game. During Rich Rodriguez’s first season in 2001, 13,820 came out for the spring game and the largest spring-game crowd during Don Nehlen’s coaching tenure was the 10,550 that attended the 1989 spring game.
By ordering online, fans can save $10 on their order fee. As of today, approximately 41 percent of the tickets have been reordered online, according to Wells.
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| Nikki Izzo-Brown |
Da’ has been working twice a day with the WVU athletic training staff and is now cleared to begin standing and shooting. Previously, he was only able to form-shoot from a chair.
Randy Meador, WVU’s coordinator of athletic medical services, estimates it will be at least another four weeks before Da’Sean will be cleared for sports-specific movement.
Also - and coming as no surprise - Devin Ebanks revealed at the banquet that he has signed with an agent and will remain in the draft. Ebanks looks to be the third Mountaineer player taken since the NBA draft was paired to just two rounds in 1989. Devin has been working out in Las Vegas.
Metheny is a Preston County native and a former standout linebacker at Central Preston High School.
You can read more about Brad here: http://www.news-press.com/article/20100504/HSS05/5040358/1010/sports/Cape-coach-an-easy-fit
Also, former Mountaineer offensive guard Greg Isdaner is looking for a fresh start to his pro career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He recently signed a free-agent deal with his hometown team.
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| Lance Frazier |
Lance said the CFL does not conduct minicamps and off-season workouts are optional. He also said CFL players contribute to their own 401K plan instead of having a league-wide pension plan such as the NFL.
Recalling his WVU career, Frazier wondered how many other players in school history have had four different defensive coordinators during their career. Here were the four coordinators Lance played for: Steve Dunlap in 2000, Phil Elmassian in 2001, Todd Graham in 2002 and Jeff Casteel in 2003.
That's a good question, Lance.
Here is a list of other former Mountaineers that are still active in professional baseball (not all-inclusive):
Double-A
Tyler Kuhn, Birmingham
Single-A
Joe Agreste, Lake Elsinore
Vince Belnome, Lake Elsinore
David Carpenter, Palm Beach
Dan Leatherman, Potomac
Austin Markel, Greensboro
Tobias Streich, Beloit
Well, earlier this week Fowler’s reign at N.C. State has ended with three years and approximately $900,000 remaining on his contract.
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| Karly Hamric |
“We would have been close,” said Cleary.
The veteran coach got phenomenal performances from his distance runners, producing a conference first in the 5K when Marie-Louise Asselin, Kate Harrison and Sarah-Anne Brault went 1-2-3 in that event.
But for Cleary, the highlight of the meet (and one of the highlights of his coaching career) was seeing Karly Hamric win the 1,500 to become the first Mountaineer runner to capture a Big East 1,500 title since national champion Kate Vermeulen did it in 1999. Hamric was in fourth place with 100 meters to go, a full 10 meters behind the leader, and still managed to catch Villanova’s Nicole Schapert at the finish.
“Karly was terrific in one of the signature races in the Big East,” said Cleary. “The 1,500 has always been one of the best events in our conference.”
Cleary expects to have nine qualifiers for NCAA nationals at North Carolina A&T on May 27-29, and the Mountaineers could have as many as four advance to the finals in Eugene, Oregon, June 9-12.
Cleary said Asselin is focusing on the 5K, Clara Grandt the 10K and Keri Bland the 1,500.
Of course, many of those fans have found “Proud to Be a Mountaineer” through MSNsportsNET.com and naturally, that makes us proud.
If you haven’t already joined you can do so here: http://www.facebook.com/wvumountaineers
Have a great weekend!
