Campus Connection
September 23, 2010 03:59 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – LSU’s Patrick Peterson is the guy everyone has been talking about this weekend, and for good reason. He is universally praised as the No. 1 corner back prospect in the country from talent evaluators such as Mel Kiper Jr. to Mr. College Football himself, Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Peterson combines a rare blend of size and speed that makes him such a valued commodity.
West Virginia’s Geno Smith and Stedman Bailey are well aware of Peterson’s talents, having once faced him in high school. Back then when Peterson played at Pompano Beach Ely, he was known as Patrick Johnson and played safety, not cornerback.
“They considered him a man against boys back then and even now he’s doing pretty good and dominating,” said Bailey.
However, Peterson’s team came out on the short end of the stick against Miramar High that Friday night in October 2007, Miramar running away with a 51-12 victory.
Smith was fantastic, completing 14 of 30 passes for a career-high 400 yards and six touchdowns, three of those going to Bailey.
“We beat them pretty bad,” Bailey recalled.
Smith’s passing performance that night still ranks among the best in Broward County history for yards and touchdowns. The always-even-keeled Smith says he will prepare for LSU’s extremely talented defense the same way he prepares for each team he faces this year.
“I’m just going to go out there and lead my team like I do every week,” he shrugged. “It’s a game that we have to play and I understand he’s one of the best players in the country, but we’re not going to shy away from him. We’re going to do what we do every week.”
Bailey echoes his teammate’s sentiments.
“He’s a great player but we’re not scared of him,” he said. “To go at him and make some plays against him would be nice, though.”
Bailey thinks it will be important to give Peterson different looks on Saturday.
“I believe running motion at him and giving him a lot of different looks and running a lot of different formations and stuff just to try and get him confused is what we need to do,” he said.
Peterson is not the only elite player on LSU’s defense. The coaching staff has been raving about number 92, defensive tackle Drake Nevis, who has already been named SEC lineman of the week twice so far this season. Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard is another a big playmaker with a team-best 27 tackles to go with 3 ½ tackles for loss and a half sack. Sheppard is a three-year starter.
Still, just about every question West Virginia’s offensive players fielded on Tuesday night concerned Peterson.
“He’s not the only good player we are going to face this year,” said Smith. “We’ve faced some already and we’re going to face more down the line. I feel like we have great players here, too, and if we go out and execute our assignments we’ll do fine.”
Spanning the Web
I understand West Virginia’s game against BYU to be played at FedExField in 2016 will be an extremely profitable one for the Mountaineers. In addition to it being just a three-hour bus ride over to D.C., West Virginia will also be playing in an area where it has a large alumni following.
One reporter on Tuesday asked Geno Smith if he thought West Virginia could gain some national respect with a good performance at LSU on Saturday. Smith answered diplomatically, saying Pat White already did that for West Virginia.
Here is the CBS College Sports preview of Saturday’s WVU-LSU game … http://www.cbssports.com/video/player/play/collegefootball/3mxLn4C7iEeirFZGDwQ9e52WJ1wyVOYk/west-virginia-vs-lsu-preview
Opponents of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) are challenging the tax-exempt status of three of the nation’s top bowls because of lavish salaries, excessive perks and lobbying … http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5604559
Wide receiver coach Lonnie Galloway believes the field on Saturday will be covered with great players on both sides of the ball.
“Tavon (Austin), to me, I feel is a great player. Jock (Sanders), to me, is a great player. Noel (Devine), to me, is a great player. Peterson is a great player. Ninety two (Nevis) for them is a great player. Eleven (Sheppard) is a great player,” said Galloway. “We’ve got some and they’ve got some, too, so we’re going to go out and see what happens.”
Offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen admitted Tuesday he would have liked to have taken a mulligan on last weekend’s double pass that resulted in an interception against Maryland.
“We wanted to go for the throat in that situation and in hindsight, there are better ways of going for the throat in that situation,” he said. “I’d certainly like to have that call back if I could.”
Mullen knows turnovers like that one will not lead to a winning effort on Saturday. He said the coaching staff always preaches the importance of taking care of the football.
“We could be playing Carmike Junior High or the Chicago Bears and we feel like if we take care of ourselves then we’re going to be OK,” he said. “It’s not the opponent and the helmet they wear, Coastal Carolina, LSU and in between, we just feel like we need to take care of ourselves. We always talk about management of each play, managing the game and not trying to put our defense into a position where it’s always uphill for them.”
Speaking of West Virginia’s defense, look for LSU to try and take some shots over the top with 6-foot-5 quarterback Jordan Jefferson throwing to 6-foot-5 X-receiver Terence Tolliver, 6-foot-1 Z-receiver Russell Shepard and 6-foot-5 tight end Chase Clement.
Dr. Julian Bailes, West Virginia University’s world-renowned neurosurgeon, is a LSU graduate who will be traveling with the team down to Baton Rouge on Saturday. Bailes is a founding member of the Brain Injury Research Institute and has made frequent appearances on network news shows to provide his expertise in the field of traumatic brain injuries.
LSU’s Tiger Stadium is virtually an impossible place to play, especially if you are not from the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers have won 28 straight non-league games at Tiger Stadium dating back to a 13-10 loss to UAB during Nick Saban’s first season at LSU in 2000. The Tigers are 31-6 overall at home under seventh-year coach Les Miles, including a perfect 16-0 record against non-conference teams.
However, those 28 non-conference home wins have not exactly come against Murder’s Row. Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Troy, North Texas, Appalachian State (with apologies to Lonnie Galloway), Middle Tennessee State, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Citadel, Miami (Ohio) and Utah State account for 24 of those 28 wins.
LSU’s home wins over BCS non-conference foes came against Virginia Tech in 2007, against Arizona in 2006 and against Oregon State in 2004. In fact, 21st-ranked West Virginia is only the second nationally ranked non-conference opponent LSU has faced at home since 2000. The other was ninth-rated Virginia Tech, which LSU blasted 48-7 during the second week of the 2007 season.
That’s at least something else to consider when you start seeing all those graphics that will be splashed on your TV screens Saturday night.
Here is something else to think about … West Virginia is 0-13 in games played in front of more than 80,000 spectators. The Mountaineers lost twice last year before 80,000-plus fans against Florida State in the Gator Bowl and down at Auburn. Saturday night’s LSU game will likely be the second largest crowd West Virginia has ever played in front of. The top five are:
96,445 at Penn State (1991)
88,272 at Ohio State (1987)
87,451 at Auburn (2009)
86,309 at Penn State (1983)
85,911 at Penn State (1989)
I was at the Penn State game in 1991 and the two things I remember most about that game were the Lion that roared constantly on the public address system in the second half when Don Nehlen decided to take out his starters as Penn State was rolling toward a 51-6 victory, and then-Associate Sports Information Director Michael Fragale angling to get his picture taken with ESPN sideline reporter Dr. Jerry Punch, who also doubled as the network’s NASCAR announcer.
The Big East Conference hasn’t exactly set the world on fire so far this season, but there are plenty of opportunities to get some national attention this weekend. In addition to West Virginia playing at LSU, Pitt hosts Miami (Fla.) tonight, while Rutgers hosts North Carolina and Cincinnati battles Oklahoma in the Queen City on Saturday.
Right now, West Virginia’s victory over Maryland is the lone Big East victory over another BCS conference school.
Saturday West Virginia is going to be wearing blue jerseys on the road for the first time since 2005 when the Mountaineers opened the season at Syracuse in their blues. WVU won that game 15-7, spoiling coach Greg Robinson’s debut with the Orange.
West Virginia's basketball practice facility is beginning to take shape.
WVU Sports Communications photo
Work continues on the basketball practice facility. Good weather and 80-degree-plus temperatures this week have allowed work crews to enclose most of the framing on the facility. Completion is expected sometime next year.
Former Mountaineer tight end Anthony Becht has not given up on the NFL just yet, telling me yesterday that he has a couple of workouts lined up in the coming days. Earlier this month, Becht was released by the Arizona Cardinals after 10 years in the league.
Becht said he is planning to return to Tampa Bay where he intends to keep working out and staying in shape for any possible suitors.
I just got a Dear John email from Jamie Lee Curtis. She is now a volunteer for the American Red Cross.
Former Mountaineer quarterback Jarrett Brown, released by the San Francisco 49ers before the start of the season, had a workout with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Steelers are looking for quarterback help with starter Dennis Dixon out and regular quarterback Ben Roethlisberger still suspended.
Joe Alexander is now joining his third NBA team in less than three full seasons in the league. Earlier this week, the former Mountaineer standout signed a contract with the New Orleans Hornets after appearing in eight games with the Chicago Bulls in 2010, where he averaged 0.5 points and 0.6 rebounds per game.
During his rookie season with Milwaukee in 2009, Alexander appeared in 59 games, averaging 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Alexander’s signing puts New Orleans’ training camp roster at 15 players.
The city of Morgantown has made another top 10 list, this one for U.S. small cities with the best business climate … http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-best-small-cities-for-business-and-careers.html
Enjoy your weekend!
Peterson combines a rare blend of size and speed that makes him such a valued commodity.
West Virginia’s Geno Smith and Stedman Bailey are well aware of Peterson’s talents, having once faced him in high school. Back then when Peterson played at Pompano Beach Ely, he was known as Patrick Johnson and played safety, not cornerback.
“They considered him a man against boys back then and even now he’s doing pretty good and dominating,” said Bailey.
However, Peterson’s team came out on the short end of the stick against Miramar High that Friday night in October 2007, Miramar running away with a 51-12 victory.
Smith was fantastic, completing 14 of 30 passes for a career-high 400 yards and six touchdowns, three of those going to Bailey.
“We beat them pretty bad,” Bailey recalled.
Smith’s passing performance that night still ranks among the best in Broward County history for yards and touchdowns. The always-even-keeled Smith says he will prepare for LSU’s extremely talented defense the same way he prepares for each team he faces this year.
“I’m just going to go out there and lead my team like I do every week,” he shrugged. “It’s a game that we have to play and I understand he’s one of the best players in the country, but we’re not going to shy away from him. We’re going to do what we do every week.”
Bailey echoes his teammate’s sentiments.
“He’s a great player but we’re not scared of him,” he said. “To go at him and make some plays against him would be nice, though.”
Bailey thinks it will be important to give Peterson different looks on Saturday.
“I believe running motion at him and giving him a lot of different looks and running a lot of different formations and stuff just to try and get him confused is what we need to do,” he said.
Peterson is not the only elite player on LSU’s defense. The coaching staff has been raving about number 92, defensive tackle Drake Nevis, who has already been named SEC lineman of the week twice so far this season. Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard is another a big playmaker with a team-best 27 tackles to go with 3 ½ tackles for loss and a half sack. Sheppard is a three-year starter.
Still, just about every question West Virginia’s offensive players fielded on Tuesday night concerned Peterson.
“He’s not the only good player we are going to face this year,” said Smith. “We’ve faced some already and we’re going to face more down the line. I feel like we have great players here, too, and if we go out and execute our assignments we’ll do fine.”
Spanning the Web
“Tavon (Austin), to me, I feel is a great player. Jock (Sanders), to me, is a great player. Noel (Devine), to me, is a great player. Peterson is a great player. Ninety two (Nevis) for them is a great player. Eleven (Sheppard) is a great player,” said Galloway. “We’ve got some and they’ve got some, too, so we’re going to go out and see what happens.”
“We wanted to go for the throat in that situation and in hindsight, there are better ways of going for the throat in that situation,” he said. “I’d certainly like to have that call back if I could.”
Mullen knows turnovers like that one will not lead to a winning effort on Saturday. He said the coaching staff always preaches the importance of taking care of the football.
“We could be playing Carmike Junior High or the Chicago Bears and we feel like if we take care of ourselves then we’re going to be OK,” he said. “It’s not the opponent and the helmet they wear, Coastal Carolina, LSU and in between, we just feel like we need to take care of ourselves. We always talk about management of each play, managing the game and not trying to put our defense into a position where it’s always uphill for them.”
Speaking of West Virginia’s defense, look for LSU to try and take some shots over the top with 6-foot-5 quarterback Jordan Jefferson throwing to 6-foot-5 X-receiver Terence Tolliver, 6-foot-1 Z-receiver Russell Shepard and 6-foot-5 tight end Chase Clement.
However, those 28 non-conference home wins have not exactly come against Murder’s Row. Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Troy, North Texas, Appalachian State (with apologies to Lonnie Galloway), Middle Tennessee State, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Citadel, Miami (Ohio) and Utah State account for 24 of those 28 wins.
LSU’s home wins over BCS non-conference foes came against Virginia Tech in 2007, against Arizona in 2006 and against Oregon State in 2004. In fact, 21st-ranked West Virginia is only the second nationally ranked non-conference opponent LSU has faced at home since 2000. The other was ninth-rated Virginia Tech, which LSU blasted 48-7 during the second week of the 2007 season.
That’s at least something else to consider when you start seeing all those graphics that will be splashed on your TV screens Saturday night.
Here is something else to think about … West Virginia is 0-13 in games played in front of more than 80,000 spectators. The Mountaineers lost twice last year before 80,000-plus fans against Florida State in the Gator Bowl and down at Auburn. Saturday night’s LSU game will likely be the second largest crowd West Virginia has ever played in front of. The top five are:
96,445 at Penn State (1991)
88,272 at Ohio State (1987)
87,451 at Auburn (2009)
86,309 at Penn State (1983)
85,911 at Penn State (1989)
I was at the Penn State game in 1991 and the two things I remember most about that game were the Lion that roared constantly on the public address system in the second half when Don Nehlen decided to take out his starters as Penn State was rolling toward a 51-6 victory, and then-Associate Sports Information Director Michael Fragale angling to get his picture taken with ESPN sideline reporter Dr. Jerry Punch, who also doubled as the network’s NASCAR announcer.
Right now, West Virginia’s victory over Maryland is the lone Big East victory over another BCS conference school.
WVU Sports Communications photo
Becht said he is planning to return to Tampa Bay where he intends to keep working out and staying in shape for any possible suitors.
During his rookie season with Milwaukee in 2009, Alexander appeared in 59 games, averaging 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Alexander’s signing puts New Orleans’ training camp roster at 15 players.
Enjoy your weekend!
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Mountaineer Invitational Recap
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