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Iowa State Preview
November 25, 2015 11:29 AM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - If there is one thing we’ve learned about the Big 12 Conference since West Virginia joined the league four years ago it’s that sometimes things can’t wait for some of the bottom teams in the league.
We saw that last year when Kansas whacked football coach Charlie Weis the week before the Jayhawks traveled to Morgantown to play West Virginia, and we are seeing it once again this week when Iowa State comes to town.
Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads received his pink slip on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Iowa State fumbled away a 14-point fourth quarter lead in a stunning 38-35 loss at Kansas State.
It was Iowa State’s eighth defeat this season, two fewer than the 10 Iowa State had last year and one fewer than the nine losses the Cyclones posted in 2013.
So from that perspective it’s not surprising that Rhoads was let go, but the timing with one game still left in the season is somewhat of a head-scratcher.
“I don’t understand why it has to happen at this point, but we are obviously more worried about what is going on here,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “Paul is a good football coach. The head coaches hang out a little bit at different meetings and venues. I have never worked with him, but he is a great guy, a fiery guy, and he is extremely competitive. This year seems to be pretty tough for a lot of coaches, but it won’t affect what we are doing.”
Rhoads began his Iowa State career in 2007 by taking the Cyclones to the Insight.com Bowl, and he also led Iowa State to bowl appearances in 2011 and 2012 before his teams fell on tough times.
West Virginia fans are very familiar with Rhoads from his days working at Pitt as defensive coordinator for coaches Walt Harris and Dave Wannstedt.
Rhoads was on the sideline at Mountaineer Field for Pitt’s 23-17 victory over West Virginia in 2001; he was responsible for shutting down West Virginia’s offense in 2004 when Pitt pulled out a 16-13 victory at Heinz Field and his defense ruined West Virginia’s chances of reaching the BCS championship game in 2007 when the 28½-point underdog Panthers upset West Virginia, 13-9.
Statistical Comparison
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Therefore, knowledgeable West Virginia fans have a healthy respect for the capabilities of Paul Rhoads’ teams and the expectation in the stadium on Saturday will be to be prepared for anything and everything.
That’s certainly the approach the coaching staff is taking.
“The one thing that I have always admired Paul Rhoads for was getting his team ready to play and never quit,” said Holgorsen, who lost a triple-overtime game to Rhoads’ Cyclones in Morgantown in 2013. “It doesn’t matter who they are playing. It doesn’t matter what their record is. Their team always keeps playing, they have always played with effort and I expect them to show up, and if anything, we have to be on guard for a trick or two. They are a program that does that anyway.
“They fake a lot of stuff, they take chances on special teams, they do some trickery stuff on offense and they take some chances on defense as well, so that really doesn’t change a whole lot with our preparation and what to expect,” Holgorsen added.
And while Iowa State is playing out its season with carefree abandon and preparing for a new coaching regime, West Virginia still has a great deal for which to play.
The Mountaineers (6-4) became bowl-eligible for the fourth time in five years under Holgorsen following last Saturday’s 49-0 victory over Kansas, and where they ultimately end up will be determined in the next two weeks after games against Iowa State and Kansas State.
WVU is finally discovering its offensive identity - a powerful ground attack that is now averaging 244.4 yards per game.
West Virginia ran for 300 yards in a 31-26 victory over Texas Tech at Milan Puskar Stadium on November 7, the Mountaineers produced 257 yards on the ground in an 18-point win at home against Texas on November 14, and most recently, WVU had 426 yards rushing in last week’s 49-0 win at Kansas.
Quarterback Skyler Howard led the offense with 129 yards on just nine carries, leading ball carrier Wendell Smallwood had 115 yards on 18 carries and Rushel Shell contributed 108 yards on 14 carries.
It was the first time in 46 years West Virginia had three 100-yard rushers in the same game, and the 426 yard-output against the Jayhawks was the 12th-best team rushing performance in school history.
Iowa State Statistical Leaders
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#7 Joel Lanning 6-2 | 232 | r-So. | QB Passing: 90-of-159, 1,084 Yards, 10 TDs, 2 INTs |
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#2 Mike Warren 6-0 | 200 | r-Fr. | RB Rushing: 208 Att., 1,265 Yards, 6.1 Avg., 5 TDs |
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#5 Allen Lazard 6-5 | 223 | So. | WR Receiving: 51 Rec., 734 Yards, 14.4 Avg., 6 TDs |
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#10 Brian Peavy 5-9 | 184 | r-Fr. | DB Tackles: 76 Total, 50 Solo Interceptions: 2, 10 Pass Breakups |
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#45 Dale Pierson 6-2 | 249 | Sr. | DE Tackles for Loss: 12.5 Total, 8.5 Sacks |
Smallwood leads the team with 1,234 yards and eight touchdowns with two regular season games still remaining. He has racked up seven 100-yard rushing performances this year, including four in a row heading into this weekend.
Shell has bounced back from a slow start to produce 598 yards and seven touchdowns, upping his per-carry average to 4.4. Howard, too, has become a threat on the ground with 419 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Howard is also completing 57 percent of his pass attempts for 2,130 yards and 19 touchdowns.
The defense was also impressive in last Saturday’s win at Kansas, pitching its first-ever shutout in Big 12 play and limiting the Jayhawks to only 221 total yards and 10 first downs. The vast majority of Kansas’ yardage came in the second half with West Virginia comfortably ahead and most of its starters on the bench.
Saturday’s game will be the final home appearance for West Virginia’s 20-player senior class, which helped the Mountaineers transition to the Big 12 Conference four years ago.
The players being recognized before Saturday’s game include Darren Arndt (TE), Jared Barber (LB), Isaiah Bruce (LB), Terrell Chestnut (CB), Cody Clay (TE), John DePalma (LS), KL Dillon (S), Karl Joseph (S), Eric Kinsey (DL), Nick Kwiatkoski, Marquis Lucas (OL), Edward Muldrow III (LB), KJ Myers (WR), Nick O’Toole (P), Shaq Petteway (LB), Kyle Rose (DL), Rick Rumph III (CB), Jordan Thompson (WR), Stone Underwood (OL) and Dayron Wilson (S).
“They are committed to WVU, they are committed to this program and 20 years from now you will see a lot of these guys coming back and hanging out together,” Holgorsen said. “They are the inspiration for our whole team right now.
“They went through coaching changes and conference transitions, and they have developed the program. It’s meant a lot to them and it’s meant a lot to me that they have stuck it out and they have never wavered,” he continued. “They have continued to work their tails off each and every day and I am proud of this class.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for noon and the game will be televised nationally on FS1.
The Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG’s coverage begins with the Mountaineer Tailgate Show at 8:30 a.m. leading into regular game coverage at 11 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia and online on leanStream and the mobile app TuneIn.
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