2010 West Virginia Mountaineers Football Preview

2009 Results: 9-4, Lost Gator Bowl vs. Florida State

Head Coach: Bill Stewart (3rd year, 19-8 @ WVU, 27-33 Overall)

Home Venue: Mountaineer Field (60,000)

In the two years since Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia in the ugliest manner possible (until LeBron James gave Cleveland the finger on national TV this summer), I have questioned whether Bill Stewart was the right guy to replace Rodriguez. Well, that will no longer be the case, since Stewart has won 19 games to Rodriguez’s measly 8 since taking over on an interim basis for the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. But for Stewart to guide WVU on the next step towards greatness, he needs to win the Big East, something Rodriguez did four times. With a very veteran team returning, will 2010 be the Mountaineers’ year?

OFFENSE

As we slowly move away from the heights of the Pat White era, it will be very interesting to watch the WVU offense evolve. Since Rodriguez’s departure, the Mountaineers haven’t been particularly dangerous on offense despite having seniors starting under center in each of the last two seasons. Yet West Virginia showed great balance offensively last season: Can they repeat it this fall?

The best player on the entire football team is senior tailback Noel Devine (1,465 rush yards, 22 catches, 177 receiving yards, 14 total TDs), who was a 1st Team All-Big East selection last season. While undersized, he’s one of the fastest and shiftiest players in the country and if he remains healthy for another full season in 2010, the WVU offense will undoubtedly be dynamic. It also helps that the offensive line returns four starters, all of whom are upperclassmen. Expect Devine to have plenty of room to run and sophomore fullback Ryan Clarke (250 yards, 8 TDs) should continue to be the go-to guy on short yardage.

I am also high on the receiving corps. Senior Jock Sanders (72 catches, 688 yards, 3 TDs) is easily the #1 target this fall and was a 2nd Team All-Big East choice last year. With decent depth from junior Brad Starks (29 catches, 405 yards, 2 TDs) and converted tailback Tavon Austin, expect a good season catching the ball in Morgantown.

The real question that I have with the WVU offense is at quarterback. While there is not a lack of talent with three highly recruited QBs atop the depth chart, there is a major gulf in experience. Sophomore Geno Smith, who was the backup last season, is the favorite going into 2010 after he played well in limited action last year. However, with a full complement of talented players surrounding him, the pressure will be on to perform. One other small pressure point: His back up will be sophomore Coley White. That’s right, White. As in Pat White’s little brother. Think the fans won’t be calling for him if Smith struggles early?

Despite the pressures of breaking in a new quarterback, I like the WVU offense a lot. They boast one of the league’s strongest O-Lines, the most dynamic player in the conference in Devine and a good set of receivers that has a solid #1 option in Sanders. I think that the Mountaineers will get good enough quarterbacking to produce an offense that at least matches last season’s production of 26 points per contest.

DEFENSE

In a departure from most West Virginia teams of the recent past, I believe that this year’s team will find its strength on defense. Nine upperclassmen starters are back from a unit that finished 3rd in the league in scoring defense last season. The Mountaineers play a 3-3-5 defense, so their unorthodox strategy is something that opponents have to scout extensively.

One theoretical risk with the 3-3-5 is that opponents will take advantage of the defense placing fewer men near the line of scrimmage by running the ball with great success. However, the Mountaineers have a really strong and deep defensive line. Massive senior DT Chris Neild (35 tackles) was a 2 nd Team All-Big East selection and fellow linemen Scooter Berry and Julian Miller (9 sacks) bookend a powerful front three. On top of that, there is a lot of depth and this group should continue to do a great job of disrupting the line of scrimmage and freeing up the back eight to make plays.

Which, of course, is the theoretical benefit to a 3-3-5. The ability to line players up all over the place and not sacrifice against the run or pass allows a defense to disguise what they’re doing and that gets taken a step further with eight guys off of the line. It also only works with a great D-Line but WVU seems to be stout enough up front for it to work. Behind the front three, there is a lot of returning talent, led by seniors Pat Lazear (78 tackles, 1 sack) and J.T. Thomas (76 tackles, 2 INT), who were the team’s top two tacklers in 2009. Both should continue to make plays this fall behind that solid D-Line.

In the secondary, four of the Mountaineers’ five starters from last year are back. Senior Sidney Glover (60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 INT) plays the hybrid position that lines up all over the place and is a roving playmaker. Fellow senior Brandon Hogan (74 tackles, 1 INT) was named a 1st Team All-Big East cornerback last season and pairs with junior Keith Tandy (61 tackles, 3 INT) to form one of the Big East’s top CB tandems. Finally, junior Robert Sands (65 tackles, 5 INT) is a ball hawk who led the conference in passes defended in 2009. Quite simply, this is a great secondary.

As I said above, the defense is the better unit for WVU this season. They have a big and powerful defensive line that will occupy a lot of blockers and that will open up a lot of space for their strong linebackers to make plays. Furthermore, their secondary appears to be great against the pass and should snare more than its share of interceptions. In short, there isn’t really a weakness on this defense and on paper I think it is the best in the conference. Expect a great season from the Mountaineer defense.

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SCHEDULE

West Virginia plays a pretty tough schedule this season. While they do have four home Big East games, they have to travel to both Connecticut and Pittsburgh for what could be the two biggest games of the conference campaign. Meanwhile, their non-league schedule has three major games in consecutive weeks that could define the tone of the season. Beginning at rival Marshall, who is much improved, the Mountaineers follow up with a home game against rival Maryland. This gauntlet is concluded with a visit to the hostile territory of Death Valley, home of the LSU Tigers. Remember, this is a West Virginia team that has had a lot of success against the SEC (remember the 2005 Sugar Bowl?), so a win at LSU is completely realistic. If WVU can run through that stretch, 2010 could be a special season in Morgantown.

OUTLOOK

There should be no doubt that this team is a serious contender for the Big East Championship. The Mountaineers are strong along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football and their defense should be downright nasty. Meanwhile, the playmaking abilities of both Devine and Sanders should allow their new QB to have success early and move into the meat of the schedule with confidence. While their non-league schedule is certainly not easy, having four conference home games is a great sign for success.

But despite the many positives in 2010 for the Mountaineers, I’m afraid that they’re not my choice to win the Big East. They have to face both contender Connecticut and archrival Pittsburgh on the road and the Backyard Brawl on the day after Thanksgiving could decide the 2010 conference champion. With home field advantage, a very impressive team of their own and the memory of last season’s heartbreaking loss in Morgantown front and center in their minds, I’m inclined to pick the Panthers. However, I think that the West Virginia Mountaineers will win ten games this year (including their contest at LSU), earn a very good bowl berth and finish tied for 2nd in the Big East.

PREDICTED RESULT: 10-2 (5-2 Big East)