Virginia Tech at West Virginia Preview

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, September 30, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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License plates for the Mountaineer State used to proclaim "Wild, Wonderful West Virginia." Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer will agree with "wild."

In fact, the long rivalry between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the West Virginia Mountaineers, whom the unbeaten third-ranked Hokies will face Saturday in Morgantown (noon kickoff) has proven to be one of the wildest in the nation. Separated by the Blue Ridge Mountains and 100 miles of I-77, the two teams have enlivened their annual meeting with controversies over officiating, on and off the field fisticuffs, improbable upsets and burning couches (a specialty of the rambunctious West Virginia students).

That rivalry ends Saturday, at least for the near future, and both teams have an enormous incentive to be able to proclaim: "Got you last!"

Like all unbeaten teams, both still harbor BCS Bowl aspirations. Virginia Tech is 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Louisville's loss to South Florida last week has shoved Rich Rodriguez's Mountaineers into the Big East driver's seat.

There are also recent scores to settle. In 2003, Virginia Tech brought an undefeated, fourth-ranked team to Morganton and was spanked, 28-7. Last season, West Virginia was ranked in the Top Ten before losing 28-20 in Blacksburg. Moreover, West Virginia is understandably irked that its 4-0 record (victories over Syracuse, Wofford, Maryland and East Carolina) hasn't lifted the Mountaineers out of the "also receiving votes" ghetto.

A glance at the stat sheet would seem to indicate a defensive battle this time around. The Virginia Tech Hokies are third in the nation in total defense, the West Virginia Mountaineers fourth. WVU uses a two-headed quarterback approach, alternating Adam Bednarik and Pat White, while Tech's Marcus Vick (brother of Michael) is talented but still learning. Both teams' rushing attacks have been pedestrian, but the special teams have been, well, special.

Tech's defense also has a knack for being offensive. Last week, the Hokies' Xavier Adibi and Chris Ellis scored on interceptions of Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball within a minute in the third quarter, breaking that game wide-open.
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