Mountaineers should still be the Big East’s beast

By Darrell Laurant  |   Monday, February 04, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
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Eighth in a series on Big East football teams and the 2007 season:

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINEERS

RECORD: 11-2 (5-2 Big East).

BOWL RESULT: Beat Oklahoma 48-28 in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

HIGH POINTS: A 48-23 romp over Marshall in the rekindling of their in-state rivalry; a 31-3 win at Rutgers; thrashing Connecticut, 66-21, to capture the Big East title; the stunning and emphatic rout of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

LOW POINTS: Losing 21-12 to South Florida; a final 13-9 setback to Pitt that probably knocked the Mountaineers out of the BCS title game.

TOP RETURNEES: QBs Pat White and Jarrett Brown; RB Noel Devine; OT Ryan Stanchek; OG Greg Isdaner; C Mike Dent; WRs Dorrell Jalloah, Tito Gonzalez, Jock Sanders; PK Pat McAfee; DB Quinton Andrews; LBs Reed Williiams, John Holmes, Mortty Ivy; DE Scooter Berry.

MAJOR LOSSES: RBs Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt; WR Darius Reynaud, DBs Eric Wicks, Ryan Mundy and Vaughan Rivers; DE Johnny Dingle; DT Keilan Dykes; LB Marc Magro.

2008 OUTLOOK: Given all the rancor that erupted when Rich Rodriguez (who has now edged closer to Osama bin Laden in the race for West Virginia's most hated individual) left for Michigan, it was smart of the Mountaineers to keep the head job in-house. WVU has a veteran team coming back, and the players seem to like their new leader, Bill Stewart. The addition of Jeff Mullen as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach might also make Pat White a better passer to go with his otherworldly running ability. Steve Slaton has gone to the NFL, but Noel Devine (who almost bailed out when Rodriguez did) averaged over 8.0 yards a carry as Slaton's backup. White still has some holdover receivers to throw to despite Darius Reynaud's defection, Ryan Stanchek and Greg Isdaner anchor a stout offensive line and the defense looks solid. On the surface, at least, there seems no reason why this team should not be a strong Big East title contender again.
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