WVU should be Big East beast

By Darrell Laurant  |   Monday, April 17, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
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The West Virginia football team completed its spring practice last Saturday, in the process delivering an unspoken message to the rest of the Big East.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Even the notoriously picky Rich Rodriguez couldn't resist wearing a smile at the conclusion of his Mountaineers' annual Gold-Blue scrimmage.

Sophomore quarterback Pat White, known more for his feet than his arm, completed 18 of 24 passes. Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Barrett, one of the most heavily recruited players ever to sign with WVU but a bust thus far, made 11 catches, including a 59-yarder from White. The young secondary performed almost to the head coach's satisfaction.

If you're wondering how West Virginia could possibly improve upon last year's 11-1 record (including a 38-35 upset of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl), it's possible. For one thing, the schedule is easier. For another, the offensive stars of 2005 are just getting started.

Running back Steve Slaton, who didn't even make first team until the third game of the season, rushed for 1,128 yards and 17 touchdowns, burned Georgia for 208 more yards (earning Sugar Bowl MVP honors), and was a first-team Freshman All-American. The 5-10,185-pounder from Levittown, PA scored six touchdowns in an epic three-overtime victory over Louisville, and this spring won the Iron Mountaineer Award for best performance in off-season conditioning.

White, also not a starter until mid-season (he split time early with Adam Bednarik, who returns) averaged more yards per play running (8.2) than passing (7.1). He had 220 yards rushing against Pitt and broke free for runs of 65 and 76 yards against South Florida. A product of Daphne, AL, he was lured away from the Southeastern Conference because everyone in the SEC wanted to turn him into a wide receiver.

Elsewhere, the Mountaineers (fifth-ranked in the AP season-ending AP poll) return 250-pound fullback Owen Schmitt (320 rushing yards in 2005, 7.9 a carry), top receivers Brandon Myles and Darius Reynaud, three starters on the offensive line (including 6-4, 290-pound Dan Mozes, a pre-season Playboy All-American), most of the defensive line and all-league linebackers Kevin "Boo" McLee and Jay Henry.

Finally, there's Barrett, whose 74 receiving touchdowns at Martinsburg High in the West Virginia panhandle ranks second all-time among prep wideouts. Ohio State went after him enthusiastically, along with a dozen other schools, but he wound up in Morgantown. Then he suffered an academic crack-back block that kept him on the sidelines for what would have been his freshman season. By the time he made it back to the field, he was buried on the depth chart. But not any more.

West Virginia's only loss last season was to Virginia Tech, which is no longer on the schedule. The non-conference opponents are Mississippi State, East Carolina, Marshall and I-AA Eastern Washington, not exactly a murderer's row.

Big East fans have already circled November 2 as perhaps the key date in the 2006 season. That's when West Virginia and Louisville, two legitimate contenders for the national title, tee it up in Louisville.
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