Mountaineers’ Slaton goes to work

By Darrell Laurant  |   Monday, September 04, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
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It seems Rich Rodriguez isn't pampering Steve Slaton any more.

All through preseason practice, the West Virginia Mountaineers' coach had his sophomore tailback wearing a white jersey with red numbers, which meant: "Handle with care."

Against Marshall on Saturday, however, Slaton carried 33 times -- one fewer than his career high -- for 203 yards as the fifth-ranked Mountaineers rolled over in-state Marshall, 42-10.

"I didn't realize he had 21 carries at halftime until I heard them announce it," Rodriguez said. "I've got to be careful about that."

Marshall didn't tackle Slaton very much, either, but it wasn't for lack of trying. The fifth-ranked Mountaineers' ground-devouring triumvirate of Slaton, QB Pat White and FB Owen Schmitt combined for 289 yards, while White also threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns to Brandon Myles.

It was 21-0 before Marshall scored, and Slaton answered that touchdown with a back-breaking 16-yard run of his own. The Thundering Herd has still never beaten their cross-state rival, dropping to 0-6 against the Mountaineers.

West Virginia scored on four of its first five possessions. Marshall was handicapped by the absence of WRs Hiram Moore and Shaun Lauzon, but freshman TE Cody Slate and substitute wideout Matt Morris each caught a touchdown pass from QB Bernard Morris.

The victory earned WVU the Friends of Coal Bowl Trophy. Mountaineer fans hope it's only the first of several.

Next week: Eastern Washington at home.

Get more on Steve Slaton and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Realfootball365.com
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