The 20th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers invade
the Sunshine State this weekend, as they tangle with the South Florida Bulls
in Big East action at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
The Mountaineers head into the bout with a full head of steam, as they have
won four straight games since suffering their lone loss to Auburn (41-30) back
on September 19th. Most recently, WVU hosted an emotionally charged UConn club
and needed a late touchdown run to survive in a 28-24 decision this past
weekend.
"We just found another way to win, whether it be on the ground or in the air,
we found a way to win," said head coach Bill Stewart. "We very much stayed in-
tune in the game."
WVU has now won 24 of its last 30 Big East games and is very much in the
running for the league title this year. However, the team still has a tough
road ahead and that includes a trip to Cincinnati and a home bout versus
Pittsburgh in November.
As for the Bulls, they raced out of the gates with wins in each of their first
five games, including an upset of Florida State, propelling them into the Top
25. USF however, was brought back to reality over the last few weeks, losing
to two of the premier teams in the Big East. The Bulls were first handed a
34-17 setback by eighth-ranked Cincinnati before being trounced by 19th-ranked
Pittsburgh, 41-14, this past weekend.
"Nobody likes to lose, but that was really encouraging to me that the guys
were really battling," said head coach Jim Leavitt about his team's effort
against Pitt. "I came away feeling a lot better about that part of it."
Leavitt and company will need to put last weekend's loss behind it, as USF is
now set to face its third straight and fourth ranked opponent of the campaign.
The Bulls and Mountaineers have split four prior encounters on the gridiron,
with the Mountaineers capturing a 13-7 win in Morgantown last season.
Noel Devine capped off a terrific performance with a 56-yard touchdown run
with 2:10 remaining, giving WVU a 28-24 win over UConn this past weekend.
"We left Noel the free safety to beat, and he beat him" said coach Stewart.
"He just put the jets on and just burst right by him. It was an unbelievable
run."
The speedy and elusive Devine finished the game with 178 yards on 23 carries,
helping WVU amass 234 yards on the ground. Devine is certainly one of the
fastest and most dangerous backs in the nation and he has already rushed for
912 yards and 10 touchdowns, while averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He is the
primary reason for the team's solid rushing average of 191.7 ypg.
Another threat for the ground attack is quarterback Jarrett Brown, who has
gone for 250 yards and two scores on the season. The dual-threat gunslinger is
also a decent passer and is completing 67.1 percent of his tosses. Last
weekend, Brown threw for 152 yards and a score, in addition to rushing for 41
yards and another touchdown.
Jock Sanders is clearly Brown's favorite target through the air and he pulled
in eight balls for 81 yards last weekend. For the season, Sanders has recorded
53 receptions and 514 receiving yards for a WVU club that isn't all that known
for its passing attack.
WVU's defense didn't have its best game last weekend, but the unit did come up
big several times and forced four turnovers, including three picks to preserve
the 28-24 win over UConn.
"Our defense came up with the stops when they had to and kept us in that
game," coach Stewart stated. "They also came up with the big plays."
The Mountaineers have made some big plays on defense this season, as the unit
has forced 16 turnovers, including 12 interceptions. The takeaways were
certainly needed last weekend considering WVU allowed a whopping 501 yards of
total offense to a UConn team that is by no means an offensive juggernaut. The
Mountaineers are allowing only 322.6 total ypg, including just 86.3 rushing on
the season, so it was a big surprise to see them get shredded by UConn.
Pat Lazear led the way for WVU with 11 stops and a forced fumble last weekend
and he tops the roster with 43 tackles for the season.
The Bulls had next to nothing going for them on offense last weekend, as they
managed only 212 yards in a lopsided loss to Pitt. The team turned the ball
three times as well as allowing four sacks in a poor performance.
Quarterback B.J. Daniels was guilty of two of the turnovers on interceptions
and he finished the game with just 54 yards on 4-of-8 pass attempts. He did
pace the team with 50 rushing yards, but that was little consolation for a sub
par effort.
"I am extremely proud of B.J. Daniels and how hard he is going," said coach
Leavitt, obviously trying to keep his quarterback's confidence intact. "He has
started four games now and he has won a couple and lost a couple."
The dual-threat, who stepped in after starter Matt Grothe was lost for the
year, has had his up-and-downs, throwing for seven touchdowns, but with six
picks. He has been most dangerous when the ball is tucked away, leading the
Bulls with 415 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Carlton Mitchell is the team's top wideout with 410 receiving yards to his
credit, while Moise Plancher leads the tailbacks with 299 yards and four
scores.
Defensively, USF had all it could handle against Pitt and was torched for 486
total yards, well above the 314.6 ypg it is allowing on the season. Normally
solid against the run, the Bulls surrendered 214 yards on the ground to Pitt,
which averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
"Defensively we had some coverage breakdowns'" said Leavitt. "You can't let
the receivers get over the top of you."
The Bulls gave up several pass plays of 20 or more yards and they allowed Pitt
to complete 20-of-30 pass attempts with three scores through the air. The
defense had allowed just four passing touchdowns prior to last weekend, so it
was an obvious disappointment from this group.
Kion Wilson had 14 stops and the team's lone sack in the setback and he is
still the squad's leading tackler, with 49 for the year.
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