Game Snapshot: WVU - MU

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KEYS TO THE GAME

# West Virginia's offensive line is likely the key here. If it can improve over its performance in the opener, when RB Noel Devine was kept in check for most of the day, the game could be easier than many people think. It would help, too, if WVU would play more power football and use FB Ryan Clarke and/or Matt Lindamood more often than just on the goal line. Defensively, WVU pitched a shutout the last game and certainly has the speed to do approach that kind of performance again.

# Marshall must keep the ball on offense, which will be difficult against a talented West Virginia defense. They must find an answer at running back after both Martin Ward and Andre Booker struggled against Ohio State. The Herd might not have enough playmakers on defense, but they must contain Noel Devine, who was bottled up most of last week by Coastal Carolina, and make quarterback Geno Smith try to beat them with his arm. Marshall defenders must pick off passes when the opportunity arises, something that didn't happen last week when Holliday expressed anguish at dropped passes on both sides of the ball.


SCOUTING THE TEAMS

West Virginia's offense wasn't particularly effective against Coastal Carolina, a Division 1-AA opponent, despite gaining 400 yards and scoring 31 points. The offensive line, in particular, did not dominate and that kept RB Noel Devine from having a big day. He did finish with 111 yards but most of them came on three carries in the fourth quarter. The WVU speed, however, is apparent and they showed enough reverses that Marshall will have to spread out, perhaps making them unable to key on Devine. Freshman QB Geno Smith was effective but not flashy and he has experience against Marshall, having been brought in last year early in the game after Jarrett Brown suffered a concussion. However, this is a different Marshall defense under a new coaching staff.

After shutting out Coastal Carolina, WVU's first home shutout since 1997, some are calling this the best Mountaineer defense since 1996's team led the nation. That, however, remains to be proven. However, it is a defense with a great amount of speed, one that now gets out of its basic 3-3-5 alignment into two different prevent defenses, much as the NFL uses a nickel and dime. The six-DB defense allows them to get four safeties on the field at once, giving them great speed.

Marshall's offense failed to move the ball much against Ohio State, scoring just seven points on a special teams play, and finished with 199 yards on offense. Brian Anderson completed 18 (of 35) passes to nine different receivers for the Herd, which was victimized by three turnovers and numerous dropped balls. The Herd fumbled the opening kick that led to seven quick points for the Buckeyes. West Virginia has allowed a combined 20 points in three of the last four meetings with Marshall.

The Herd's defense had no answers for Ohio State. Marshall started true freshman James Rouse at defensive end and linebacker Kellen Harris missed the game, who was replaced by James Gale. While the Mountaineers have been stingy on defense in this rivalry in recent years, West Virginia has scored 42, 48, 27 and 24 points in the last four meetings.


FAST FACTS

Mountaineers: West Virginia is 52-13 over its last 65 games, including 27-8 in Big East play during that span ... The Mountaineers have the nation's 11th best record in college football in the last four seasons, including a 10-4 record under Coach Bill Stewart. TB Noel Devine is first nationally among active players in rushing yards, third in yards per carry and fourth in all-purpose yards, WR Jock Sanders has finished with at least one reception in 29 straight games. That streak is third in West Virginia history and 11th in the Big East Conference ... West Virginia is 36-7-1 all-time against current Conference USA members ... Since 2001, WVU has forced 263 turnovers, ranking fourth nationally. It is a major reason the team is 53-16 the last eight years.

Herd: New Marshall coach Doc Holliday served as the associate head coach at West Virginia the last two seasons before he was hired last December to replace Mark Snyder. Holliday played linebacker with the Mountaineers from 1976-78 and earned his bachelor's and master's degree there. Marshall's 119-19 home record at Joan C. Edwards Stadium (.862 winning percentage) is tops in college football. Alabama's .825 record at Bryant-Denny Stadium is second ... Marshall is 3-14 against ranked opponents in its history and has lost nine straight games to ranked foes. The Herd's most recent victory over a ranked opponent came at Kansas State on Sept. 20, 2003. West Virginia has accounted for two of those losses to ranked teams during the losing streak ... Marshall's running game was grounded against Ohio State as it produced only 44 yards.


PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Mountaineers

RB Noel Devine -- Coach Bill Stewart would love to get Devine off after an unspectacular 111-yard opener. "We tried to get him his touches," Stewart said. "We want to get him in a rhythm. People expect him to go out and run for 300 yards against these guys. They spent the whole day trying to take Noel out of the game plan." While they couldn't do that, Coastal Carolina did give Marshall something to think about defensively.

WR Tavon Austin -- An electric player capable of taking the ball the distance any time he handles it, he had more than 100 yards receiving and rushing in the opener. He's Noel Devine's replacement next year and now is doing his thing as a wideout, running a lot of reverses. He's also a kickoff return specialist and already has a 98-yard TD return on his resume in just his sophomore year.

S Robert Sands -- A physical freak at 6-5 who runs like a corner and hits like a linebacker, Sands took a couple of people apart in the Coastal Carolina game, thwarting one double reverse by making a tackle for a 15-yard loss. He injured a thumb but is expected to be fine against a Marshall team that doesn't really have any way to contain him.

Herd

DE Vinny Curry: The talented senior defensive end had two sacks against Ohio State, and will try to get pressure on West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, while also helping to contain the speedy Devine.

LB Kellen Harris: Marshall hopes to have Harris back after he missed last week's opener with Ohio State with an injury. Tyson Gale had six tackles in his place, but Harris, Mario Harvey and Devin Arrington comprise one of the top linebacker duos in Conference USA.

TE Lee Smith: The big tight end had just one catch for eight yards against Ohio State. Brian Anderson needs to find Smith, who isn't just a blocker, but is also as sure-handed as any receiver on the Marshall squad.

WR Antavious Wilson: The talented sophomore will be working against a veteran secondary that doesn't allow separation easily. Wilson led the Herd with five catches for just 38 yards last week.

 

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GAME OUTLOOK

WVU Offense vs. Marshall defense

West Virginia started with a sustained touchdown drive in its opener, then fell into an offensive lull in leading just 10-0 at the half against Coastal Carolina. The Mountaineers fared a bit better in the second half, and likely should have scored anywhere from 38 to 45 points if not for a series of turnovers and minor miscues even with the base play calling. Those mistakes can?t be repeated, even against a defense that allowed 529 yards of offense against among the best teams in the nation in No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are a bit better up front than the Mountaineers, and have a more experienced and dynamic quarterback that aided in the shredding of MU, a pair of factors whose advantage will be lessened in this game. The Herd?s multiple look under defensive coordinator Chris Rippon ? formerly of Syracuse and Rutgers, among others ? lacks the marquee lineman it would have enjoyed had Albert McClellan not exhausted eligibility. With James Burkes also gone, MU?s front is in a semi-rebuilding state. Ends Vinny Curry and Michael Janac (listed as the starting tackle against WVU) are seasoned players, while none of the usual tackles (Brandon Bullock, Delvin Johnson and Donny Jones) are returning starters. Marshall has decent size, but it could be susceptible to physical running up the middle, especially with little depth at tackle. The movement of Janac to the interior as helped, but left freshman James Rouse on the outside. WVU is likely to test Rouse?s side early despite not faring well running to the edge in the opener due to not picking up incoming blitzes and accounting for all eight Chanticleers in the box. Part of that, again, was scheme and keeping alignments and protections/run blocking off game film. But part was lack of execution. Marshall?s line and linebackers are much better than CCU?s, and strongside linebacker Devin Arrington is among the better young players on the Herd roster. The sophomore made five tackles against Ohio State, and though there is experience at the three spots, it?s experience that is learning some new schemes and styles. An adjustment period is expected, and that could help West Virginia get its ground game going early.

If it can do that via a nice mix of Noel Devine, Tavon Austin and Ryan Clarke (and opening some holes up front), the passing game should come as needed. Marshall?s secondary was beaten many times by Ohio State, and the corners especially appeared to struggle when forced to play man. Safeties Omar Brown and Donald Brown will play major roles in this game in helping the corners manage WVU?s passing game. Strong safety Donald Brown is just a sophomore, and could get caught with his head in the backfield for run support if the Mountaineers gash Marshall early. Look for the Mountaineers to add a dash of the pass as needed while continually prodding the MU front seven with the run early. There?s no secret the best player on the field for either team is Devine, and Jeff Mullen is likely to try to get the back to break a couple big runs early and try to establish some ball control to gain momentum and game flow in a hostile setting. The bet here is the play calling won?t be as conservative as it was last week, and that Geno Smith will have to be more effective in finding downfield receivers and not locking onto primary targets. Smith was better in the second half last week, and he?ll get as much help as possible in staying out of third and longs via Devine and Clarke. But there will be points when he has to make a play, and he must prove able to do so to keep Marshall from stacking the line and the entire field open for attack. For its part, MU needs to control the run as best it can and continually remind the secondary not to get caught keying too much on the run. A well-timed play action early could result in a big play. This is an edge for West Virginia, but it must get a hat on a hat up front and at least match Marshall?s intensity and physical play.


Advantage: West Virginia


WVU Defense vs. Marshall Offense

Marshall?s abilities would appear to match well with West Virginia?s weaknesses ? notably tight end play, ability to throw crossing routes underneath across the face of the defense and an experience quarterback who shouldn?t get rattled and misread too many blitz angles and players out of the odd stack. Brian Anderson has seen West Virginia before, and though he never had great games against the Mountaineers, the senior has never gotten much help as he and his backs were often harassed in the backfield. Anderson must get more protection up front and hope his sizeable, experienced offensive line plays much better than it has in the past two offensive debacles at West Virginia. The odd stack sliced through MU?s fronts the last two years to stonewall the running game and effectively thwart any passing development because of a series of long yardage situations. This will be the key matchup of the game. Marshall has three seniors and two juniors starting, West Virginia has a pair of all-Big East players on its front three and a solid trio of linebackers who can run. It?s strength against strength. The unfortunate thing for the Herd is that their tailback abilities aren?t quite as good as they have been in the past with Darius Marshall. Still, Andre Booker and Martin Ward saw action last year when Marshall missed games and Ward scored two touchdowns to claim bowl MVP honors in a win over Ohio. Booker can fan out into the slot, and gives offensive coordinator Bill Legg a multipurpose threat. Legg, a former WVU player and coach, developed a stout offense while coordinator at Purdue, and won?t hesitate to put the ball in the air as needed. Anderson will get his chances downfield to try and open some room for the backs. Look for Legg to toss a diet of crossing patterns at WVU early to see what its linebackers can cover, and for Anderson to be asked to complete some intermediate routes. If Marshall can get NFL tight end prospect Lee Smith (6-6, 267 lbs.) going, it should allow room for Booker and Ward even against a very solid run defense.

The old adage of stopping run first applies here, but it will be interesting to see if West Virginia can dial up workable blitz and coverage packages that will pressure the 6-3 Anderson enough while covering the crosses and intermediate routes. Antavious Wilson (6-0, 191 lbs.) and Aaron Dobson (6-3, 185 lbs.) handled most of the pass catching load last week, but that was against an OSU 4-3 look that doesn?t allow completions down the seams and across the face as much as the odd stack. There are defensive holes on the vast majority of snaps. Can Marshall execute enough up front to give Anderson time and the backs room? Can WVU cover the tight ends and the middle of the field? And which team wins in the trench when the Herd has the ball? The three keys will go a long way in deciding the outcome. Because of schemes, a new Marshall staff, a Herd home game and more unknowns than usual, we?ll call this a push. There will be much disagreement, especially with MU failing to score an offensive point last week. But head coach Doc Holliday likely kept a lot of what MU can do off film, seeing that Ohio State simply had too much talent. He won?t do the same against the Mountaineers.

Advantage: Even


WVU Special Teams vs. Marshall Special Teams

West Virginia covered kickoffs well last week, and was exception in the punting game (currently ranked second in the nation in net). It will face much better units here, among them a kickoff team that blocked an OSU field goal and returned it to keep the Herd from getting shutout in the Horseshoe. Still, WVU has an edge at placekicker and in the athleticism and pure burst of the returners, and appears to have remedied a bit of what ailed it last year, namely staying in lanes, tackling well and kicking the ball deeper. Booker and Evans are very solid returners, and West Virginia must continue to hold their lanes and breakup the initial blocking sequences. The Mountaineers still don?t appear to be able to boot the ball into the end zone on kickoffs, so the MU duo will get chances.


Advantage: West Virginia





Marshall is dealing with variations in alignment and approach by new coaches while facing a more-talented foe in its third year under essentially the same staff ? a sizeable edge for West Virginia. The Mountaineers showed very little of their schemes last week, and are not likely to allow the same unblocked access to the backfield that troubled it in the opener. Look for better overall execution from WVU up front on offense and a decent mix of run and pass to utilize the entire field. Marshall must match that by finding the tight ends, getting good quarterback play and opening a few holes in the ground game. The Herd will be amped, and the Friday night kick should aid the home team. If West Virginia doesn't turn the ball over and executes reasonably well, the athletic and talent edge should carry it to a 2-0 start.

 

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Kickoff coverage key for WVU


Just in case it has slipped anyone's mind, one of the reasons West Virginia has been statistically awful in kickoff coverage the past few years is the Mountaineers' performance against Marshall.

True, the Mountaineers were pretty good in that department last year in Morgantown, although that was in great part due to the Herd's own mistakes - a bobbled catch on one and a 15-yard penalty after a WVU touchdown that resulted in a kickoff from near midfield.

But two years ago Marshall averaged nearly 40 yards on six returns, including two by Darius Marshall that ended inside the Mountaineer 30-yard line. The year before, Darius Marshall returned the opening kickoff 77 yards and West Virginia just gave up, either squibbing or pooching the rest of the kickoffs that day.

Marshall (0-1) will once again present a fairly difficult challenge for No. 23 West Virginia (1-0) tonight when the teams meet in Huntington. A week ago, one of the few bright spots for the Herd in a 45-7 loss at No. 2 Ohio State was a 63-yard return by Andre Booker.

This time, though, West Virginia might be better prepared. Or at least it seems that way judging by the kickoff coverage team's performance in last week's 31-0 win over Coastal Carolina.

"That was a good start, but there's a lot of things we need to correct,'' said safeties coach Steve Dunlap, who this year is in charge of the kickoff coverage unit. "As the season goes there'll be more difficulties for us, things we need to do.''

The past two years, West Virginia's kickoff coverage has been, in a word, awful, ranking among the 20 worst in the country each year. This year coach Bill Stewart redefined the roles of his assistant coaches and put a particular emphasis on kick return coverage.

While Dunlap admits that West Virginia's coverage scheme this year is completely different, he credits any improvement to something else.

"Nobody likes to be told how bad you are. I helped coach that team, so I heard it too,'' Dunlap said. "But I did get a little greedy and took a few good players. It's always about the players. And a lot of our good players come and volunteer, saying, 'Hey, we don't want to start at the 50.'''

Indeed, while guys like safety Robert Sands and cornerback Brandon Hogan have been on the kickoff team before, this year they appear to be playing with more passion.

"I've been on the kickoff team ever since I got here. I've always been on the kickoff team,'' Sands said. "If you want to win, you'd better get out there.

"Our kickoff team was what, something like 119th last year? You've just got to put some guys in there that are willing to go down there and get after the returner.''

Neither Dunlap nor defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel has any qualms about putting their two best open-field tacklers on the kickoff team, despite the risk of injury.



"No. You want to get your best guys out there,'' Casteel said. "We've got Noel Devine returning the opening kickoff. It's about trying to win."

Still, there is a risk, which prevents most teams from practicing kickoff returns live more than a handful of times during any week.

"You can't go out there and practice eight or 10 of them because you won't have any players left,'' Dunlap said. "It's a very fast, high-impact play.''

As for Sands and Hogan, well, Dunlap isn't all that concerned.

"[Sands is] out there wide, so he doesn't get hit as much,'' Dunlap said. "The outside guys are real athletic guys - Hogan, Sands. The warriors are those guys in the middle running down the field. Those are the tough guys.''

Coastal Carolina averaged just 15.7 yards on six returns last week and didn't reach the 30-yard line on any of them. Part of that credit has to go to new kicker Corey Smith, who put five of his six kickoffs either in the end zone, at the goal line or inside the 10. The only outlier was one that appeared to be a pooch kick but wasn't. It went to the 18 and was returned only 9 yards.

"Corey kicked the ball well,'' Dunlap said. "If he hadn't had the one bad one he would have averaged something like the 2.8-yard line. But everybody misses a driver now and then. I miss about one out of two. He missed one out of six, so that's not bad.''

Marshall's return game, though, is a different animal. That's not to say the Herd will present a challenge that is out of the ordinary, but it will no doubt be better than that of Coastal.

"Their concept is a lot different than the last team we played,'' Dunlap said. "They'll be harder to defend. There's no question about that. They play extremely hard on special teams.''

Casteel agreed.

"I think the kids obviously played with some aggression and they're learning what they need to do to be successful,'' Casteel said. "Hopefully [it will continue]. Marshall busted a big one against Ohio State and they have some kids that can get down the field.''