Wednesday, October 22nd - 7:30 p.m. (et)
The Sports Network
By Scott Haynes, College Football Senior Editor
GAME NOTES: A border war ensues on Wednesday night, when the third-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies make the trip to Morgantown to battle the West Virginia Mountaineers in Big East action from Mountaineer Field. The Hokies are a perfect 6-0 on the season and continue to climb the national polls with each victory. The team was idle last weekend, but is coming off an impressive 51-7 thrashing of Syracuse in Blacksburg the week prior. As for the Mountaineers, they haven't experienced much success this season, winning just twice in six tries. However, WVU did halt a two-game skid last time out, knocking off Rutgers in conference action, 34-19. West Virginia holds a 27-20-1 all-time advantage, including a 21-18 win in Blacksburg a year ago. The Mountaineers hold a 15-8 record in the series in Morgantown. These two teams have met every year since 1973. The Hokies have won four of the last five and 10 of the last 14 meetings, overall and are 8-4 in Big East tilts with West Virginia.
A balanced offensive attack is the main reason for Virginia Tech's success in 2003. The Hokies have been able to move the ball at a record pace this year, thanks in large part to one of the best rushing attacks in the country. Frank Beamer's squad is netting almost 250 yards per game on the ground (249.3), on nearly six yards per carry (5.8). While the passing game is the second option in moving the chains, it is effective nonetheless, at 189.8 yards per game. At 45.5 points per game and 439.2 yards of total offense, opponents are finding it tough to keep up. Veteran QB Bryan Randall has been surprisingly efficient this year. So much so, that teams cannot simply key on the run. Randall has completed almost 65 percent of his passes thus far, for 896 yards and nine TDs. It helps when you have a potent ground game, led by one of the nation's best backs. Tailback Kevin Jones has not been a one-man wrecking crew this year, but his 5.6 yard per carry average and 113.7 yards per game have been impressive. Jones has scored nine of the team's 19 rushing TDs this season, while Cedric Humes (6.5 ypc and five TDs) is a suitable second option. In the vertical game, Randall's top target is the underrated Ernest Wilford. A big receiver, Wilford (6-4, 220) leads the team in receptions (24) and receiving yards (317). The offensive line has certainly done its job in both run blocking and pass blocking and has only allowed six sacks in the first six games.
A staple in Blacksburg for some time now has been a dominant defense. This year's version is no different, as Virginia Tech is allowing under 15 points per game (14.8), while treating the run (88.8 ypg) and the pass (190.5 ypg) with equal disdain. There are playmakers throughout the defense. In the secondary, it is the strong presence of safeties Michael Crawford and Jimmy Williams. They are two of the top three tacklers on the team, with Crawford pacing the defense at 54 stops. His eight TFLs also leads the squad. Williams has 41 tackles on the year and is one of eight Hokies with an interception to his credit. Junior cornerback DeAngelo Hall (18 tackles) is as athletic as they come, and also represents one of the country's top return men. The linebacking corps is comprised of tackling machines in Mikal Baagee (44 tackles), Vegas Robinson (37 tackles, six TFLs, one sack and one interception) and Brandon Manning (33 tackles, two TFLs). The defensive front is aggressive, highlighted by the play of ends Nathaniel Adibi (15 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks) and Cols Colas ( 14 tackles, five TFLs,team-high three sacks) and tackles Jonathan Lewis (34 tackles, two TFLs) and Kevin Lewis (17 tackles, two TFLs, one sack).
The jury is still out on the West Virginia offense. The team has not topped 20 points in many games this season, with the exception of easy wins over questionable competition in East Carolina (48-7) and Rutgers (34-19). Much like the Hokies, it is a solid ground game that fuels the Mountaineers. WVU is netting 344.2 yards of total offense, with almost 200 of that coming via the rush (197.5 ypg). The team lost its all-time leading rusher to the NFL this year (Avon Cobourne), but his replacement has done a nice job filling the void. Quincy Wilson is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and leads the team with 632 yards and seven TDs thus far. Wilson has 141 carries in the first six games (23.5 carries per game) and his 105.3 yards per outing is certainly reason for concern on the Tech sideline. The passing game has not flourished under QB Rasheed Marshall. He has completed just 46.7 percent of his passes on the year, for 828 yards. His TD-to-INT ratio (8-to-4) is solid however. The lack of a go-to-guy downfield is one of the reasons for Marshall's low numbers this year. Chris Henry is the top pass catcher on the roster, although he has just 11 receptions. He has made the most of them though, scoring a team-high four TDs and averaging over 30 yards per catch (30.1).
The West Virginia defense has struggled in both run support and pass defense this year, allowing 158.7 yards per game rushing and 225.8 yards passing. Those numbers will be hard to improve upon against the explosive Hokies. The team does boast one of the nation's top linebackers in monster Grant Wiley. The veteran is tops on the team in tackles with an eye-popping 82 thus far. He also has six TFLs, one INT, one fumble recovery and a whopping six forced fumbles. With one more TFL, Wiley will rank first in West Virginia history. He currently has 39.5 career TFLs, just 0.5 behind James Davis (1999-2002). Youngster Mike Lorello (sophomore) is taking some tips from Wiley, as the second year LB has 63 tackles in the first six games, with a team-high 10 TFLs. Last but certainly not least is the final component of the linebacking unit, Adam Lehnortt. The senior is just behind Lorello with 62 tackles, with five TFLs and two sacks. A lack of a pass rush has hurt this defensive unit this year (just six sacks in the first six games), but it has been opportunistic, amassing 17 takeaways, including 10 fumble recoveries.
The Mountaineers took the Miami Hurricanes to the limit in the Orange Bowl earlier this year, and that game should give the team some confidence against Tech. However, any confidence coming into this game will quickly dissipate, when the Hokies get going. Virginia Tech has a huge contest against Miami next week and this could be a letdown game. Don't count on it though, as next week's winner has the inside track to a national title game appearance. Tech will take care of business on the road.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Virginia Tech 35, West Virginia 18
