Pat White led the West Virginia Mountaineers to the Big East Title and a victory in the Orange Bowl in 2007. Will he be able to lead to Mountaineers to the title in 2008? Or will USF QB Matt Grothe lead the Bulls to their first Big East crown? In part IV of our preview of the Big East Conference we tell you who we think will finish at the top of the conference
#1. South Florida Bulls
Biggest Strengths:
Junior QB Matt Grothe returns for his third season under center for the Bulls. Grothe, a threat with his arm (2,670 passing yards in 07) and his legs (872 rushing), almost led his team to a miraculous last second comeback over the Bearcats vaunted defense by putting up 382 passing yards. To reach the lofty pre-season expectations he will have to cut down on his interceptions. 14 picks in 07 matched the number of TD passes thrown, and many of the turnovers were at key moments in games the Bulls ended up losing. If another year of experience makes Grothe a better decision maker the Bulls offensive attack is going to be lethal.
Biggest Weaknesses:
With big name CBs Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams playing on Sundays, the Bulls have big shoes to fill on the outside. Last seasons nickel back Jerome Murphy looks to slide in to the void left by Jenkins while JUCO transfer Theo Wilson will be given the chance to earn the other spot in camp. Murphy intercepted two passes and forced two fumbles (including one on the opening kickoff against UC) so he does have some big play ability. Tyler Roberts will push Wilson for a starting spot, and at worst is slotted to play a lot of nickel. How the Bulls adjust to being less aggressive in coverage rests on the large and experienced shoulders of the defensive line.
Why They're Picked Here:
George Selvie, Jarriett Buie and Aaron Harris return to form one of the best defensive lines in the country. They should keep enough pressure on the opponent's backfield to allow the new blood at corner to play in a comfort zone. The defense also returns leading tackler LB Tyrone McKenzie (121) and the safety duo of Carlton Williams and Danny Verpaele. Freshman RB Mike Ford was 2nd on the team in rushing behind Grothe and scored 13 TDs in 07. Redshirt Sophomore WR Carlton Mitchell returns after leading the team in catches, yards, yards per catch and touchdowns in his first year of action. The Bulls have more than enough talent to have the breakthrough season many are waiting for.
To Win The Big East They Must:
Escape late October trips to Louisville and Cincinnati in order to set up the season finale in Morgantown. With the top to bottom strength of the league, they can likely afford one bump in the road before that match up on December 6th. Can they win in the cold with the BCS on the line? Time will tell.
#2. West Virginia Mountaineers
Biggest Strengths:
The easy way out here is to heap praise on star QB Pat White, but a deeper look shows the real strength of this team is along the offensive line. All five starters return on a group that has combined for 92 starts in their career. Leading the way are All-American seniors Ryan Stanchek (LT) and Greg Isdaner (LG). All-BIG EAST performers Jake Figner (RG) and Mike Dent (C ) are joined by the only guy in the group without big time awards before his name in Selvish Capers (RT). With that kind of experience up front Pat White and Noel Devine are going to once again run wild on the competition.
White has recorded 3,501 yards rushing, 39 touchdowns and is averaging 7.1 yards a rush over his often spectacular three-year career, and he's on pace to own most of the rushing records in the WVU history books.
Biggest Weaknesses:
The Mountaineers will be replacing 8 starters on the defensive side of the ball including star DE Johnny Dingle. Scooter Berry is the lone returner on the defensive line, and he's going to have a lot of weight on his shoulders as WVU breaks 5 new starters into the defensive backfield. If guys like Grothe, Teel, Cantwell and Grutza/Jones have time in the pocket they could easily pick apart the secondary and force WVU into a season of scores usually seen on the EA Sports platform. There is some experience at LB with returning starters Reed Williams and Morty Ivy in the Mike and Sam roles, but they are again breaking in a new starter on the weak side. With the quick strike ability of their offense, this unit is going to see the field quite a bit. How they hold up likely tells the tale of the 'Eers season.
Why They're Picked Here:
Even if they had 11 new guys on defense, it would be hard to put WVU much below 2nd in the conference with the weapons they have on the offensive side of the ball. They had an astonishing 72 plays of 20 yards or longer in 2007, and with the line returning in tact you know they can score on any and every snap. The real unknown is how new head coach Bill Stewart will run the ship. Things should go smoothly, but at this point last year we thought Louisville would seamlessly transition to their new coach as well.
To Win The Big East They Must:
Use the first four games OOC to get the defensive unit up to speed. If they can keep Big East opponents in the 20s then their chances of going back to the BCS are very good. If not, it wouldn't surprise me to see them fall a few notches down the ladder.
