Jets aide is WVU-bound
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Mike Smith, once a linebacker at Texas Tech when Dana Holgorsen was on the coaching staff there, is reportedly reuniting with Holgorsen as a coach on West Virginia's defensive staff.
Dana Holgorsen reportedly is closer to completing his defensive staff at West Virginia.
Reports out of New York Tuesday night said Mike Smith, who worked with the outside linebackers for the New York Jets, will be joining Holgorsen’s staff. Smith played at Texas Tech when Holgorsen was on the staff there.
New York Daily News Jets writer Manish Mehta wrote on twitter: “Mike Smith will be doing more than simply working w/LBs @ West Virginia. I’m told he’ll essentially have co-coordinator responsibilities.”
Holgorsen hired Joe DeForest of Oklahoma State last week and said his exact role will be announced when the staff is complete.
By Jenn Menendez, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mountaineers add DeForest to staff
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen has added Oklahoma State’s Joe DeForest to the Mountaineers’ coaching staff.
Holgorsen announced the hiring Saturday and said he’ll decide coaching assignments once his staff is complete.
DeForest and Holgorsen were both on the Cowboys’ coaching staff in 2010. At Oklahoma State, DeForest had been the associate head coach, special teams coordinator and safeties coach since 2005.
DeForest played two years in the NFL and finished his playing career in Canada. He is a native of Teaneck, N.J.
Tavon Austin – top all-purpose runner in the country
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Tavon Austin top all purpose runner in the country with 198 yards per game
West Virginia University wide receiver Tavon Austin finished the season as the top all-purpose runner in the country with an average of 198 yards per game.
Austin had 280 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in West Virginia’s 70-33 victory over Clemson in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl. It was his fifth 200 yard all-purpose game for the season, the junior also topping 200 yards against Maryland (243), LSU (287), Louisville (271), Cincinnati (249) and USF (208).
Austin finished 2012 with 101 receptions for 1,186 yards and eight touchdowns. The Baltimore resident also had 16 rushes for 182 yards and a touchdown, returned 36 kicks for 938 yards and three scores and returned 19 punts for 268 yards. He scored touchdowns three different ways and averaged 14.9 yards every time he touched the football.
Austin becomes the first Mountaineer player since safety Ricky Sherrod in 2001 to lead the nation in a statistical category. That year, Sherrod led the country with an average of 15.6 tackles per game. He also led the nation that year with 102 solo tackles.
Prior to that, only three others in school history have led the country in national categories: Aaron Beasley in interceptions per game (0.83) in 1994, Todd Sauerbrun in average punting (48.4) in 1994 and Paul Woodside in field goals per game (2.6) in 1982.
Casteel leaves to reunite with Rich Rodriguez
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Arizona will name Jeff Casteel its new defensive coordinator today, according to the Tucson Citizen. The move ends Casteel’s 10-year run at West Virginia.
An Arizona spokesman confirmed Rich Rodriguez’s plans to complete his staff at a news conference today.
And the Tulsa World reported that West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen is likely to target Oklahoma State’s Joe DeForest for his defensive staff, presumably as the coordinator.
DeForest is the associate head coach, special teams, and safeties coach at Oklahoma State, where he has worked for the past 11 years. He has been linked to Holgorsen from when he was at Texas Tech and is considered a strong recruiter in the Houston, Texas, area.
“Oklahoma State has the best kicking game in the league, year in and year out,” Texas coach Mack Brown told the Tulsa World in 2008.
“Joe DeForest does a great job. Not a good job. A great job.”
Casteel, the longtime defensive coordinator at West Virginia, originally arrived in Morgantown as an assistant with Rodriguez. He will take his trademark 3-3-5 stack defense with him.
Casteel did not return a call for this story,
It is unclear if Casteel is taking any other members of the Mountaineers staff with him, but speculation has defensive line coach Bill Kirelawach and cornerback coach Dave Lockwood heading west with him.
There has been rampant speculation for weeks that he would be leaving to join Rodriguez. It is unclear if the situation was held up because of the weight of the decision for Casteel, or if other factors came into play.
Casteel, who made $400,000 this year and was set to get pay increases of $50,000 a year the next two seasons plus bonus money, said little after West Virginia’s 70-33 rout of Clemson in the Jan. 4 Orange Bowl.
“You know what I think, the kids have worked hard, they just won 10 games,” said Casteel.
“To put the emphasis on speculation. … I’d rather just focus on what I think the kids deserve, and that’s what the focus should be on.”
Casteel long has been considered a master of the 3-3-5, a system that utilizes undersized, but quicker linebackers and speedy defensive backs. He said last week the defense was rooted in finding a recruiting niche.
“Well, I think when [Rich and I] first came here, we thought that we’d be able to maybe get a niche in recruiting where we were having to go and recruit some of the three-technique [defensive lineman] so we thought it might be easier to get the tweener-type kids [as] linebackers, the 6-foot-2, 185-, 190-, 200-pound kid and let them grow into 230-, 235-pound kids that could run,” said Casteel.
“So, we tried to get a niche that way defensively. It’s kind of grown from that.”
By Jenn Menendez, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Questionable future looks good for West Virginia
By · CommentsMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — To put West Virginia’s 70-33 Orange Bowl spectacle into perspective, remember just how bleak this season seemed six weeks ago.
A loss to Louisville jeopardized the season. The gauntlet was thrown in the courtroom.
Then fast forward to a cool South Florida night, when coach Dana Holgorsen and his underdogs waxed electric poetry in the form of 589 yards of total offense. The Mountaineers scored more points than any team in any bowl game — in 110 years. They shattered Bowl Championship Series and Orange Bowl records at will — in what is likely the program’s final game in the Big East Conference and first hello to the Big 12. And the program still regularly questioned for its national relevance, scored a third BCS game win in six years. ”Nobody really believed in the team besides the state of West Virginia,” receiver Tavon Austin said. “It definitely feels good.”
And it looked good. Geno Smith threw for 401 yards and six touchdown passes, four of them to Austin — all Orange Bowl records. Austin had 11 receptions, flashed his wicked speed and flawlessly executed the team’s nifty touch-pass play where, in motion in front of the quarterback, he grabs what looks like a volleyball set from Smith and wheels full speed out of the backfield. West Virginia scored four times off this play as the game progressed.
Holgorsen: ‘Better things are ahead’ for WVU
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In 2011, under first-year coach Dana Holgorsen (left), West Virginia scored 12.5 more points per game than the previous year. That culminated, of course, with a 70-33 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl, the Mountaineers' third BCS bowl victory.
MIAMI — Minutes after West Virginia scored the most points in any bowl game, junior quarterback Geno Smith already had set his sights on what’s next.
In 2011, under first-year coach Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia scored 12.5 more points per game than the previous year. That culminated, of course, with a 70-33 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl, the Mountaineers’ third BCS bowl victory.
“This is a springboard toward next season,” Smith said. “But you know, we can’t take it lightly. We’ve got to go back and get back to work and try and work twice as hard as we did this season if we want to be back here next year.
“We believe that we’re contenders, but we’ve definitely got to come out and prove it.”
West Virginia is one of two programs — Florida being the other — to win three BCS bowls since the 2005 season. LSU can join that group with a win over Alabama on Monday in the BCS championship game. The Mountaineers join Miami and Oklahoma as the only teams to win three different BCS bowls.
“It just shows that on any given night that we can come together,” said junior receiver Tavon Austin. “We can beat anybody.”
A year ago at this time, West Virginia did not even know Holgorsen. Now he has become the third first-year head coach to lead a team to a BCS bowl victory, joining Larry Coker and Chris Petersen. Read More→
West Virginia routs Clemson 70-33 in Orange Bowl
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West Virginia's Chad Snodgrass (65) lifts wide receiver Tavon Austin (1) after Austin scored a touchdown during the first half of the Orange Bowl
MIAMI (AP) — The West Virginia Mountaineers were tough to slow down, and only the Orange Bowl mascot could stop Darwin Cook.
Geno Smith tied the record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, and the No. 23-ranked Mountaineers set a bowl scoring record Wednesday night with their high-powered offense. But safety Cook made the pivotal play by returning a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown to break the game open and help rout No. 14 Clemson 70-33.
Cook collided comically with mascot Obie after scoring one of the Mountaineers’ five TDs in the second quarter, including three in the final 2:29 for a 49-20 lead. It was the highest-scoring half by a team in a bowl game.
“I always envisioned making great plays,” Cook said. “If you think it will happen, it will happen.”
Tavon Austin tied a record for any bowl game with four touchdown catches. Smith went 31 for 42, and had 401 yards passing to break Tom Brady’s Orange Bowl record. Smith also ran for a score, helping West Virginia break the bowl record for points established six nights earlier when Baylor beat Washington 67-56 in the Alamo Bowl.
“Never could we imagine we’d put up 70 points,” Smith said.
The Mountaineers (10-3) won in their first Orange Bowl appearance and improved to 3-0 in Bowl Championship Series games.
“The guys wanted to come in and make a statement, and the only way you can do that is if you play well on all three sides of the ball,” coach Dana Holgorsen said. Read More→
Big East Football Awards
By · CommentsPROVIDENCE, R.I. – Cincinnati, Louisville and West Virginia – which finished in a three-way tie for the BIG EAST title – joined Rutgers as schools that had individual winners of the BIG EAST postseason football honors as chosen by the league’s eight head coaches.
Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while defensive tackle Derek Wolfe joined Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene as the BIG EAST Defensive Players of the Year. West Virginia wide receiver and return specialist Tavon Austin was tabbed as BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year, while Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was the unanimous choice as BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. Cincinnati coach Butch Jones was tabbed by his counterparts as BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
The conference also announced the selections to its All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, highlighted by Pead and Austin – the two unanimous selections to the first team.
WVU's Tavon Austin named Big East special teams player of the year.
Pead becomes the first Cincinnati player to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and the fourth consecutive running back to earn the honor. Pead led the BIG EAST with 11 rushing touchdowns and was second in the conference in rushing, averaging 92.5 yards per game. He enters the postseason with 1,110 rushing yards and ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring – first among non-kickers – with 84 points. Pead, who was unanimously chosen to the All-BIG EAST First Team, also had 36 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked second in the BIG EAST in all-purpose yards, averaging 124.1 yards per game.
Wolfe is the first Cincinnati player to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year following a regular season in which he led the BIG EAST with 19.5 tackles for loss and had 9.5 sacks. He is the focal point of a Bearcat defense that limited opponents to just 92.7 rushing yards per game – good for second in the BIG EAST – and a league-low eight rushing touchdowns.
Greene likewise becomes the first Rutgers player to be chosen as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Greene finished the regular season with a BIG EAST-leading 127 tackles – 20 more than anyone else in the conference – while averaging 10.6 stops per game. He is the key man on a Scarlet Knight defense that leads the BIG EAST in total defense (311.5 yards per game) and scoring defense (18.8 points per game).
Austin is the third West Virginia player to earn BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year honors, joining punter Todd Sauerbrun, who won in 1994, and cornerback Adam Jones, who was the 2004 selection. Austin was chosen to the All-BIG EAST First Team at two positions, getting the nod at wide receiver in addition to his unanimous selection at the return specialist spot. He leads the BIG EAST and is ranked second nationally in all-purpose yards (191.2 yards per game), is the league leader in punt returns (14.1 yards per return) and is second in the conference in kickoff returns (26.5 yards per return). Austin is the only BIG EAST player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns this season.
Bridgewater is the third Louisville player in the last four years to be named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, joining a pair of teammates – running back Victor Anderson, who was selected in 2008, and safety Hakeem Smith, who was chosen last year. Bridgewater became Louisville’s starting quarterback in the fourth game of the season and led the Cardinals to five wins in their last six games to earn a share of the BIG EAST championship. He enters the postseason ranked third in the BIG EAST in pass efficiency rating (136.1) after throwing for 1,855 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season.
Jones becomes Cincinnati’s fourth BIG EAST Coach of the Year selection, joining three-time winner Brian Kelly. Jones engineered a five-win turnaround from last season, leading Cincinnati to a share of the BIG EAST championship and an appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl after a 9-3 regular season. The Bearcats were picked fifth in the BIG EAST preseason media poll, but ended up earning a share of their third conference title in four years.
Connecticut kicker Dave Teggart, Connecticut defensive lineman Kendall Reyes and West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy are the three repeat selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
2011 BIG EAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
BIG EAST CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati (Sr., Columbus, Ohio)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati (Sr., Lisbon, Ohio)
Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers (Jr., Elizabeth, N.J.)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia (Jr., Baltimore, Md.)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville (Fr., Miami, Fla.)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Butch Jones, Cincinnati
ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
WR, Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers,
WR, Tavon Austin, West Virginia
OT, Justin Pugh, Syracuse
OT, Don Barclay, West Virginia
OG, Randy Martinez, Cincinnati
OG, Art Forst, Rutgers
OG, Andrew Tiller, Syracuse
C, Moe Petrus, Connecticut
TE, Nick Provo, Syracuse
QB, Geno Smith, West Virginia
RB, Isaiah Pead *, Cincinnati
RB, Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
RB, Antwon Bailey, Syracuse
K, Dave Teggart, Connecticut
RS, Tavon Austin *, West Virginia
DEFENSE
Pos., Player, School
DL, Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati
DL, Kendall Reyes, Connecticut
DL, Chandler Jones, Syracuse
DL, Bruce Irvin, West Virginia
LB, JK Schaffer, Cincinnati
LB, Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
LB, Najee Goode, West Virginia
CB, Adrian Bushell, Louisville
CB, Keith Tandy, West Virginia
S, Drew Frey, Cincinnati
S, Hakeem Smith, Louisville
S, Jarred Holley, Pittsburgh
S, Duron Harmon, Rutgers
P, Pat O’Donnell, Cincinnati
* unanimous selection
ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos., Player, School
WR, Alec Lemon, Syracuse
WR, Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
OT, Alex Hoffman, Cincinnati
OT, Mike Ryan, Connecticut
OG, Desmond Wynn, Rutgers
OG, Jeremiah Warren,USF
C, Joe Madsen, West Virginia
QB, Zach Collaros, Cincinnati
TE, Ryan Griffin, Connecticut
RB, Lyle McCombs, Connecticut
RB, Darrell Scott, USF
K, Maikon Bonani, USF
RS, Jeremy Deering, Rutgers
DEFENSE
Pos., Player, School
DL, Trevardo Williams, Connecticut
DL, Chas Alecxih, Pittsburgh
DL, Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
DL, Ryne Giddins, USF
LB, Dexter Heyman, Louisville
LB, Max Gruder, Pittsburgh
LB, Marquis Spruill, Syracuse
CB, Dwayne Gratz, Connecticut
CB, Antwuan Reed, Pittsburgh
CB, Logan Ryan, Rutgers
CB, Kayvon Webster, USF
S, Jerrell Young, USF
S, Eain Smith, West Virginia
P, Cole Wagner, Connecticut
P, Justin Doerner, Rutgers
Additional players added to the All-BIG EAST teams due to ties in the voting
BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1991 Gino Torretta, QB, Miami, Jr.
1992 Gino Torretta, QB, Miami, Sr. *
1993 Glenn Foley, QB, Boston College, Sr.
1994 Billy West, RB, Pittsburgh, So.
1995 Marco Battaglia, TE, Rutgers, Sr.
1996 Jim Druckenmiller, QB, Virginia Tech, Sr.; Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse, So.
1997 Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse, Jr.
1998 Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse, Sr.
1999 Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech, Fr.
2000 Antonio Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh, So.; Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech, So.; Santana Moss, WR, Miami, Sr.
2001 William Green, RB, Boston College, Jr.; Ken Dorsey, QB, Miami, Jr.
2002 Ken Dorsey, QB, Miami, Sr.; Willis McGahee, RB, Miami, So.
2003 Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh, So.
2004 Rasheed Marshall, QB, West Virginia, Sr.
2005 Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville, So.
2006 Pat White, QB, West Virginia, So.
2007 Pat White, QB, West Virginia, Jr.
2008 Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut, Jr.
2009 Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh, Fr.
2010 Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut, Jr. *
2011 Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati, Sr.
BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1991 Darrin Smith, LB, Miami, Jr.; George Rooks, DT, Syracuse, Sr.
1992 Micheal Barrow, LB, Miami, Sr.
1993 Kevin Patrick, DE, Miami, Sr.
1994 Warren Sapp, DL, Miami, Jr.
1995 Cornell Brown, DE, Virginia Tech, Jr.
1996 Canute Curtis, DL, West Virginia, Sr.
1997 Donovin Darius, S, Syracuse, Sr.
1998 Corey Moore, DE, Virginia Tech, Jr.
1999 Corey Moore, DE, Virginia Tech, Sr.*
2000 Dan Morgan, LB, Miami, Sr.*
2001 Edward Reed, SS, Miami, Sr.; Dwight Freeney, DE, Syracuse, Sr.
2002 Dan Klecko, DL, Temple, Sr.
2003 Sean Taylor, FS, Miami, Jr.
2004 Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College, Jr.
2005 Elvis Dumervil, DE, Louisville, Sr.
2006 H.B. Blades, LB, Pittsburgh, Sr.
2007 George Selvie, DE, USF, So.
2008 Scott McKillop, LB, Pittsburgh, Sr.
2009 Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh, Jr.; Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh, Sr.
2010 Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh, Sr.
2011 Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati, Sr.; Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers, Jr.
* – unanimous selection
BIG EAST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1991 Kevin Williams, RS, Miami, So.
1992 John Biskup, PK, Syracuse, Sr.
1993 Pat O’Neill, P/PK, Syracuse, Sr.
1994 Todd Sauerbrun, P, West Virginia, Sr. *
1995 Marvin Harrison, RS, Syracuse, Sr.
1996 Tremain Mack, RS, Miami, Sr.*
1997 Quinton Spotwood, KR, Syracuse, So. *
1998 Kevin Johnson, KR, Syracuse, Sr. *
1999 Shayne Graham, PK, Virginia Tech, Sr.
2000 Santana Moss, PR, Miami, Sr.*
2001 Phillip Buchanon, PR/KR, Miami, Jr.
2002 Andy Lee, P, Pittsburgh, Jr.; Nate Jones, KR, Rutgers, Jr.
2003 Andy Lee, P, Pittsburgh, Sr.; DeAngelo Hall, PR, Virginia Tech, Jr.
2004 Adam Jones, West Virginia, RS/DB, Jr.
2005 Willie Foster, Rutgers, RS/WR, Jr.
2006 Ean Randolph, USF, RS, Sr.
2007 Kevin Huber, P, Cincinnati, Jr.
2008 Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, Jr.
2009 Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, Sr.
2010 Lindsey Lamar, WR, USF, So.
2011 Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia, Jr.
BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1991 Tom Tumulty, LB, Pittsburgh
1992 Bruce Presley, RB, Rutgers
1993 Terrell Willis, RB, Rutgers
1994 Kenard Lang, DE, Miami
1995 Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse *
1996 Amos Zereoue, RB, West Virginia *
1997 Reggie Wayne, WR, Miami
1998 Joaquin Gonzalez, OT, Miami
1999 Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech
2000 Grant Wiley, LB, West Virginia
2001 Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech
2002 Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh
2003 Chris Henry, WR, West Virginia
2004 Brian Toal, LB, Boston College
2005 Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia
2006 Matt Grothe, QB, USF
2007 LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh *
2008 Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville
2009 Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh *
2010 Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville
2011 Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville *
BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR
1991 Dennis Erickson, Miami*
1992 Dennis Erickson, Miami
1993 Don Nehlen, West Virginia*
1994 Dennis Erickson, Miami
1995 Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech*
1996 Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
1997 Walt Harris, Pittsburgh
1998 Terry Shea, Rutgers
1999 Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
2000 Butch Davis, Miami
2001 Larry Coker, Miami
2002 Larry Coker, Miami
2003 Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia*
2004 Walt Harris, Pittsburgh
2005 Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
2006 Greg Schiano, Rutgers
2007 Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
2008 Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
2009 Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
2010 Randy Edsall, Connecticut; Charlie Strong, Louisville
2011 Butch Jones, Cincinnati
via West Virginia University Mountaineers – MSNsportsNET.Com.
Red’s WVU vs South Florida University Assessment
By · CommentsThis will also be a semi non-graded assessment.At this juncture, really no need to grade or rate the aspects of this game. It would basically be the same as all season. About average. Certainly no one asepct (offense, defense, ST, coaching) deserves an ‘A’. While we overcame many obstacles in this game, we still did not play anywhere near to our potential. Just too inconsistant all game for any segment to deserve more then an average score.
BUT…Bottom line, it’s a WIN, and a win while overcoming adversity.
WVU did what they needed to do, and got help in the process to be able to snatch the BCS bid.
HOWEVER, while the offense, defense, special teams and coaching NONE of which deserves more then an average grade, Shawn Alston gets a big ‘A‘ just for ensuring Bailey got on his feet and lined up for the winning FG. That was about as heads up a play as we’ve seen all year in my humble opinion.
GREAT JOB SHAWN!!!!
I will give the TEAM an ATTA BOY for the way they kept playing through the adversity, be it a penalty or getting behind in the fashion they did.
Now hopefully this lull between the Bowl Game, gives us time to heal, and time to get back on track. Because an overview of the season really saw little to NO IMPROVEMENT from week to week. In fact, one could suggest we regressed instead of progressed as the season wore on, especially offensively.
It just baffles my mind we could put up over 500 yards of offense against the #1 team in the country, and the BEast teams we had a harder time with. That is where the inconsistancy comes in to play.
But that is a whole ‘nother topic. This is about the USF game.
So to summize the USF game.
Team gets an ATTA-Boy for playing an ‘average’ game, and Shawn Alston gets an ‘A’.
red
WVU vs. Clemson in Orange Bowl
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AP Photo Clemson running back Andre Ellington ran for 937 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
MORGANTOWN – Dana Holgorsen was talking Sunday night about what it was that enabled his West Virginia football team to turn things around in the last three games of the season and earn a share of the Big East championship.
The key, he said – and as he has said before – was getting the Mountaineers excited about playing each week.
Well, now that it’s down to just one game to go, excitement shouldn’t be an issue. Not when the game is the Orange Bowl.
West Virginia’s late-season run paid off Sunday night when the BCS standings and bowl pairings were announced and the Mountaineers, as expected, were a part of it.
West Virginia (9-3) will play in a BCS bowl for the third time in the last seven years, making its first ever appearance in the Orange Bowl. The opponent will be Clemson (10-3), which on Saturday night crushed then-No. 5 Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, winning 38-10.
The game will be played Jan. 4 at Sun Life Stadium with an 8 p.m. kickoff. It is the last of the four regular BCS bowl games before the BCS national championship game five days later. The Rose and Fiesta bowls will be played Jan. 2 and the Sugar Bowl Jan. 3.
Excitement? Well, if it was an issue before it shouldn’t be now.
“We challenged the guys to get a little bit more excited about playing the game,” Holgorsen said, referring to the aftermath of a 38-35 loss at home to Louisville on Nov. 5 that appeared to doom any hopes the Mountaineers had of winning the Big East title. “When you face adversity like that, you’ve got to rally the troops and get everybody to focus on what’s important, which is getting excited about playing the game of football.” Read More→
Jets aide is WVU-bound
Mountaineers add DeForest to staff
Tavon Austin – top all-purpose runner in the country
Casteel leaves to reunite with Rich Rodriguez
Holgorsen: ‘Better things are ahead’ for WVU
West Virginia routs Clemson 70-33 in Orange Bowl
Big East Football Awards
WVU vs. Clemson in Orange Bowl