Know Your Enemy: WV

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The Mountaineers haven't exactly fallen off under Bill Stewart, who has led them to consecutive nine-win seasons. But the program also hasn't been the same since the holy trinity of Rich Rodriguez, Steve Slaton and Pat White, which registered two BCS appearances in three years, left.

Stewart has flirted with a BCS berth, but simply flirting may not be good enough for the couch-burners in Morgantown this year. WVU returns sparkplug back Noel Devine (1,465 yards,13 TDs as junior) and receiver Jock Sanders, adds receiver Ivan McCartney and boasts a defense that lost just two starters.

More than anything, West Virginia needs its offense to live up to its explosive potential. That didn't happen last season, when the Mountaineers ranked 61st nationally in total offense (377.4 yards per game) and 67th in scoring (26.1 points per).

Though they boast plenty of playmakers, quarterback remains a question, as Geno Smith will be the team's third starter in three years. The sophomore did see action in five games last season, including the entire second half of the Gator Bowl loss to Florida State. Smith was uneven in that game (8-for-15, 92 yards), and his progress this spring will be slowed while he recovers from a broken foot.



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ast-spring/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0i03gLmVi

 

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2010 LOOK AHEAD: When RB Noel Devine and SB Jock Sanders announced they would not leave early for the NFL, West Virginia's chances for 2010 got a huge boost. The Mountaineers enter the spring with a deep, experienced roster on both sides of the ball.

Devine rushed for 1,465 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, and he has rushed for 3,381 yards in three years, fifth in school history. Sanders led the team with 72 receptions for 688 yards last year.

The major project is to prepare sophomore Geno Smith, who played well in place of Jarrett Brown when called upon as a true freshman, to take charge of the team at quarterback. He gives the team a different look, as he is not a Patrick White-style, run-first quarterback.

Smith, who played in Brown's place in the Gator Bowl after Brown was injured early, finished his freshman year with 32 completions on 49 attempts with one touchdown. He was 8-for-15 for 92 yards against Florida State.

The Mountaineers also lost tackle Selvish Capers and wide receivers Alric Arnett, a deep threat, and Wes Lyons.

Defensively the Mountaineers must replace MLB Reed Williams, but he missed enough time last year that any of a number of players, headed by Anthony Leonard, can fill in.

The other potential trouble spot is at punter, where the Mountaineers must find a replacement for Scott Kozlowski, who was the Big East's best punter and finished ninth nationally with a 44.4-yard average.

SPRING SNAPSHOT: Practice begins April 6 and ends April 23. The Gold-Blue scrimmage is scheduled for April 23 and will be the first one held at night.

With Patrick White and Jarrett Brown now gone, coach Bill Stewart has a quarterback of his own in Geno Smith, but Smith is hobbled with a broken bone in his foot. This is a crucial spring for him, as he really is the only game-ready quarterback the team will have when the season opens.

Beyond that, this is a veteran squad at every position on offense and defense. How the Mountaineers work Ryan Clarke, the fullback, in as a full-time running back will be of interest, but they plan to run him more often in the coming season.

Defensively, it is simply a matter of fine-tuning and improving, with only MLB Reed Williams among the full-time starters gone.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bigeast/wvu.htm

 

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Geno's time:
This will be Geno Smith's team, especially in the spring. The sophomore takes over at quarterback and will face very little competition before Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson arrive on campus. West Virginia moved the start of spring ball to a later date in large part to give Smith more time to heal a foot injury. He played well in relief of Jarrett Brown a couple of times as a true freshman and needs to really grow for the Mountaineers to be a major force in 2010.

Catching on:
With leading deep threat Alric Arnett and slot guy Wes Lyons moving on, there's opportunity for new players to get involved at receiver. Look for Logan Heastie and Stedman Bailey to make improvements and compete for playing time after serving as understudies during their freshmen campaigns. The Mountaineers also may want to get Tavon Austin more involved, perhaps as the other slot receiver opposite Jock Sanders, forming a small, but blazingly fast, receiving duo.

Offensive line improvement:
West Virginia's five offensive line starters took almost every single snap in 2009. That's the good news. The bad news was that the line didn't perform at the level it needed to every week. But three of those players, Don Barclay, Josh Jenkins and Joe Madsen, were in their first year of starting, so the hope is they'll improve off that experience. West Virginia brings four of the five back and needs to find a replacement for right tackle Selvish Capers.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/8095/what-to-watch-in-the-big-east-this-spring

 

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Strategy and Personnel (CBS Sports)

2010 OUTLOOK: With a change coming at athletic director, Bill Stewart faces a crucial year as head coach. He was not a popular choice with some influential alumni when he was picked to replace Rich Rodriguez and two 9-4 seasons have not matched the 11 wins Rodriguez had in each of his final two seasons as coach. Getting to a BCS bowl with an experienced team seems almost necessary if Stewart is to stay on the job under a new administration.

TOP NEWCOMERS


QB Barry Brunetti -- One of the top rated dual-threat quarterbacks to come out of high school this year and a Parade All-American, Brunetti will get a chance to battle for playing time. He actually may not be at a huge disadvantage, as expected starter Geno Smith will be limited this spring with an injury. Brunetti ho finished his prep career at Memphis University School with 3,882 yards passing yards and 43 touchdowns passes while also rushing for 1,660 yards and 39 touchdowns. He has not lost a football game since seventh grade.

OL Quinton Spain -- West Virginia is looking for help on the offensive line and the 6-6, 330-pound Spain can be a big contributor in more ways than one. An offensive guard from Petersburg High in Virginia, he could provide depth even as a freshman to an offensive line that had no depth last year. "I saw him play basketball and he scored 30, was acrobatic and had a soft jump shot," coach Bill Stewart said.

WR Ivan McCartney -- He should move along faster than many recruits because he was a high school teammate in Miramar, Fla., of starting quarterback Geno Smith. He was in the Sporting News Top 35 after finishing with 37 catches for 747 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior while returning 16 punts for 625 yards. He's expected to offer much of the same kind of stuff that Tavon Austin brings to the table.

ROSTER REPORT


--QB Geno Smith, who needs spring practice in the worst way, suffered a broken foot while working out early in the off-season. Surgery was performed to insert a screw.

--DT Scooter Berry was ineligible academically for the Gator Bowl against Florida State, which may have been a blessing as he had been bothered by a bad shoulder. He is expected to sit out spring practice letting it heal.

--WR Ryan Nehlen, grandson of former coach Don Nehlen, underwent off-season knee surgery. It's hoped he will be ready for the spring.

--WVU may experiment with using cornerback Brandon Hogan, a former quarterback, some on offense as a receiver.

--The one addition to the coaching staff was veteran assistant Dave McMichael, who coached for years under Don Nehlen. He came back from Connecticut to replace Doc Holliday, who left to be head coach at Marshall. McMichael will handle the tight ends and some special

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/teams/report/WV/13109931/mountaineers-report-strategy-and-personnel

 

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Notes/Quotes (CBS Sports)

SPRING OBJECTIVES
The offense is under the microscope this spring, although all judgments are going to have to be withheld, for projected starting QB Geno Smith is hobbled with a broken bone in his foot, the result of a workout injury.

That means the key offensive effort on the spring will be to improve an overworked and underachieving offensive line. The Mountaineers had no depth last year and failed to live up to what were high expectations.

The look this year will be different because it's expected WVU will make more use out of fullback Ryan Clarke, who proved himself to be a devastating blocker and solid runner who can take some heat off Noel Devine. Experimenting with the way they will use Clarke will be part of the spring package.

Defensively, the Mountaineers will have a battle at middle linebacker to replace Reed Williams, and cornerback Tandy Smith figures to have a fight on his hands to hold his spot over Pat Miller and Broderick Jenkins.

Much emphasis will go onto special teams, where coverage was among the worst in the nation last year. Head coach Bill Stewart had handled that but is turning it over to assistants this year.

BUILDING BLOCKS
Whether he likes it or not, this is Noel Devine's offense. Now a senior and on the verge of All-American status, Devine returned to try and lead this team to a national championship, something that will be hard to do with a sophomore at quarterback.

But he and SB Jock Sanders will have possession of the offense and must make it explosive.

The defense is experienced but loses its leader in Reed Williams, the middle linebacker. S Robert Sands, a player who simply exploded on the Big East scene last year, is the most dynamic player, but the strength may come from a defensive line anchored by senior NG Chris Neild. Scooter Berry, who may be slowed with an injury this spring and is coming off a suspension, is also a dynamic player expecting a huge senior season.

The truth is the defense, which also gets huge plays out of LB J.T. Thomas and S Sidney Glover, could be one of college football's elites this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I don't care if you have 12-0 talent. If you have 6-6 leadership, that is what your team is probably going to be -- 6-6. This entire operation of 2010 is going to be based on some very simple facts. Do we have the right chemistry? Do we have the right leadership? Do we have the right role models doing what they are supposed to do? That is what we are going to find out." -- Coach Bill Stewart on his emphasis this spring.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/teams/report/WV/13109930/mountaineers-report-notes-quotes

 

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Stewart QnA

Just got finished talking with West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, and it was a fun conversation as always. I'll have the full discussion and Stewart's thoughts about the start of practice in the very near future. But here are a few tidbits to tide you over in the meantime:

Stewart said quarterback Geno Smith (broken foot) has been throwing pass skeleton, first off a chair and lately on both feet without a walking boot. Stewart said the sophomore should be able to take the majority of first-team reps without contact this spring and should be moving around well by the time the spring game rolls around later this month.

Backup QB Coley White has asked to move to wide receiver and will get some reps there this spring. But West Virginia needs him under center this spring with Smith still not 100 percent.

Freshmen receivers Logan Heastie and Deon Long aren't with the team right now. Stewart said he'd move forward without them, but if they decided to come back and put in extra work to catch up, he would welcome them back.
Stewart called sophomore Tavon Austin "an absolute future superstar" and that he would crack the starting lineup for sure.

West Virginia is starting practice later than normal and later than most teams, in large part because of Smith's injury. But Stewart said he likes the way this schedule has worked out with the school's spring break and how it allows the players to focus on lifting weights longer. In the future, he said he'd like to start spring practice in the last week of March.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast

 

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Stewart QnA part 2 (Defense)

On the defensive line, you have three starters back, and it looks like you have more depth now than last year.


BS: I was very, very, very frustrated with our defensive line depth and quality of play [in 2009]. Chris Neild, he's a warrior. If there is anybody better in the league, I didn't see him. He's one of those five, six, seven or eight guys in the league where you just say, 'Wow, this guy's a player.'

Julian Miller got better, Scooter [Berry] is back. We're so young behind them, but we've got some big, tall, fast, rangy youngsters who'll bring a lot of excitement to us, and it will be a whole lot easier on to get those boys in the game. So I'm excited about what we have; it just hasn't been done yet. The three older guys -- Neild, Miller and Berry -- we've got to get them some help. We've got to have some guys who can get them off the field and make some quality plays. We didn't have that last year. If you're going to win big, you've got to have two defensive lines.

I've heard good things about Will Clarke.

BS: Will Clarke will be a dandy. I think you're going to love B.J. Irvin. Some of these guys are growing and getting bigger. We'll be young, but, hey, we're going to let them play.

You have three returning starters at linebacker. How about that position and the depth behind them?


BS: J.T. Thomas, of course, is a leader. But, again, we've got to have quality play out of our young people. We can't play three seniors all year. That's like last year on the defensive line, we played three guys and nobody else played so nobody got any experience.

We've got to get some quality depth because three guys will be graduating and they're all young behind them. So we've got to find some young linebackers to provide us some quality depth. Those are my two biggest concerns of the defense. Can we find three more guys on the defensive line and three good young linebackers to say, hey, we can play at this level. That's what were not doing right now, I don't think. I'm very concerned about that.

You return a lot in the secondary. Do you feel like that's one of your strengths right now?


BS: I hate losing Nate Sowers and Boogie Allen, but really we lost two starters on defense: Reed Williams and Boogie/Nate, so it was three guys at two positions, if that makes sense. So we should be better. We're more cagey now, wiser now. We should make more plays out of the secondary with the corners and the safeties. They've been young the last two years and now we're ready. Those guys should step up and really be our leaders.

We used to be able to move around with guys like [Eric] Wicks and [Ryan] Mundy. We haven't had that the last couple of years. We line up and people know what we're doing. We've been scared, not cagey. Now I want to challenge them to do more. I want to play more man, I want to be cagey and disguise our coverages and I want to attack more. It all starts back in that secondary.

Robert Sands really came on at the end of the year at safety. How good can he be for you?


BS: He's a big, fast, powerful man. He needs to have a year for himself, and for West Virginia of course, a breakout year like Bradley Starks needs to have. And this would really set the stage for these guys. Starks needs to become an offensive star like Noel and Robert Sands needs to become a defensive star. He's got to be like Neild in the secondary. And then you say, 'Wow, OK, now we're cooking. This is really good.'


http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast

 

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WV first practice (BE blog)

Geno Smith, of course, is limited because of his foot injury. Defensive lineman Scooter Berry, coming back from shoulder surgery, likely won't do much except some work on his own. Starting cornerback Brandon Hogan and fullback/tailback Ryan Clarke ran the stadium steps Tuesday as punishment. Starting safety Sidney Glover will miss most Tuesday practices because of a class conflict.

Glover should be fine. But it's a little disconcerting that Hogan, who's coming off a disappointing year, and Clarke, who was in the doghouse his true freshman year, are not meeting expectations so far. As Hickman says:

No wonder at the end of the first of 15 spring practices Stewart preferred to talk in generalities. Specific bright spots, after all, were hard to find.

"But we're going to have a good spring, I assure you of that,'' Stewart said. "You always have issues.''

Smith is wearing the non-contact jersey, of course, but he is able to go through pass skeleton drills. He broke his left foot in January.

"It was a sharp pain," he told reporters. "I immediately thought it was a sprain. A lot of doubt went through my mind, but the next day I got back on my grind and started working again and I am here now.

"I want to do as much in spring practice as they want me to do. I will do what my team needs me to do and much as the trainers say I can do."

Meanwhile, Smith's status makes this spring very intriguing for Coley White, Bob Hertzel writes in the Times West Virginian. Stewart praised the way White threw the ball Tuesday night, but White was hoping to move to wide receiver this spring in order to get more playing time.

Perhaps circumstances will thrust him into a starring role, as they did with his older brother, Pat. Hertzel writes:

White isn’t looking at it as retarding his transition to wide receiver. He believes he knows the position as well as he can because the quarterback must know all the positions, and there’s always the idea that maybe fate has intervened here in some way.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/8918/notes-from-west-virginias-first-practice

 

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WR Bradley Starks

Starks and Jock Sanders are the only starting receivers who return for the Mountaineers. Sanders is the slot guy who usually does his thing with short throws over the middle. With Alric Arnett and Wes Lyons gone, Starks needs to be the main deep threat on the outside.

"I've got to step up, come to practice every day and work on being that," Starks said.

The third-year junior has shown signs of becoming a top-flight receiver. He had a 55-yard catch against East Carolina, a 58-yarder at Auburn and a 48-yard touchdown against Colorado last season. Still he only caught more than three passes in a game twice and never had more than five receptions. He scored only one other touchdown besides that Colorado game. He's also recovering from shoulder surgery and an ankle sprain.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder is still relatively new at the position. He was an all-state quarterback in Virginia in high school who moved to receiver once he got to West Virginia.

"I'm still learning each and every game," he said. "There's a new task for me, something new every game. I've been working on my route running, especially my route running when I'm tired. Just the basic fundamentals of the position."

Starks has also pulled double duty the past couple of years, serving as the team's emergency quarterback. That means he has spent time taking reps under center, time that could have been devoted toward more receiving knowledge. With projected starter Geno Smith recovering from a foot injury and no scholarship quarterbacks behind backup Coley White, Starks may have to pinch hit there again this spring.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/8911/west-virginias-starks-looks-to-take-leap

 

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There was quarterback Geno Smith, dressed in a green non-contact jersey and taking part only in the most basic of drills. Ditto wide receiver Bradley Starks. Between Smith's still-healing broken foot and Starks' surgically repaired shoulder, neither will get everything possible out of the 14 spring practices to come.


But that's more than Scooter Berry will get. The big defensive lineman, also recovering from shoulder surgery, was walking and running on his own around the fringes of the Mountaineer Field turf. It's all he is likely to do this month.


There were starting cornerback Brandon Hogan and fullback Ryan Clarke - along with defensive back Brantwon Bowser - spending the entire two-hour practice running the stadium steps or doing otherwise non-football-specific workouts.


At the end of practice, in sauntered standout safety Sidney Glover, fresh from a class that is likely to keep him out of at least four Tuesday practices.


And then there were promising freshman receivers Logan Heastie and Deon Long. Or, more to the point, the two were nowhere to be found, victims apparently of a less-than-enthusiastic approach to winter workouts.

http://wvgazette.com/Sports/WVU/201004060849

 

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NOTES — Wide receivers Logan Heastie and Deon Long were not with the team for the first practice and apparently are not going to play. Coach Bill Stewart said he would welcome them back but they better be ready to push a 45-pound weight and run the stadium steps all spring … Three players — fullback Ryan Clark, cornerback Brandon Hogan and defensive back Brantwon Bowser — spent the entire two-hour practice running the stadium steps, Stewart saying they had not met his physical conditioning requirements. Hogan and Clarke are starters … Starting defensive tackle Scooter Berry is not practicing as he recovers from surgery while wide receiver Brad Starks is practicing but slowed by an ankle sprain while playing basketball.
http://timeswv.com/wvu_sports/x1687701451/White-comfortable-at-QB-or-WR

 

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RichRod Violations while at WV?

I've been at Pitt all day doing interviews and watching practice, so I haven't had a chance yet to comment on Mark Schlabach's story about NCAA investigators looking into potential rules violations at West Virginia. They are looking at things that happened under former coach Rich Rodriguez, according to Schlabach.

Now, the information is sketchy at this point. West Virginia officials aren't saying much, and Rodriguez declined to comment on a Big Ten coaches' conference call today.

But if you're a Mountaineers fan, can you really say you're surprised? If the NCAA is looking at potential practice time violations by Rodriguez at Michigan, wouldn't you expect the investigators to see if the same things occurred at his previous coaching stop?

We don't know how serious any of this is, but any time the NCAA shows up on your campus asking questions, it's nothing to be taken lightly. After all, the NCAA has shown that it will punish schools and not individuals. So even if it finds that Rodriguez was some sort of rogue operator, West Virginia could suffer potential penalties because of it.

It's too early to say whether that's a real concern here. More than one wag has suggested that maybe Rodriguez did West Virginia a favor by shredding everything before he left Morgantown.

Speaking of which, I'll be in Morgantown tomorrow. I bet folks there won't be too excited to talk about this subject.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/9061/ncaa-sniffing-around-wvu

 

[lumberjack]

no your enema

 

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no your enema

Your wisdom is awe-inspiring.

 

[JasonS]

The West Virginia spring game was a good, old-fashioned blowout.

That's because coach Bill Stewart stacked the Blue team with the starters and most of the key reserves. Not surprisingly, then, that loaded side beat the Gold squad 38-0.

Coley White played quarterback for both sides as Geno Smith sat out because of his foot injury. White, who had a really strong spring, went 16-for-25 for 162 yards and three scores while playing for the Blue side. He was 6-for-11 for 27 yards and two interceptions for the Blue, which managed only 47 yards on 27 plays against the first-string defense.

Stewart praised White and said he wants Pat White's younger brother "to keep his hand in the quarterback position" this fall when Smith returns and two promising freshmen arrive. White will likely be a slot receiver once fall camp begins.

The fans got to see the Mountaineers stars shine, as Noel Devine had 73 yards on 12 carries and Jock Sanders had 70 receiving yards. Bradley Starks was limited with an ankle injury, while Scooter Berry and J.T. Thomas sat out with injuries. Cornerback Brandon Hogan, who's had some issues this spring that have kept him off the practice field, started the game and had an interception.

"Defensively, we didn’t just play base," Stewart said. "We didn’t go out there and do a three-man front or a base four-man rush. We did a lot of stuff on both sides of the ball. That was good. I wanted to see our defense fly around, knock the ball and create some turnovers."

West Virginia drew 21,029 fans to the Friday night scrimmage, one of the largest spring game crowds in school history and most in the Big East this year.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/9421/west-virginia-spring-game-review

 

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Spring Wrap Up

Spring answers

1. Experience matters: West Virginia returns 18 starters on offense and defense, most in the Big East, so even a few injuries and other issues that kept players out of practice this spring weren't a big deal. The coaching staff has the luxury of plugging in veterans at virtually every position, and when the first-stringers finally came together in the spring game, they looked very sharp. This is a team that should be ready to go from the opening gate.

2. White is all right: With projected starting quarterback Geno Smith limited throughout the spring by a foot injury, sophomore Coley White took the vast majority of the snaps. Though some had questioned whether he could play quarterback at this level, White showed great improvement throughout the spring and could easily lead the Mountaineers to victory if something goes wrong with Smith.

3. Backfield in motion: The Mountaineers should not have many problems running the ball this season. Devine returned and looks poised for a monster senior year. Shawne Alston also impressed at times, as well as fullback/tailback Ryan Clarke. West Virginia could also use Tavon Austin, Sanders and Daquan Hargrett as ball carriers.

Fall questions

1. Wideout depth: The defections of Deon Long and Logan Heastie before spring thinned the receiving corps. Sanders is a stud in the slot, but Starks needs to have a big year as one of the team's few deep threats. The pint-sized Austin has to show he can be effective outside of the slot, and Stedman Bailey must continue to make improvements. Incoming freshman Ivan McCartney could play an immediate role as well.

2. The offensive line: The Mountaineers return four starters who took virtually every snap last season. Still, coach Bill Stewart expressed concern about the right side of the line, including right tackle, where Selvish Capers must be replaced. There's a lot of experience up front, but this unit needs to gel this fall.

3. Improved leadership: Stewart called for more leadership from his team this spring, particularly among the underclassmen. The Mountaineers have solid senior leaders in guys like Devine, Sanders, Chris Neild and J.T. Thomas. But Stewart would like to see fewer young players running stadium stairs or riding exercise bikes during fall practice.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast

 

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Despite having more returning starters than any other Big East team and coming off a year in which they won nine games and finished second in the league, the West Virginia Mountaineers haven't gotten a lot of attention so far in the very early preseason polls.

But CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd today revealed his post-spring Top 25, and West Virginia checks in at No. 23. "Think Rich Rod could use Noel Devine at Michigan?" Dodd writes, cheekily.

The Mountaineers come in behind Pitt (No. 20) and Cincinnati (No. 22) in Dodd's Top 25.

Speaking of polls, Athlon Sports is continuing its daily Top 25 countdown. The latest team to appear is Pittsburgh, which Athlon ranks at No. 18. (UConn previously appeared at No. 20)

Says the site:

"The Panthers find themselves among the best of the best once again, underscoring the success of coach Dave Wannstedt’s rebuilding project. No longer is he simply hoping for success. Now, it’s a matter of how much. In 2009, Pitt was within a quarter of a BCS berth. Don’t be surprised if they get there this time."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast

 

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Neild anchors D (BE Blog)

Chris Neild might be one of the most underappreciated players in the Big East. At least outside of Morgantown.

The West Virginia senior might have had only 35 tackles and no sacks last season, but numbers can't begin to define how valuable he is. Neild is the Big East's best nose tackle and a key to the Mountaineers' 3-3-5 defensive scheme.

Neild has to take on blockers in the middle in order for that scheme to work. And the 6-foot-2, 301-pounder does that to perfection.

"I've just got to do my job and do what I do to free up the linebackers," he said. "I've got to be at the right place at the right moment. That could be occupying two guys or even three guys."

Now entering his third year of starting, Neild understands that he's not going to get a lot of glory. Instead, he's going to do a lot of dirty work in the trenches.

"If teams want to focus on the running game, I know it's going to be a long day for me," he said. "But I've got the feeling down and know what I'm supposed to be doing."

If Neild is relatively unknown outside of West Virginia, he is cherished by his team. Head coach Bill Stewart praised Neild's leadership this spring and said he needed to find guys like Neild at other positions with his attitude and work ethic, like in the secondary.

Neild helped keep the defensive line strong last year despite injuries and other issues that forced Scooter Berry out and with young players like Julian Miller learning the ropes. This season, the Mountaineers are deep and experienced up front with all three starters back.

"What we have is potential," Neild said. "It means nothing until we put it out on the field. But when we get those numbers out there, I think we'll be a real force to be dealt with."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast

 

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My last post was about how Noel Devine and Jock Sanders decided to return to school for their senior years at West Virginia (or as I like to call the story, a little ditty, about Jock and Noel).

Anyway, there's always more you can put into a story like that, and here are a few other tidbits I found interesting:


Both players and Bill Stewart talked about how they had matured from their early days. It was obvious in just chatting with Devine this spring. He's always been a pretty quiet guy with the media, but in our conversation he was much more talkative and self-assured than I had found him in previous interviews. "A lot of people have told me this spring that I've grown up a lot," he said.
This is what Devine had to say about being an example for kids who had it tough growing up like he did: "I want to help other people who are similar to me believe they can do the same things as me," he said. "If they know about my story and my lifestyle, they can relate and that can motivate them so that they can do the same things that I do."
I asked Devine how he wanted to go out in his senior year, whether he had any personal goals like 2,000 yards or anything like that."I just want to go out with a big bang," he said. "Better than Steve [Slaton] and Pat [White] did. Just enjoy it, and make history at the same time."
Sanders had those 72 catches last year, but his numbers tailed off toward the end of the season. He feels like there's a lot of things he can do better."I had some weak points in my game," Sanders said. "I wasn't finishing routes when I knew I wasn't getting the ball. I want to get things straight before I try to make the next level."
Losing in the Gator Bowl to Florida State, he said, was a factor in both his and Devine's decision to return. They're not happy with nine-win seasons.
Interestingly enough, when I talked to Stewart this spring, he called Sanders "the best football player on this team." That's because Sanders is not only a big-time slot receiver, but he can slide over to tailback and is an electric special teams player. "I think he said that because I'm so versatile," Sanders said. "That's key for me, being so small. I try to learn every position on the field."
And how would Sanders like to go out?"I want us to go 7-0 in the Big East and win the league without any ties," he said. "We're going to try to win every game and get back to a BCS game or win a BCS championship if possible."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast

 

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'10 FL ATH Spencer Boyd (07/15/09)

Athlete
Cape Coral (FL) Cape Coral

Ht: 5-foot-10
Wt: 160 lbs
Forty: 4.52 secs



DB who enrolled early at ND this year, got homesick for his gf. He is apparently transferring to WV.