Bluefield Daily Telegraph
August 30, 2008 01:22 am
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East Carolina offers challenging opener to Virginia Tech
By BRIAN WOODSON
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD — Lots of college football teams play gimmes for their first game of the year. Not Virginia Tech, at least not this season.
No. 15 Virginia Tech will travel Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium to play East Carolina in the season-opener today at noon. The game will be televised by ESPN.
While the Hokies finished last season with an 11-3 record, East Carolina was 8-5, including a 7-2 mark over the last nine games. The Pirates were a loss at Marshall from possibly playing for the Conference USA title, and did beat giant killer Boise State in a bowl game.
“This crowd right here, they’ve got a majority of the people back,” Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. “They’re missing a couple of tailbacks right now, one left and one got hurt, but I can tell you they are a very, very good football team.”
Beamer, entering his 22nd season as head coach in Blacksburg, thinks the same about this team, although he’ll know for sure when 30 of his players see their first collegiate action against the Pirates. Ten of the travel roster of 73 are true freshman.
“I don’t like going into a game against a good team like East Carolina with 41 percent of your players never having played in a game,” Beamer said. “I don’t like, that will make you nervous in a hurry, but I do like the fact that we really do have some good young players.”
Virginia Tech, which slipped past East Carolina 17-7 in its home opener last season, will bring a strong offensive line, recently-anointed starting quarterback Sean Glennon and four returning starters on defense to Charlotte.
Other positions are still a work in process. Junior Kenny Lewis will start at tailback, but could be spelled by five other prospects, including redshirt freshmen Darren Evans and Josh Oglesby.
“How can I not be excited, I’m starting my first collegiate football game,” said Lewis, who was third to Branden Ore and Tyrod Taylor in rushing for the Hokies last season. “I’m just going to go out there wide-eyed and bushy-tailed and do what I know how to do and play football.”
The wide receiver corps features three catches back from ‘07, all by Ike Whitaker. Redshirt freshman Danny Coale and true freshmen Dyrell Roberts and Xavier Boyce hope to snag a few passes from Glennon.
Virginia Tech, however, managed just 33 yards rushing last season against the Pirates. Instead, the Hokies depended on Glennon’s arm and an interception returned for a touchdown by Victor “Macho” Harris to pull out an emotional win.
“If they stack the line, we’ve got to be able to throw it,” Beamer said. “We had a bunch of yards throwing last year and if we could have hit a couple more in certain situations I think we could have broken it open a little bit more.
“You go back and look at it, you’ve got to give them credit. They’re good, they’ve got guys that can run and they’re only a year older and stronger and more mature. We didn’t have enough yards running last year, that’s for sure.”
East Carolina will be led by athletic quarterback Patrick Pinkney, who impressed Beamer by coming off the bench last year in Blacksburg.
The Pirates did lose tailback Chris Johnson, who was a first round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans. His replacement could be any one of a trio that tallied a total of 222 yards last season. Pinkney and backup Rob Kass led an offense that averaged 385 yards and 31 points per game.
“I remember the Pinkney kid here last year, he was third on the depth chart coming in, but left out of here No. 1,” Beamer said. “He threw the ball well, you weren’t expecting him to perform as well as he performed here last year.
“He’s athletic, he’s throwing the ball really well and from everything I read giving them great leadership. He’s the real deal.”
Stopping that unit will be a defensive unit short on experience, but full of talented athletes just looking for their chance. Defensive end Orion Martin, linebacker Cam Martin and defensive backs Kam Chancellor and Harris returns.
East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz, who signed an extension earlier this week, would like nothing better than to thank the Greenville school for its support with an upset of the Hokies.
“When you look at this team, from a personnel standpoint, there's a lot of experience on this football team, which excites me,” said Holtz, who is looking for leadership and attention to ‘detail’ from his Pirates. “But, there's also an awful lot of youth.”
Beamer knows how he feels. Like any coach, he’s wary of the season-opener.
“We really have a tough opener in East Carolina. You look at how they played down the stretch, beating Boise State in their bowl game,” Beamer said. “They have a lot of people back. They are very strong up front defensively and offensively they have two great quarterbacks, similar to us...
“This is really a good football team. I'm very impressed with their football team. It will be a true test for our football team in Charlotte.”
Virginia Tech leads the series 9-4, including the first game in 1956 when the Hokies won 37-2 at Bluefield’s Mitchell Stadium. The Hokies are 0-2 in Charlotte, losing to Clemson in 1900 and North Carolina in 1895.
—Contact Brian Woodson
at bwoodson@bdtonline.com
Bill Stewart era begins with upset threat from Villanova
By BRIAN WOODSON
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD — The Bill Stewart era begins today. He doesn’t want to start the losing way.
“The first game is big and I don't understand why some people don't think that,” said Stewart, West Virginia’s first-year head coach.
Most outside observers don’t think that the Mountaineers will have a problem when Villanova visits Milan-Puskar Stadium today for the season-opening kickoff at 3:30 p.m.
Stewart isn’t one of them. He won’t let his Mountaineers think that way.
“You have to take care of No. 1 before you get to game No. 2,” Stewart said. “I haven't preached to them but I did tell them about what an upset is.
“An upset is when preparation meets opportunity. When someone prepares, and the opportunity is right, they'll take it and it's that simple.”
Much has happened since Stewart took over West Virginia after last year’s shocking loss to Pittsburgh and led the Mountaineers to a rout of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
All that can now be forgotten, as the Mountaineers take the field ranked eighth in the nation in both national polls. Villanova is ranked 21st, but that’s in the Football Bowl Subdivision, a level down from West Virginia.
“We’re going to go out and play well, try to give a good account of ourselves and be as competitive as we can possibly can,” said Talley, whose Wildcats are 2-10 against Football Bowl Series opponents, winning over Rutgers in 2002 and Temple in ‘03. “We have a lot of pride here from a lot of guys that were recruited by I-A schools and are here.
“We really have a long season and the West Virginia game is a building blocks for what we think is the toughest I-AA conferences in the country.”
The ‘Cats are led by quarterback Antwon Young, who missed the final six games last season with a knee injury.
He’ll direct a largely no-huddle offense and will be joined in the backfield by a combination of Aaron Ball and Angelo Babbaro, a duo that combined for 302 yards rushing last season. Defensively, the Wildcats are led by NFL prospect Darrel Young, who will move to linebacker from the secondary after recording 78 stops for the ‘Cats.
“Coach Talley has a veteran staff and they have 17 starters and 33 lettermen back from a 7-4 football team,” Stewart said. “This team is supposed to make a run at their conference and I'm hoping they do.
“I wish them nothing but the best, but I'm also hoping they don't do that until September. That way, we won't have to worry, but I know that won't be the case. They will come in here and give us their best shot.”
West Virginia does have a few questions, having lost several talented athletes off last year’s 11-2 squad that won its fourth Big East title in the last five years.
However, Pat White does return at quarterback, along with Noel Devine and the entire offensive line. Villanova returns its own talented signal-caller in Young, but that’s where the similarities end.
“Our offenses are quite similar, but the big difference is they’ve got a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback,” Talley said. “They’ve got some awfully fine talent and they’ve got their whole offensive line from last year is back.
“They’re regarded as one of the best offensive lines in the country so I don’t think it will be scheme-wise as much as it is the talent level that West Virginia has.”
West Virginia spent much of August looking for answers on defense from a unit that showed immense improvement last season. Linebacker Reed Williams, who was expected to miss the opener after offseason shoulder surgery, is expected to play. Williams led the ‘Eers in tackles in ‘07.
Lack of experience in the secondary is a concern for Stewart, but he has been impressed by what he has seen from Kent Richardson, Ellis Lankster, redshirt freshman Eain Smith and converted wide receiver Brandon Hogan.
“This is not a slam (at the departed seniors), but these guys are probably better athletes, but they’re not gamers, they don’t have it on the field like those guys did,” Stewart said. “We’re replacing three guys that played a lot of football, but these guys are as good or better those guys were, but they haven’t done it, they haven’t been out there.”
They will be today, playing in the friendly confines of Mountaineer Field. It’s not so friendly to the opposition, something Talley already knows.
“From what I told it is probably going to be the most hectic atmosphere that we’ve ever been in,” Talley said. “I thought one of the atmospheres that was great was the Air Force Academy when we played out there.
“It was very highly charged and a very difficult place to play, but I think West Virginia will be the toughest that we’ve been able to play in. Maryland, last year, was really loud and really hot and a great venue to play in, but everyone tells me that this is a venue that is maybe the toughest in the country to play in.”
Stewart is ready to play ball. He thinks his Mountaineers will be too.
“I worry, as all coaches worry for all football games, but I am worried about the Mountaineers and what we do, no matter who our opponent will be,” Stewart said. “We respect all and fear none; we don't fear anybody and we certainly respect all.
“That being said, the Villanova Wildcats will bring a very good bunch in here so we need to play our game to the best of our ability and go from there.”
—Contact Brian Woodson
at bwoodson@bdtonline.com
Marshall’s hopes for fast start face roadblock
By GARY FAUBER
for the Daily Telegraph
HUNTINGTON — If Marshall is to improve on last year’s 3-9 record, a quick start is a must.
Avoiding last year’s I-AA stumbling block will be imperative, too.
The Thundering Herd opens the season at home today against Illinois State of the Football Championship Subdivision. The game will kick off at 4:30 p.m. and can be seen on WVNS-TV.
Redshirt freshman Mark Cann will make his first start for Marshall, which, in addition to getting back to playing winning football, will also be looking to erase the sting of last year’s 48-35 loss to New Hampshire, also from the FCS.
“We’ve got to start fast,” Marshall coach Mark Snyder said. “Illinois State is a good I-AA team. I encountered them at Youngstown State throughout my years there (as an assistant coach) and we played them when I was (coaching) at Minnesota.”
The Redbirds, 4-7 last season, are similar to Marshall in that they are breaking in a new quarterback and expect improvement on defense.
Senior Kevin Brockway will make his debut today, although he is more than familiar with the system. Brockway (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) was the backup each of the last three seasons. Last season he completed the only pass he attempted, and has five attempts for his career.
Brockway is talented, coach Denver Johnson said, but never did enough to supplant starter Luke Drone (2,222 passing yards last season).
“To unseat a starter, you have to do something demonstratively well,” Johnson said.
Illinois State also has senior tailback Geno Blow back from a broken left hand. He ran for 776 yards and eight touchdowns last year before his injury.
Also running the ball will be Parrish Fisher, a transfer from Kansas State who had 192 yards and a touchdown last year, and senior Walter Mendenhall. The Illinois transfer is the brother of current Pittsburgh Steeler Rashard Mendenhall.
Defensively, the Redbirds are led by senior free safety Tom Nelson.
He has six career interceptions and four of them have come against Big 12 teams.
Two of them came last year against Missouri’s Chase Daniel.
Marshall will look heavily to running back Darius Marshall (631 yards, three TDs). He will be backed up by senior Chubb Small (424, 5) and redshirt freshman Terrell Edwards.
Tight end Cody Slate (66 receptions, 818 yards, 5 TDs) and receiver Darius Passmore (45-660, 5) will be two of Cann’s top targets.
Snyder said inspiration — neither from the poor overall record nor from the three wins in the last five games — cannot be drawn from last season.
“This is a new year,” he said. “We’ve got 12 one-game seasons.”
Cavaliers face a daunting task from USC
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — On one side of the country, Virginia’s players anticipate their game against No. 3 Southern California as an opportunity to test themselves against the standard by which all college football programs are judged and the biggest game most of them have ever played.
And on the other, there’s Trojans tailback C.J. Gable, scoffing.
“They’re not better than our defense,” he said of the Cavaliers this week. “We’ve got the best defense I’m ever going to play against. ... Their defense is nothing compared to ours.”
The answer will come Saturday, when Cavaliers linebacker and co-captain Clint Sintim said he and his teammates would be foolish not to go in thinking they are decided underdogs.
“It’s one of the better teams in the nation, it has been for quite some time,” Sintim said. “It’s a great opportunity for our program to play a team of that caliber.”
He added: “Nobody expects us to win.”
That is not to say that Virginia doesn’t look forward to pulling off a shocker.
“I think everyone is going to be a little bit nervous,” left guard Zak Stair said. “It’s the first game and for a lot of guys, it’s going to be their first start.”
That will even be true of the Cavaliers quarterback, who is not expected to be revealed until Virginia’s first offensive series. Through training camp, coach Al Groh has contended that senior Scott Deke and sophomores Peter Lalich and Marc Verica have battled evenly.
Lalich is the only one of the three to have ever thrown a pass in college.
The battle has drawn a lot of attention throughout training camp, and none of the candidates have spoken publicly since Deke announced that all three had agreed, with Groh’s blessing, to withhold any comments until they actually accomplish something on the field.
Wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said he isn’t concerned about the choice taking so long.
“We know whoever it’s going to be, they’re going to be ready,” Ogletree said.
Ogletree will help make that so, bringing a deep threat to the wide receiver position in his return from missing all of last season with a knee injury. He caught a team-best 52 passes for 582 yards the year before and is eager to finally get his season underway.
The Trojans are too, and are expecting a stiff test at sold-out Scott Stadium.
“We know they’re a solidly coached defense, a very disciplined group. I know it’s going to be a challenge for us,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “We’re a new team, we’re trying to put our stamp on the USC tradition. ... We’ll find out a lot about ourselves on Saturday.”
Sanchez has already shown his toughness, needing just 17 days to bounce back from a dislocated kneecap before declaring himself ready to go behind a rebuilt offensive line.
The line will protect him, said guard Jeff Byers, the lone returning starter.
“I really feel like we’re ready for any blitz situation they throw at us,” he said. “If we can handle this situation, we can handle anything. The only way you become the best is to play the best. ... I believe, I hope, we’re going to do special things.”
The contrast of programs will continue after the game, too. While the Trojans host Ohio State in two weeks, Virginia hosts Richmond of the Football Championship Subdivision.
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