Continental Tire Bowl
West Virginia confident it can stop ACC player of year CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – One by one, West Virginia’s defensive players were asked to identify Virginia’s quarterback, and the response was the same.
“Number 7.”
A swagger? Probably not. Just a confident unit bent on stopping opponents rather than knowing them by name.
The Mountaineer defense shook off three poor performances early in the season to finish with four straight victories, including back-to-back road wins over ranked teams.
No. 15 West Virginia (9-3) hopes that momentum carries over to Saturday’s Continental Tire Bowl against Virginia (8-5).
“They should respect our defense. They’ve seen how we play,” said West Virginia linebacker James Davis. “Our defense stepped up to another level each game.”
So has Virginia’s Matt Schaub.
The 6-foot-5 junior rebounded from an early-season benching to throw a school-record 27 touchdown passes – the same as Washington State’s Jason Gesser and one more than Miami’s Ken Dorsey and Marshall’s Byron Leftwich.
Schaub had just seven interceptions, including two over the final six games. His 68.7 completion percentage ranked second in the nation.
Even if Schaub’s name doesn’t stick with opponents, respect for him has. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
“Number 7, he’s tall and has got a good arm,” said West Virginia linebacker Ben Collins. “His name doesn’t matter much. We’ve just got to stop him out there on the field.”
Overall, the Mountaineers weren’t dominant on defense this season. It ranked 28th in Division I-A in total defense at 330 yards per game and allowed 15 passing touchdowns.
It was the way the unit came together after being embarrassed by Wisconsin and Maryland and allowing top-ranked Miami to take over in the fourth quarter for a 40-23 win.
Over the final four games, West Virginia allowed 20 or fewer points. It made two late goal-line stands against Virginia Tech on Nov. 20.
A week later, Pittsburgh drove from its own 7 to the West Virginia 11 as time wound down. But the defense got a sack and forced Rod Rutherford to throw three straight incompletions into the end zone.
“We’ve got each other’s backs,” said Collins, whose pass breakup on fourth down against Pitt ended the threat.
“If somebody will mess up, our attitude’s going to help make sure somebody else is going to be in the right spot,” he said.
If the Mountaineers fall into their earlier habits against Virginia, the bowl game could land Schaub among the nation’s top returning quarterbacks next season.
“I think certainly Matt’s reputation will spread,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “Now the challenge is there to meet that performance one again.”