Surprising West Virginia rises with young players
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia was about to go for a 2-point conversion in triple overtime when wide receiver Dorrell Jalloh wanted a quick word with quarterback Pat White, one redshirt freshman to another. Jalloh had a hunch that Louisville would concentrate on two other receivers, leaving him uncovered in the back of the end zone. “So just hit me,” Jalloh told White.
Sure enough, White found a wide-open Jalloh, the Mountaineer defense eventually stopped Louisville on its possession and West Virginia won 46-44.
“It worked like it was a dream. We just thought it up,” Jalloh said. “It was just magic out there the way me and Pat clicked, so hopefully he can trust me and the coaches can trust me and we can go out there and do it again.”
Youngsters playing like veterans have No. 20 West Virginia quietly off to a 6-1 start for the second straight season. And a favorable schedule the rest of the way has the Mountaineers pointing to an elusive Bowl Championship Series berth.
So much for a rebuilding year.
“Hey, we’re excited now,” said fifth-year coach Rich Rodriguez.
Considering he had just 18 seniors, it took Rodriguez a few games and lineup shuffles to figure out who his best players were. Redshirting or benching prized recruits wasn’t going to work.
Half of the current skill-position starters had never played in college before.
“I feel like the more the freshmen help out now, the better we will be later on,” said running back Steve Slaton. “We just want the best guys in there. We’re just going to get better and better.”
Slaton may be the most pleasant surprise on an offense with many fast learners.
Playing on the team’s deepest position, Slaton didn’t get a carry in three of the first four games yet was given the start two weeks ago. He gained 139 yards against Rutgers, then plowed through Louisville’s respected run defense for a season-high 188 yards. All of his school-record six touchdowns came after halftime.
Other contributing first-timers include freshman kicker Pat McAfee, the team’s top scorer; sophomore Owen Schmitt, a Division III player two years ago who has become the team’s most active fullback in two decades; sophomore receiver Darius Reynaud, and Jalloh, whose two career catches have gone for points.
“We don’t have a lot of star individuals. We have a lot of individuals that make up a great team,” center Dan Mozes said.
As expected, there have been many growing pains.
The offense may be a bit one-sided and has sputtered; the defense ranks in the top 25 both against the run and pass but has had seen porous moments.
Behind a veteran offensive line, West Virginia runs the ball 73 percent of the time but ranks near the bottom of Division I-A in passing yards. Until a 17-point outburst in the fourth quarter Saturday against Louisville, the Mountaineers hadn’t scored a second-half touchdown in three games.
The newbie who was supposed to be the biggest star of them all, freshman running back Jason Gwaltney, is out for a month with a knee injury.
Despite graduating most of its offensive production from 2004, the no-huddle offense has worked well with mobile quarterbacks Adam Bednarik and White. Rodriguez considers them interchangeable.
Bednarik, a 220-pound sophomore who doesn’t mind collisions with defenders, has started all seven games but has gotten hurt in four of them.
White led a 24-point fourth quarter burst in a win against Maryland, then engineered the improbable comeback against Louisville with scores on West Virginia’s final six drives, including three after regulation.
“To be honest with you, I felt like I didn’t even do anything. I just handed the ball off to Slaton and Schmitt,” said White, who turned down a baseball contract offer last year from the Los Angeles Angels and could get his first start Saturday night at South Florida.
Rodriguez said he can’t wait to see how his rookies will fare with a few years’ experience.
“But right now we’re just worried about today’s practice,” he said.