THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
8 | SPORTS
Monday October 10, 2011
WVU special teams come up big against Connecticut by cody schuler sports writer
Following Saturday’s 43-16 victory over Connecticut, West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen did something he hasn’t done all year – he spoke well of the special teams. “The thing I’m proud of more than anything is we made great strides with our special teams,” Holgorsen said. Holgorsen has referred to it again and again throughout the season that the key to success is winning the battle on offense, defense and with special teams. While the No. 13 Mountaineers have been able to piece together two of those characteristics throughout the season, Saturday was the first time in six tries West Virginia displayed all three during the same game. “You can’t win a championship unless you have three sides of the equation. The thing I like about this team right now is three sides of the ball understanding their jobs,” he said. After watching LSU run amok on kickoff returns, Holgorsen yanked some of the younger, inexperienced guys off the field and replaced them
matt sunday/the daily athenaeum
Redshirt junior kicker Tyler Bitancurt made two field goals against Connecticut. Redshirt freshman Michael Molinari, pictured as the holder, started his first game at punter. with battle-tested defensive starters such as redshirt senior defensive back Keith Tandy and redshirt senior safety Eain Smith. For the second week in a
row, the personnel switch paid off. The Huskies averaged fewer than 20 yards on six returns– the longest one going for 26 yards.
Adding to the great return coverage was a West Virginia kicking game that was very solid in all areas for the first time this season. In his first career start, red-
shirt freshman punter Michael Molinari exceeded expectations. The Parkersburg, W.Va., native averaged 43 yards on five punts, including three inside of the UConn 20-yard line. Molinari’s second punt of the game traveled 45 yards before going out of bounds just before the goal line, forcing the UConn offense to start the ensuing drive from its own two-yard line. Holgorsen was pleased most by Molinari’s ability to make the most of his opportunity. “Sometimes you have put guys in a game situation and give guys chances to see if they can do it,” he said. “UConn didn’t come after him as much and that changes guys as well, but he had time to kick it and the conditions were good and he took advantage of his opportunity.” Molinari started in place of redshirt junior Corey Smith, his friend and roommate. While nothing personal has developed out of the competition, Molinari explained how important it was for him to make the most of the opportunity. “You have to take advantage of these opportunities when you get them,” he said. “You can’t let them slide by or any-
thing, so you just have to go out there with confidence and make it happen.” West Virginia finished the game with net punting of 41.4 yards per punt – the best performance all season. Smith was not entirely missing from the field, however, as he kicked off five times out of eight opportunities for the Mountaineers. Smith would finish the day with an average of 64.2 yards per kickoff, a consistent performance with only one blemish – an illegal procedure penalty when he sent a kickoff out-of-bounds. Junior kicker Tyler Bitancurt continued his consistent ways, converting on field goal attempts of 31 and 33 yards. He also went a perfect five-forfive on extra points. Bitancurt is now 11-of-12 on field goal attempts this season. The 2009 first-team all-Big East selection has vastly improved both his confidence and consistency, something the Mountaineers desperately needed to see. Bitancurt started the game as the kickoff specialist and finished with three kickoffs averaging 65 yards, including one touchback. charles.schuler@mail.wvu.edu
men’s soccer
Defense continues to lead way in upset over Georgetown by alex sims sports writer
Strong defensive play has been the catalyst as of late for the No. 25 West Virginia men’s soccer team. The Mountaineers have used two straight shutouts from junior goalkeeper Justin Holmes to earn two much-needed victories in Big East Conference play. Saturday’s 1-0 victory against No. 13 Georgetown moved the Mountaineers into a tie for third place in the Big East blue division standings. Following the win, WVU head coach Marlon LeBlanc stressed the value of keeping a quality in-conference opponent out of the net. “The shutout was good for us,” LeBlanc said. “We needed
the shutout, and we needed to play well.” Holmes has made two saves in each of West Virginia’s last two victories, giving him 20 on the year to go with three shutouts. A lineup adjustment was also a determining factor for the Mountaineers against Georgetown. LeBlanc made the switch from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 lineup, featuring five midfielders and three defenders. “I thought we defended well,” LeBlanc said. “We limited them to not many really good opportunities.” Defensive-minded midfielder Allan Flott made his second consecutive start, giving him three on the year. In high school, Flott played on the back line for the D.C. United Academy team but
made the transition to midfield when he came to West Virginia. The sophomore’s game has evolved thanks to the switch, allowing him to make an impact offensively as well as defensively. “Now, I just focus on keeping possession,” Flott said. “I try to go forward when I can and use my service to move defenders.” Flott’s play and the shift to a 3-5-2 have allowed the Mountaineers to open up their offense while staying stingy on defense. The adjustments also allowed WVU to limit Georgetown’s leading scorer, Ian Christianson, to only two shot attempts. The leading goal-scorers for West Virginia’s last seven opponents have combined for six shot attempts. Only Dom Dwyer from South
more sights from WVU’s win over UConn
brooke cassidy/the daily athenaeum
Head coach Dana Holgorsen, middle, and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh yell at the WVU offensive line during WVU’s win over UConn.
Florida and Patrick Innes from James Madison have found the net while facing WVU. This ability to shut down the opposition’s most talented players will be important going forward. The road will not be easy for the Mountaineers, as they will face rival Pittsburgh and Big East blue division leader Marquette, only to return home to take on No. 1 Connecticut. As the competition grows stronger, offensive breaks present themselves less and less, so consistent play by defensive captains Eric Schoenle and Ray Gaddis, strong play in the net by Holmes, and versatility added by Flott and displayed by the 3-5-2 lineup will all be imperative to West Virginia’s success. dasports@mail.wvu.edu
carvelli
Continued from page 7 the rest of the way. Offensively, it jump-started a 23-point third quarter led by Smith’s 173 yards and three touchdowns. But the biggest impact came on the defensive side of the ball. Including the 65 yards the Huskies went down the field before Snow recovered his fumble, UConn gained 243 yards on offense in its first eight possessions of the game. Those yards, and three field goals by all-Big East Conference kicker Dave Teggart allowed the Huskies to stay in the game in the first half (along with the slow start by the WVU offense). After Snow’s fumble recovery, however, Connecticut had a difficult time generating any offense at all. Its final seven drives in the game resulted in six punts, a WVU safety and just 32 yards on offense. And that turnover gave
football
Continued from page 7
matt sunday/the daily athenaeum
Freshman running back Dustin Garrison celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown.
brooke cassidy/the daily athenaeum
Defensive lineman Josh Taylor celebrates after sacking UConn quarterback Johnny McEntee.
matt sunday/the daily athenaeum
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Stedman Bailey runs downfield on his 84-yard touchdown catch.
“Your job as an offense is to just hang in there. It’s a long game.” After Snow’s fumble recovery in the third quarter, the Mountaineers scored on the very next play. Junior quarterback Geno Smith found junior inside receiver Tavon Austin on a 12yard slant pattern to give WVU a 17-9 lead. The offense exploded in the second half and finished with 541 yards of total offense. Smith finished the game with 450 yards passing and four touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns were to redshirt sophomore Stedman Bailey, who finished with 178 yards, his fourth straight game with more than 100 yards receiving. Bailey caught an 84-yard touchdown toward the end of the third quarter, the second longest touchdown pass in school
matt sunday/the daily athenaeum
Senior Ray Gaddis and the West Virginia defense limited No. 13 Georgetown to two shots on goal Saturday night. them all the momentum they needed. “The momentum completely shifted,” Snow said. “Our focus is to force turnovers on every possession. It was a great play (by Miller) on the fumble and when you just run to the ball on those type of plays, good things happen.” Saturday was Snow’s second straight start in place of injured linebacker Doug Rigg, and he’s been fantastic in both games. He led the Mountaineers with nine tackles against Bowling Green and added seven more to go with the crucial fumble recovery in the Big East opener. The boost Snow has given this defense the last few weeks has been incredible. “He’s able to get a good feel for the game,” Goode said of Snow. “We still help him out a little bit, but he’s comfortable running down in there and he makes plays.” Sure, even without his big play, the Mountaineers would have probably beaten the Huskies. But there’s no denying the
history. He caught the ball along the sideline, and a UConn defender tried to make a tackle but slipped, leaving green grass ahead of Bailey to run the rest of the way. “He wasn’t there to make the tackle,” Bailey said of the defender. “I saw the end zone and just figured I had to get on my high horse.” Austin finished with 74 yards and a touchdown and Ivan McCartney finished with six catches for 131 yards. The WVU offense scored on all four possessions inside the red zone. Redshirt freshman punter Michael Molinari got his first career start and took advantage of it right away. On his first punt of the game in the second quarter, the Parkersburg native punted the ball 41 yards to UConn’s 2-yard line. His second attempt in the fourth quarter went for 47 yards to UConn’s 15-yard line.
fact that when Miller made that hit and Snow rumbled his way down the field just as UConn was driving deep into Mountaineer territory to take the lead, the game changed. For the second time this year, the WVU defense faced the threat of losing a lead to an opponent in the second half and someone on the defense stepped up and made a play. The situation on Saturday was obviously a bit different than Eain Smith’s game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter against Maryland, but the concept is the same. When this defense has needed someone to step up and force a turnover, it’s happened. They say having a good defense can win championships. And to have a good defense, you have to be able to force turnovers and drain out any momentum the opponent has. This WVU defense has the ability to do just that, and it helped pave the way to a big win Saturday. james.carvelli@mail.wvu.edu
Back
brooke cassidy/the daily athenaeum
Senior defensive end Bruce Irvin finished with 1.5 sacks Saturday.
Defensively, safeties Eain Smith and Darwin Cook led WVU with eight tackles apiece.
Back
ben.gaughan@mail.wvu.edu