outlook WVU vs. 2010 Schedule
West Virginia owns a 159-124-8 record against its 2010 opponents. The Mountaineers have winning records over Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland and Rutgers. WVU faces Coastal Carolina, LSU and UNLV for the first time. Pitt, Syracuse and USF have the upper hand in the series with WVU.
The Numbers From Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven
The West Virginia Mountaineers have been one of the best teams in college football in the last seven years. West Virginia’s two-year record (2008-09) of 18-8 is tied for 21stbest in college football. West Virginia’s three-year record (2007-09) of 29-10 is 15thbest in college football. West Virginia’s four-year record of 40-12 is 11th-best in college football behind only Boise State (494), Florida (48-7), Texas (45-8), Ohio State (44-8), BYU (43-9), USC (439), TCU (42-10), Oklahoma (42-13), Cincinnati (41-12) and Virginia Tech (41-13). West Virginia’s five-year record of 51-13 is the eighth-best in college football behind only Texas (58-8), Boise State (58-8), Florida (57-10), USC (55-10), Ohio State (54-10), TCU (53-11) and Virginia Tech (5215). West Virginia’s six-year record of 59-17 is ninth-best in college football behind Texas (69-9), Boise State (69-9), USC (68-10), Florida (64-15), Ohio State (62-14), Oklahoma (6218), Virginia Tech (62-18) and LSU (60-18). And finally, West Virginia has 66 wins over the last seven years, which is good enough for 12th-place in college football.
Under Center
The 2010 season marks the second-straight year in which the Mountaineers will have to break in a new starting quarterback. Pat White finished his record-setting career in 2008, and Jarrett Brown had a successful senior season after taking the reins in 2009. The leading candidate heading into the season is Geno Smith. He was limited in spring because of a broken bone in his left foot but was able to throw during the non-contact drills. The sophomore signal caller saw action in five games last season, completing 32-of-49 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown. His top performance was in relief of Brown against Marshall when he threw for
54
147 yards on 15-of-21 passing and a touchdown in the 24-7 victory. Redshirt sophomore Coley White showed tremendous improvement during the spring, while true freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson will add depth.
A Devine Campaign
After having an outstanding junior year, running back Noel Devine decided to return for his senior season and not enter the NFL Draft. His outstanding speed and ability make him a candidate for the top award in the land, the Heisman Trophy. Devine, a unanimous first team all-BIG EAST Conference selection, WVU’s co-Offensive MVP selected by the coaching staff and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, had one of the best seasons for a Mountaineer running back in school annals in 2009, rushing for a career-best 1,465 yards, the fourth-best singleseason performance in school history, on 241 carries, with 13 touchdowns, a 6.1 yards-per-carry average and 112.7 per game. His numbers ranked him second in the BIG EAST and No. 17 nationally. He posted seven 100-yard rushing efforts on the year and had seven rushes of 50 yards or more, four of which went for touchdowns. He posted his career-high rushing performance last season against Colorado, when he ran for 220 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. He also ran for 178 yards against Connecticut and 168 yards against Florida State in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl. Devine is currently No. 5 on West Virginia’s career rushing chart, registering 3,381 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per rush and 23 touchdowns. He also ranks No. 10 on the BIG EAST’s all-time rushing yardage list. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in 15 games in his career, tying for No. 10 in the BIG EAST career rankings.
Solving Problems Fullback Ryan Clarke emerged in 2009 as a threat for the Mountaineers, complementing the elusive running of Noel Devine. The bruiser fixed West Virginia’s short yardage problems from 2008 with several key short yardage conversions throughout the season, including a big fourth-down conversion on the game-winning drive against Pitt. While only toting the ball 60 times, he still managed eight touchdowns, which converted into a score every 7.5 carries. Clarke is the second-leading rusher returning from a year ago after finishing 2009 with 250 yards on the ground and a solid 4.2 yards per rush.
West Virginia University Quick Facts GENERAL
Name of School: West Virginia University City: Morgantown, W.Va. Founded: 1867 Enrollment: 28,898 Nickname: Mountaineers School Colors: Gold (PMS 124) and Blue (PMS 295) Stadium: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (1980) Capacity: 60,000 Surface: FieldTurf Affiliation: Football Bowl Subdivision Conference: BIG EAST President: Dr. James P. Clements (UMBC, ’85) Director of Athletics: Oliver Luck (West Virginia, ’82) Official Web Site: MSNsportsNET.com
HISTORY
First Year of Football: 1891 Seasons Played: 117 years All-Time Record: 682-450-45 (.599) All-Time Bowl Record: 13-16 (.448) Last Postseason Appearance: 2010 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Result: Lost to Florida State, 33-21
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Bill Stewart (Fairmont State, ’75) Record at School: 19-8 (2 years) Career Record: 27-33 (5 years) Football Office Phone: 304.293.4194 Football Fax: 304.293.3010 Best Time/Day to Reach Coach: Contact Director of Football Communications BIG EAST Conference Call: Mondays, 11:10-12:30 p.m. (ET)
Assistant Coaches
Steve Dunlap (West Virginia, ‘76) – Assistant Head Coach/Safeties/ Defensive Special Teams Jeff Casteel (California, Pa., ’84) – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Jeff Mullen (Wittenberg, ’90) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Chris Beatty (East Tennessee State, ’95) – Running Backs and Slot Receivers/Director of Recruiting Lonnie Galloway (Western Carolina, ’94) – Wide Receivers Dave Johnson (West Virginia, ’85) – Offensive Line Bill Kirelawich (Salem, ’69) – Defensive Line David Lockwood (West Virginia, ’89) – Cornerbacks David McMichael (Bowling Green, ’74) – Tight Ends/Offensive Special Teams
Administrative Staff
Mike Kerin (Colorado, ’77) – Assistant Director of Athletics/ Football Operations Donnie Young (West Virginia, ’65) – Assistant to Head Football Coach Pat Kirkland (Muskingum ’97) – Coordinator of Recruiting Operations Dan Nehlen (West Virginia, ’85) – Equipment Manager Brett Kelley (Fairmont State, ’04) – Video Coordinator
Academic Staff
Sandy Cole-Dement (West Virginia, ’90) – Educational Counselor Donnie Tucker (West Virginia Wesleyan, ’83) – Educational Counselor
Strength and Conditioning Staff
Mike Joseph (Fairmont State, ’99) – Director of Strength and Conditioning Corey Twine (Norfolk State, ’00) – Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning Bryan Fitzpatrick (Towson, ’05) – Coordinator of Speed Development Kevin McCadam (Virginia Tech, ’07) – Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Athletic training Staff
John Spiker (West Virginia, ’69) – Coordinator of Athletic Medical Services Dave Kerns (Penn State, ’83) – Head Football Athletic Trainer Tony Corley (West Virginia, ’97) – Assistant Football Athletic Trainer
TEAM INFORMATION
2009 Record: 9-4 Conference Record/Finish: 5-2/T-2 Final Ranking (Poll): No. 22 USA Today Coaches, No. 25 AP Basic Offense: Spread Option