WVU parts ways with three players

WVU parts ways with three players

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By Rick Starr
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 2, 2006

Backup West Virginia running back Pernell Williams appeared headed for a bright future after rushing for 52 yards as a freshman against Pitt two seasons ago.

However, Williams and two other backups have left the Mountaineers for failing to meet program standards off the field, according to university spokesperson Shelly Poe. Citing privacy issues, Poe declined further comment.

Junior running back Tyler Benoit and sophomore defensive linemen Chad Mayse also won't return when summer drills open in July.

Losing both Williams and Benoit creates depth problems for the Mountaineers, who are expected to again feature sophomore tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White as their two top runners.

Following the Gold-Blue spring game April 15, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez named Benoit as one of the backup tailbacks he needed to emerge before next season to provide depth at the position often hit by injuries.

Benoit, from Broussard, La., changed positions from defensive back to tailback this spring.

Williams, from New Lebanon, Ohio, started last season in the four-way rotation at tailback but lost out when Slaton ran over his competition. Slaton, who was named a Freshman All-American, scored 16 touchdowns and carried the ball 179 times in the Mountaineers' final nine games.

Meanwhile, Williams gained 313 yards and scored three touchdowns on 65 carries in eight games. He ended his career with five touchdowns and 510 yards rushing on 132 attempts for a 3.9-yard rushing average.

Williams arrived as a prized recruit out of Jefferson High in Dayton, Ohio, where he rushed for 3,800 career yards.

He broke out in his first game for West Virginia, rushing for 89 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown, on 16 carries at Connecticut in 2004.

Mayse, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound converted linebacker from Mentor, Ohio, was redshirted during the 2004 season and did not make a tackle last season.