October 11, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - With non-conference play now in the rear view mirror, the West Virginia University football team is now ready to get down to the business of defending their three consecutive Big East Championships. Standing in the way this Saturday is a familiar foe in the Syracuse Orange.
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| Cornerback Vaughn Rivers calls the Big East schedule a seven-round playoff. AP photo | |
Despite finishing their non-conference slate a perfect 5-0, the No. 4 Mountaineers are coming off an 11-penalty performance against Mississippi State that is a cause for concern. With conference play only days away, Coach Rich Rodriguez has made sure his team got the message this week in practice.
“We had some long meetings and we did a little extra work in practice and I hope there was a sense of urgency to get the penalties corrected,” Rodriguez said. “One, because we need to and two, because we start Big East play and for us in this program everything is ratcheted up a little bit in Big East play.”
If the head ball coach has seemed a little grumpier than normal the last couple weeks it is a result of some concerning trends that have developed on defense, highlighted by what he calls missed assignments and passive play. Rodriguez and his staff are working hard to get things squared away before the Orange arrive on Saturday.
“There wasn’t a lot in the first three games that was overly alarming. In the last two and particularly in the last one, some of the things that are easily corrected and show a lack of discipline showed up. I hope they got the message -- we have a great group of guys so I think they did. It’s certainly not a disaster but it could be better right now and it needs to be,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez sees his younger defensive players working hard in practice everyday. They simply need to develop more confidence and play with what he calls a “hard edge” as conference play begins.
“Some of it is inexperience,” he said. “It’s not like they are not giving a good effort but I think when you are not sure of yourself you play a little tentative and you don’t play as aggressively as you can.”
“I told the defense today I think they play more aggressively in practice against the starting offense than they do in the games. To me, that says they are either afraid to make a mistake or they are playing too passively. I don’t think they are consciously doing that -- it has just happened that way,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez knows all his defense needs is confidence. He believes that comes from playing with intelligence and simply turning it loose.
“Some coaches will take the approach that you have got to get them more confidence and sugar them up a little bit. I’m not Dr. Phil or Oprah and I’m not going to call a psychologist. I tell them to just play the way they are capable of playing,” Rodriguez said.
Despite his concerns, Rodriguez maintains the defense has still been reasonably effective.
“It’s not like we are giving up 30 points a game and teams are running for 500 yards or anything like that,” he said. “They have played pretty good for the most part but our expectations are pretty high here and we certainly can improve. We have to play at an even higher level to get where we want to go and we’re getting close.”
As the attention turns toward a much improved Orange team, players and coaches alike are aware of what a hard-hitting game it is year in and year out against Syracuse. Expect some serious paint swapping on Saturday afternoon.
“It is always one of the most physical games,” Rodriguez said. “There is no surprise there. I think it has been that way for many years. We have been fortunate to win the last couple but they were very tough ballgames. Last year was a defensive battle and we won because the defense was so physical and made plays. That is something we will try to get back to on Saturday.”
Cornerback Vaughn Rivers agrees.
“I like to think all Big East games are really physical but there is no doubt when we play Syracuse it is an extremely physical game,” he said.
The Pittsburgh, Pa., native always gets juiced up when it comes time for conference play.
“It’s really exciting for me. It is like a new season for us. Sometimes you even get to go up against guys that you played in high school,” Rivers said.
Fullback Owen Schmitt recognizes this Syracuse team is vastly different from the one the Mountaineers defeated 15-7 in the Carrier Dome last September.
“They are a lot better than last year. Last year they were learning a new system with a new coaching staff and this year they seem to have a lot of defensive speed and a great pass rush so we will need to be prepared for that,” Schmitt said.
With the defense of their conference titles on the horizon, the Fairfax, Va., native has noticed a renewed sense of urgency and a heightened intensity level in practice.
“We didn’t play a very solid game on Saturday so now that we are getting into the conference we are picking things up and making everything crisper and trying to eliminate penalties and stupid mistakes,” Schmitt said. “We are fine-tuning our assignments so when Saturday comes we don’t have to think, we can just fly around and have fun.”
Rivers recognizes that from here on out every game is extremely important.
“Everything counts now. It doesn’t matter who the team is, as long as it is a Big East team the game is very important. It is almost like a seven-game playoff and every round counts,” Rivers said.
Round one begins Saturday.
Kick off from Milan Puskar Stadium is set for noon. ESPN Regional will televise the game. Those outside the coverage area can follow the game on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 152 or on the Internet through CSTV All Access.
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