Western
Michigan brings a veteran squad to take on the
Mountaineers on Saturday.
Western Michigan should provide a good early test for West Virginia as the Broncos enter Morgantown coming off an 8-5 season in which
they went to a bowl game for the first time in nearly twenty years. Head Coach Bill Cubit brings a tested squad
to Morgantown
with eight returning starters from the nation’s 11th best defense
from a year ago. The Broncos also led
the nation in sacks in 2006 with 46.
On the offensive side of the ball WMU brings back nine
starters and also gets back quarterback Tim Hiller from injury. Running backs Mark Bonds and Brandon West are
a solid duo that will give many teams fits this season. The receiving corp. should be just as
consistent and add a nice mix with the running game.
The story of Western Michigan’s
turnaround from a 1-10 season a few years ago to now has been the defense. They may have to the two best cornerbacks in
the MAC in E.J. Biggers and London Fryar.
The defensive front contains numerous play makers as well who can get to
the quarterback.
The lone weakness of the Broncos, besides maybe their speed,
is their special teams. Punting was a
problem for the Broncos a year ago and failure to improve could be costly against
a potent Mountaineer attack. Not to
mention the punt returning skills of Vaughn Rivers, Antonio Lewis and newcomer
Noel Devine.
Sacks were a problem for the Mountaineer defense a year ago
and Western Michigan could pose a problem for
the Mountaineer defensive line. The
Broncos only surrendered 17 sacks last season, comparing well to the 15 that
the Mountaineers surrendered. Making it feasible
to believe the WMU offensive line has the talent and skill like West Virginia’s from a
year ago.
There will be an obvious edge in talent on the West Virginia sideline
this Saturday. But, Western Michigan,
who beat Virginia in Charlottesville
last season, has the depth and experience to challenge West Virginia if they are not on top of
their game. However, eight months of
anticipation and a raucous crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium should make sure that
WVU comes out smoking.
Prediction: WVU-
38 WMU-13
West
Virginia
will score quickly on it’s opening drive to take an early lead, making the WMU
defense feel inferior. Steve Slaton will
run for at least 150 yards and two scores and Pat White will throw for over 100
yards and two scores, while rushing over the century mark and a third touchdown
. The score may be close at halftime,
with a possible 21-10 or 14-10 on the scoreboard. But West
Virginia will dominate the second half and pull away
for a solid opening day victory.
Coming Wednesday: Countdown To Kickoff: Team Comparison
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West Virginia 