West Virginia Mountaineer fans thought in August that their
team would be playing for a National Championship in January. They just didn’t think it would happen this
way. After an LSU loss on Friday to Arkansas, the Mountaineers controlled their own destiny
needing to take care of business against Connecticut
and Pittsburgh. One down, one to go. The Mountaineers handled the Huskies with
ease on Saturday racking up over 600 yards of offense and putting 66 points on
the board.
Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Noel Devine sliced up a Connecticut defense on
Saturday that had not given up more than 27 points all season long. Connecticut’s
defense was the main reason the Huskies even challenged for a Big East title
this season and they were one win away from accomplishing the impossible. However, they ran into a buzz saw in the West
Virginia Mountaineers. Pat White again
proved he is one of the top players in college football leading the
Mountaineers to a 66-21 victory. West Virginia had its
back-ups in early in the fourth quarter after the Mountaineers tore off 42
straight points.
West Virginia
freshman Noel Devine and Jock Sanders combined for 176 yards and two touchdowns,
showing a glimpse of what is to come in the next few years of West Virginia
Football.
The Mountaineers tallied 517 yards on the ground as 7
different players carried the ball a combined 52 times. West
Virginia averaged 10 yards per carry in the game. The Mountaineer offense weren’t the only ones
who impressed on Saturday. Reed Williams
and the defense forced three Husky turnovers including a fumble recovered in
the end zone for a touchdown. The
Huskies did rush for over 200 yards on the Mountaineer defense, however, the
Husky carried the ball 50 times averaging just 4 yards per rush.
With the win and the LSU loss, the Mountaineers moved into
the #2 spot in the BCS standings on Sunday.
The Missouri Tigers jumped over the Mountaineers after their win over Kansas on Saturday night
and hold a slim lead over WVU in the #1 spot.
Sitting at #3 is Ohio State, a team who will be rooting for either Pitt to
beat West Virginia or Oklahoma
to beat Missouri.
A number of BCS scenarios remain however. Should Missouri
lose and West Virginia win, it is likely that
the Buckeyes will jump into the #2 spot and play West Virginia in the title. Should West Virginia
lose and Missouri
win, it will likely be the Tigers and Buckeyes.
If both teams should lose, that is where it will get tricky. The likely scenario would pit Ohio State
against a two-loss Georgia
team who failed to make it’s conference title game. Another outcry against the BCS would be
likely if that scenario were to play out.
However, be sure the Mountaineers and Tigers will be on top of their
game this Saturday as they attempt to place themselves in the BCS Championship
game in January.
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