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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Scouting West Virginia: RBs and FBs
December 17, 2007 | Football
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Scouting West Virginia | OL | DL | RB & FB | LB | WR & TE | DB | QB | SP | Coaches & Intangibles |
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Scouting: Running Backs & Fullbacks |
Dynamic. One word is all that is needed to describe West Virginia's dangerous backfield. Featuring an explosive spread-option offense, the Mountaineers have possessed one of the nation's most potent rushing attacks over the last three seasons, averaging over 3,500 yards on the ground per year.
The presence of quarterback Patrick White and superback Steve Slaton (West Virginia actually lists the running back position as "superback" on its depth chart) has had a lot to do with that. With 1,185 and 1,053 rushing yards respectively this year, they became just the third pair of teammates in NCAA history to both run for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. White actually leads the team in rushing, but there is no doubt that Slaton is equally as explosive. The 2006 consensus All-American is West Virginia's career rushing touchdowns leader (50) and is tied for second with 21 career 100-yard games.
White and Slaton form the nation's most prolific QB/RB duo, but the backfield doesn't stop there. After all, you don't rush for 3,515 yards in a season with just two players. Seven different Mountaineers, including six running backs, have accounted for WVU's 45 rushing touchdowns in 2007. Among them is true freshman Noel Devine, who was even more hyped coming out of high school than Slaton was a few years back. Devine burst onto the college football scene in the third game of the year against Maryland with 136 yards on just five carries and finished the season third on the team in rushing with 519 yards on 60 carries (8.7-yard average).
While West Virginia's spread attack is based primarily on speed, the running game wouldn't be complete without a bruising fullback. The Mountaineers have just that in senior Owen Schmitt, who has busted a total of 10 facemasks, his own or otherwise, during the course of his career. A product of one of the nation's most successful walk-on programs, Schmitt was labeled the "No. 1 workout freak" by ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman. He ran for a career-high 109 yards and two touchdowns in WVU's bowl game last year and has combined with White and Slaton for over 75 percent of WVU's rushing output over the last three seasons.
It's no secret that the Mountaineers like to run the football (589 of their 835 offensive plays in 2007 have come on the ground), and they are extremely good at it, but Pitt proved they can be stopped. The Panthers held West Virginia to a season-low 104 yards on the ground and snapped a streak of 31 consecutive game in which the Mountaineers had outrushed their opponent.
The only other game WVU was held below 200 rushing yards was at South Florida on September 28 when the Mountaineers gained just 188 on the ground. Those two games mark West Virginia's only losses on the season.
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Key Matchups |
West Virginia's speedsters are almost unstoppable once they get into the open field, with 40 rushing plays of 20 yards or more on the season. Oklahoma's front seven must therefore keep the Mountaineers in front of them.
Slowing down West Virginia's spread-option will require a disciplined effort from the defensive line to disrupt the flow at the point of attack. If that happens, OU's linebackers will get their opportunities at White, Slaton and the rest of the crew.
Nobody has thrived in big games against high-powered offenses this year more than Curtis Lofton. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year can wreak havoc from sideline-to-sideline and has shown a tenacity for finding the football. In addition to his team-leading 142 tackles, Lofton has forced four fumbles and recovered one which he returned for a touchdown. Fellow linebackers Ryan Reynolds and Lewis Baker, as well as safeties Nic Harris and D.J. Wolfe, will also be relied upon to stop West Virginia's backs before they can accelerate to full speed.
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OU vs. the Option |
Oklahoma suffocated Texas A&M's option game, allowing the Aggies just 128 yards on the ground in the 42-14 win in Norman on November 3. Auston English and Gerald McCoy each recorded a sack while the Sooner linebackers combined for 20 stops. The OU defense amassed seven tackles for loss for minus-29 yards.
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Key Numbers |
| 292.92 | Average rushing yards per game for West Virginia |
| 91.92 | Average rushing yards allowed per game by the Sooners |
| 4 | West Virginia's national rank in rushing offense |
| 8 | Oklahoma's national rank in rushing defense |
| 59 | Average national rank of rushing defenses WVU has faced this season |
| 40 | Rushing plays of 20 yards or more the Mountaineers have had this season |
| 8 | Rushes of 20 yards or more the Sooners have allowed |
| 45 | Rushing touchdowns by West Virgnia's offense |
| 13 | Rushing touchdowns allowed by OU's defense |
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2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl |
No. 3 Oklahoma faces No. 9 West Virginia in the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 2 in Glendale, Ariz. It's OU's sixth BCS bowl game in eight seasons and second consecutive trip to the Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners clinched a BCS berth with the program's fifth Big 12 title since 2000 by defeating then-No. 1 Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Complete coverage of the game and an archive of the scouting reports are available at Sooner Fiesta Bowl Central. The OU Athletics Department has a limited amount of tickets in official OU sections of the stadium. Sooner fans can check availability online or call the OU Athletics Ticket Office toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU or locally at (405) 325-2424.
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