Morgantown, WV - The third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers begin their national title hunt in Morgantown this Saturday, as they entertain the Western Michigan Broncos from Milan Puskar Stadium.
The Mountaineers have become a national power under head coach Rich Rodriguez, who has led this program to back-to-back top 10 finishes and four consecutive New Year's Day bowl appearances. WVU has also won 30 games over the past three seasons, marking the best three-year total in school history. Last year, the Mountaineers finished 11-2 and that included a 38-35 triumph over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl. With several key players back from last year's group and a favorable schedule, WVU could easily find itself playing for the national title come January. The Mountaineers however, must be careful not to get ahead of themselves, as they are playing an opponent that is more than capable of springing an upset in WMU.
Last season, the Broncos put together one of their best campaigns in recent memory, as they finished 8-5 en route to their first bowl appearances since 1988. Although they dropped a 27-24 decision to Cincinnati in the International Bowl, the Broncos' season was a huge success and there are even higher expectations now with the return of 15 starters from last year's bunch.
WMU and WVU have met just one time previously on the gridiron, with the Mountaineers posting a 34-9 victory in 1996.
The Broncos ranked just 78th in the nation in total offense (319.5 ypg) last season, but they made the big plays when it counted most. While the return of eight starters is certainly a positive, the loss of quarterback Ryan Cubit will be hard to overcome. Thomas Peregin, who picked up two starts last season, and Tim Hiller, the 2005 MAC Freshman of the Year, are the top two candidates to replace Cubit. Hiller has the most potential of the two and he appears to be fully healed from the knee injury that kept him off the field in '06. Whoever is under center will have the luxury of throwing to the team's top two targets from a year ago in Jamarko Simmons and Chris Maragos. The duo combined for 98 catches, 1,091 receiving yards and eight touchdowns and they should be just as effective this time around. Another weapon this offense possesses is tailback Mark Bonds, who rushed for 1,082 yards and seven scores last season. Bonds, along with speedster Brandon West (633 rushing yards) gives the Broncos a solid one-two punch.
On the defensive side of the ball is where the Broncos excelled last year, ranking sixth against the run (76.1 ypg) and 11th overall (275.4 ypg). The good news is that seven starters are welcomed back. The bad news is that linebacker Ameer Ismail isn't one of those players. Ismail was a huge part of the unit's success last season and his national best 17 sacks will surely be missed. Trying to fill the void left by Ismail will be Dustin Duclo, who is a tough and gritty player that posted 53 stops a year ago. Up front, Cory Flom (33 stops) and Nick Varcadipane (51 tackles) return to their tackle positions and they should once again play a big part in this unit's success against the run. As for the secondary, it is the strength of this defense thanks to the return of all four starters from a unit that led the nation with 24 interceptions in '06. Cornerback Londen Fryar recorded a team-high five interceptions and he has the ability to shut down any opposing wide receiver.
With the return of quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton, the Mountaineers will surely possess one of the most explosive offenses in the nation once again. The duo has accounted for most of the team's offense the past two seasons, including last year when WVU ranked second in rushing (303.0 ypg) and fifth in total yards (461.4 ypg). White tends to get overshadowed a bit by Slaton, but he was the one named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in '06. The versatile signal-caller threw for 1,655 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, while also rushing for 1,219 yards and 18 more touchdowns. His ability to run has certainly helped open things up for Slaton, who is a speedy back that rushed for 1,744 yards and 16 touchdowns on 248 rushing attempts in '06. A serious contender for the Heisman Trophy, Slaton is a threat to take it all the way on every touch and that was evident in his 7.0 yard per carry average last season. The offensive line is also big and athletic, and there is no doubt that WVU will put up a ton of points this season.
For the Mountaineers to compete for a national title, they will need to shore up their defense, which ranked 62nd in total yards (336.6 ypg) and a dreadful 109th versus the pass (243.3 ypg). Seven starters, including just about everyone in the secondary, are welcomed back and that should help WVU turn things around. Up front, Keilen Dykes enters his fourth year as a starter and the tackle is solid against the run and he also has enough quickness to get into he backfield, posting 5.5 TFLs and three sacks last year. No starters return to the linebacker positions, but the Mountaineers do welcome back several other players with experience. As mentioned earlier, the secondary was weak last season, but the return of several starters should have this unit on the rise. Eric Wicks, a three-year starter at safety, highlights the secondary and he is coming off a solid '06 campaign in which he posted 11.0 TFLs, seven sacks and three interceptions.
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