Bleacher Report - Articles by Thalmus Thomas

2009 West Virginia Football Preview: No Pat White From 'Eer on Out

Thalmus Thomas — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:46:00 -0400

Football season is drawing near in Morgantown, and the Mountaineers are gearing up for what will surely be an exciting year. But there’s something different about this team. Something that’s missing that used to be with teams past.

What could it be?

Oh yeah that’s right, Pat White isn't with the team anymore. For the first time in what seems like a quarter of a century, the Mountaineers have gone through the offseason without their fearless leader.

Day in and day out, White gave his all leading the team to four bowl game victories, becoming the first starting QB ever to do so. He also became the NCAA’s most prolific rushing QB, running for 4,480 yards.

But White is now a Miami Dolphin and the Mountaineers are moving forward. Good luck to the “Chief.”

Let’s take a gander at what the post Pat White Mountaineers will look like this coming season.

Offense

The man that will be under center this coming fall is redshirt senior QB Jarrett Brown. It has been a long wait, but the time has finally come for Brown to show off his skills.

Standing 6’4” and weighing in at 221 pounds, he passes the eye-ball test for sure and has a big time arm. He may not be as fast as Pat White, but he’s got good enough wheels to break off 50+ yard runs, and when he has a full head of steam it takes more than a couple of defenders to bring him down.

Brown is 2-0 as a starter, and has proved that he is more than capable of leading the offense. One can’t forget the outstanding poise he showed during the triple overtime win against Rutgers, putting up 244 yards and a TD through the air, and a long TD run of 40 yards (doing this as a freshman mind you).

The transition from White to Brown should be a smooth one.

Coming back for his third year will be Junior RB Noel Devine, who is a hassle to tackle. Devine has unbelievable balance reminiscent of Barry Sanders, and rare acceleration. He can also stop on a dime and change direction virtually whenever he wants.

As the starting RB for the Mountaineers last year, Devine performed well rushing for 1,289 yards and averaging 6.3 yards a carry. However, he only scored 4 TDs.

Here’s another interesting stat to think about. Devine surpassed 20 carries once throughout the whole season last year. When you have talent like this, why not use it as much as possible? Expect every single stat category that pertains to RB to increase for Devine.

The backup RB is Mark Rodgers, who showed flashes of brilliance running the ball last season and also did a fine job returning kicks. Look for Rodgers to play a bigger role in the offense this season. Another back that has shown promise is Jordan Roberts. He pulled off a huge run in the spring game and he looks to input his two cents into the offense as well.

Incoming RB recruit Tavon Austin looks to join into the mix on offense and special teams this year. The do-it-all back from Maryland is very quick, and from watching film, all you can do is give head coach Bill Stewart and the crew props for pulling in this kid.

The receiving corps consists of veterans in Alric Arnett and Jock Sanders (who will hopefully return to the team this fall from a suspension). Super tall WR Wes Lyons (6’8”) had a breakout spring and will be one heck of a redzone target for Jarrett Brown. Bradley Starks is another weapon Brown has at his disposal.

Stew and the crew also pulled in highly touted WR Logan Heastie and he looks to be a good one.

“HOWEVA” (as Stephen A. Smith would say), if Mountaineer fans want to see a sniff of this potentially scary offense, the offensive linemen have to bring their “A” game. Last season, the big guys up front were the Achilles heel of this West Virginia team. Numerous times you would see a defensive lineman get all up in the grill of Pat White and Noel Devine before they could do anything.

But that is what happens when a whole new offensive scheme is put into place, and you have an offensive line that is full of young and inexperienced players. Senior lineman Selvish Capers is practically the only one with game experience.

Sophomore Josh Jenkins got a taste of the game, but got sidelined with an injury. Center Eric Jobe also saw some playing time when then starter Mike Dent got injured. Don Barclay, Jeff Braun, and the rest of the starting O-lineman will be playing with chips on their shoulders to prove that they can get the job done.

Defense

West Virginia’s defense looks to be very good this year as they return seven starters, which includes the heart and soul of the defense in Reed Williams.

The 2008 Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP definitely affects play whenever he is in the game. Last season, he was limited to only two games due to injuries in both of his shoulders, but performed exceptionally well.

J.T. Thomas returns also, and is an athletic specimen at linebacker. He’s quick, and when Jeff Casteel tells him to blitz, look out. Thomas finished last season with 65 tackles, three sacks, and a blocked punt. He has the potential to be one of the best Big East Linebackers.

Another playmaker on the defensive side of the ball is CB Brandon Hogan, who converted from offense. What a project this turned out to be as he turned in 60 tackles and three INT’s.

That’s impressive, especially considering that last year was his first time playing corner. Hogan is basically a mini linebacker/safety playing corner. He tackles really well and can lay the wood.

D-Lineman Scooter Berry and Chris Neild anchor the defensive front. Both are expecting to put up big numbers. Julian Miller rounds out this impressive line as the defensive end. He can come off the edge with quickness and put pressure on the QB in a hurry.

Safety Sidney Glover patrols the defensive backfield and hits hard. Last year he played a vital role in the win against USF as he picked off QB Matt Grothe and forced a fumble.

He has All-Big East written all over him.

Special Teams

An area which could cause this Mountaineer football squad some trouble, as their do everything kicker/punter Pat McAfee is gone. Fans hope that Kicker Tyler Bitancourt and Punter Scott Kozlowski will be able to keep the ball rolling.

Kickoff coverage for this team was awful last year as it seemed like any team could return a kickoff at any point. The Mountaineers finished 117th out of 119 teams in kickoff coverage, giving away around 28 yards a return. Hopefully the staff and players addressed this problem during the offseason—as it cost them a couple of games.

Final Analysis

The Mountaineers are a very strong team once you overlook the loss of Pat White. A lot of publications and analysts don’t have WVU winning the Big East and that’s a fair assessment. After all, Pat White won a bunch of games by himself and now he’s not there anymore.

Plus, who knows what will happen with so much parity in the Big East. Every team lost a significant piece of their puzzle and there is no clear cut winner in this conference. I believe West Virginia will turn out with a 9-3 record, with losses coming to Cincy and USF in the Big East. Auburn will be the other loss, because this time it won’t be in Morgantown.

Who knows what will happen this year? All I can say is get ready for another wild and unpredictable finish. Not just in the Big East, but all of college football. The beginning is almost ‘Eer.

'Eers to a Great Rest of West Virginia's Season: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Thalmus Thomas — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:30:53 -0400

Don't hit the panic button just yet.

Even though West Virginia lost to Colorado, they showed signs of improvement. Most notably, the defense stepped their game up and shut down the Colorado offense from the second quarter all the way into the fourth quarter.

Don't tell me the Colorado offense is young and all that gibberish. Cody Hawkins is a man, and they have a nice one-two punch at running back with Darrell Scott and Rodney Stewart, who reminds me a lot of Darren Sproles—which is not good news for the Big 12. Watch out for Stewart, he’s got some shake in 'im.

Other positives from that game that give WVU fans some type of hope are the special teams play, both in the return game and coverage. Ellis Lankster, who slimmed down to obtain the job as punt returner, showed flashes of game-changing ability, and the coverage teams did a very, very nice job of containing Colorado's return men.

Oh, and last but not least (how could one forget), WVU still has Pat "The Chief" White and Noel Devine: two of the most electrifying, jaw-dropping, causing sudden jolts of excitement in your body, holding your breath every time they touch the ball, players in the country.

Pat White will shake you, and Noel Devine will shake you, bake you, and leave you in the ground. Nobody in the country has a quicker first step than Noel Devine, hands down, and he can carry the load.

However, in order for West Virginia to prevail, they have to make a few changes. I don't want to sit down here and bash any of the coaches because I believe that they are doing their jobs, and I'm not qualified to make any decisions.

But as an observer, West Virginia has to have some type of balance or flow on offense. Yeah, they looked like the WVU of old running the ball all over the place, but they must pass the ball also. They have deep threats, but they haven't had the chance to shine other than the Villanova game.

The defense also has to keep playing like they did in the Colorado game. Clearly there was improvement from the first two games, and from the looks of it, the defense will continue to gel and get better.

With linebackers Reed Williams, J.T. Thomas, and Mortty Ivy healthy, the defense should be able to give the offense some possessions to put points on the board.

That offense should run through Pat White and Noel Devine at all times. Build the play calls around them and get them into clear space. The O-line needs to step up and give Pat White and his receivers some time in order to make things happen, because they are getting destroyed.

With all that being said, WVU should be able to finish the rest of the season unblemished. The next three games should be wins as they play Marshall, Rutgers, and Syracuse, which are all home games. Auburn, Pitt, and USF are the only losses that I can see happening to them.

Not that I'm making some kind of excuse, but it is better to lose early than late because you saw what happened last year. Who knows what could happen? We will see when the time comes.

My Projection: 10-2

Realistic Record: 8-4

Can West Virginia Go 12-0 in 2008?

Thalmus Thomas — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:08:52 -0400

Is it football season yet? Nope. How about now? NO!!!

This is one of the many questions that Mountaineer faithful are asking amongst themselves as the 2008 football season draws near, along with, "How will our Mountaineers do without you know who?"

Well, lemme just go on ahead and say this...BETTER!!!

Now I'm not bashing Rich Rod, but from watching that Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma (Are you kidding me? 48-28 against the "best" team in the nation?), how can you think that West Virginia will be worse off?

That was then, and this is now. The Coach Stew Mountaineers look to show off what they got this season, and the fans are excited. The reason why the fans can't wait to see their Mountaineers is because of senior quarterback Patrick White.

"The Chief," as he is called, is without a shout of a doubt the most electrifying QB in the game today. With No. 5 you never know when a potential sack can turn into a touchdown. This guy is a winner and gets better each year.

With this year being his final season as a Mountaineer, look for White to post bigger and better numbers. The critics say that this guy cannot throw the ball, yet he completed 66.7 percent of his passes in 2007, which happens to be good for a "scrambler."

Also, look for White to push himself into the Heisman conversation. Outside of Tim Tebow, White has to be the best candidate. Just like any one of his out-of-nowhere runs for 50-plus, expect to be surprised by his passing this year.

Another reason why the Mountaineer fans are counting down the days until August 30 is because of sophomore RB Noel Devine. The little guy has drawn comparisons to Barry Sanders and strikes fear into the hearts of any opposing defense.

Look for Devine to post otherworldly numbers as his input will increase. Coach Stew and everyone else are expecting big things out of Noel this year. Watch out!

West Virginia also returns their whole offensive line, which consists of All-Americans Ryan Stancheck and Greg Isdaner. This group of offensive linemen is very talented and is probably one of the best O-lines in the nation, if not the best.

These were the men that were responsible for 1,000-yard performances from both Pat White and former Mountaineer, now Houston Texan, Steve Slaton. This group will continue to do work and open holes for Pat White, Noel Devine, and the other runners out of the backfield.

Speaking of other runners in the backfield, Mountaineer fans were elated when they found out about Hargrave RB Terence Kerns finally qualifying to play football this fall. It was a tough long struggle to get Kerns qualified, but now he is ready to get on the field.

Kerns is one of those backs with rare combination of size and speed. At 6'1", 225, and a *4.3* forty (nobody really knows how fast he is, but judging from his highlights, he can scoot for a big fella), he is a perfect compliment to Noel Devine. Mark Rodgers is another speed back that adds depth to the backfield.

The receivers are led by a great group of athletes in Dorrell Jalloh, Tito Gonzales, Jock Sanders, Brandon Hogan, and converted QB to receiver Bradley Starks. Starks emerged as the deep threat in spring practices and will be a sleeper this season. Look for him to have a breakout season along with TE Will Johnson.

The Mountaineer defense will hope to duplicate their performance from last year, ranking in the top 10 in total defense. This year’s defense won't have most of those players from 2007, but the players that are on the roster this year believe that they will do just as fine.

The coaches raved about the emergence of the linebackers during spring workouts. J.T. Thomas and Pat Lazear, to name a few, were the stars of the spring, flying to the ball and batting down passes. Senior linebackers Morty Ivy and Reed Williams lead the group and were the leading tacklers from last season.

The linebackers are the strongest part of this defense and hope to make the job easier on the defensive backs and lineman.

The schedule this year for the Mountaineers is a notch up from last year, including an enormous game against Auburn and a potential trap game against Colorado. From a distance, the schedule doesn't look that tough, but when you get closer, you realize that it is in fact a long and grueling road.

Let’s take a look at the teams that will face WVU this coming fall.

Villanova: Aug. 30 at WVU

Yes, the home opener is against a D-I AA team. I didn’t even know Villanova had a football team, but seriously, you can’t overlook any team. The Wildcats finished off their season at 7-4, and while they will be trying to do their best impersonation of those other Mountaineers (how ironic would this be?), WVU will try not to impersonate Michigan. If only Scottie Reynolds could play football.

Outcome: WVU 8000, Villanova 7

East Carolina: Sep. 6 at ECU

The Pirates of Carolina look to get revenge after losing to the Mountaineers last year 48-17. They also lost Chris “This is what 4.24 speed looks like” Johnson, their star running back from last year. But the Pirates are moving on. 15 starters return to the lineup, including WR Jamar Bryant, who caught 48 catches for 704 yards.

The Mountaineer defense was the story of last year's game, and I expect them to dominate again.

Outcome: WVU 42, ECU 14

Colorado: Sep. 18 at Colorado

The Buffalos will get a chance to establish themselves as a legit force with a win over WVU. The offense for Colorado seems to be solid with QB Cody Hawkins and WR Scotty McKnight. Coach Dan Hawkins struck gold with the addition of highly touted high school RB Darrell Scott, who in my opinion will have the biggest impact as a freshman.

The Colorado defense starts with the two outstanding linemen in George Hypolite and Brandon Nicolas. Seven of the top ten tacklers return as well, which should make this defense solid. However, this team seems to be in that slowly improving stage.

Outcome: WVU 31, Colorado 17

Marshall: Sep. 27 at WVU

Marshall’s season last year was a disaster, but they finished on somewhat of a high note, winning three out of their last five games. They did beat an impressive East Carolina team, destroying their championship hopes.

The Thundering Herd were smashed by WVU 48-23 last season. I expect a similar score this year.

Outcome: WVU 51, Marshall 10

Rutgers: Oct. 4 at WVU

The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers are coming off an 8-5 season looking to do big things in the Big East this year. However, they have some serious rebuilding to do after losing Ray Rice on offense and Eric Foster on defense.

Will the combination of Mike Teel (who is one of the best passing QBs in the Big East), Tiquan Underwood, and Kenny Britt be enough to keep up with the Mountaineers? I don’t think so.

Outcome: WVU 38, Rutgers 14

Syracuse: Oct. 11 at WVU

Syracuse has a long way to go. They went 2-10 last year, and they lost their *student* athlete star receiver Mike Williams, while the other receiver Taj Smith went to the NFL early. One of those 10 losses came in the form of a 55-14 juicing by WVU. Who’s thirsty?

Outcome: WVU 62, Syracuse 10

Auburn: Oct. 23 at WVU

This is the most intriguing match on the schedule for WVU. Auburn comes into Morgantown with high hopes. This game is important for both teams, as it should ultimately be the deciding factor for future endeavors.

Auburn has talent on both sides of the ball. Offensively they look to install the spread into their game plan. Who will be the QB, Kodi Burns or Chris Todd? Their running game looks impressive with Ben Tate, Brad Lester, and Tristan Davis, which is a nice combination of power and speed.

Defensively, this group of players will give WVU some problems because they have speed. Not only that, the guy calling the defensive plays is the same guy that shut down WVU in the Backyard Brawl. Paul Rhoads has to be giddy with the talent he has this year.

This game should be a tough one for WVU.

Outcome: WVU 21, Auburn 18

Connecticut: Nov. 1 at UConn

The Huskies were pretty solid last year, sharing the Big East title with WVU. UConn is probably still hurting from that 66-21 dismantling by WVU, but it’s a new year.

Believe it or not, UConn’s strength is their defense, as they only gave up 20 or more points in two other contests. The offense will feature RBs Andre Dixon and Donald Brown, who both ran for 800-plus yards.

WVU will again be the victor in this game.

Outcome: WVU 55, UConn 20

Cincinnati: Nov. 8 at WVU

The Bearcats were impressive last year, having their first 10-win season since 1951. Ben Mauk won’t be with UC this year, so they have to search for a new QB. Dustin Grutza looks to be the starter and had a good game against Marshall last year, throwing for 142 yards and 2 TDs.

The defense looks to be good with All-Americans DT Terrill Boyd and corner Mike Mickens. DeAngelo Smith, the other corner, led the NCAA in INTs with eight.

The Mountaineers barely got by the Bearcats last year, winning 28-23. This time it won’t be so close.

Outcome: WVU 31, Cincinnati 14

Louisville: Nov. 22 at Louisville

The Cardinals went 6-6 last season and don’t have Brian Brohm anymore, but Hunter Cantwell seems like a good choice for successor. That’s pretty much everything that the Cards have to hope for. They have a lot of voids to fill everywhere. WVU should win this one with ease.

Outcome: WVU 42, Louisville 17

Pitt: Nov. 28 at Pitt

Oh yes, the Backyard Brawl once again. LeSean McCoy vs. Noel Devine. This should be a good one. Pitt has to be excited about the way they finished the season.

13-9 is something that WVU fans are still coping with. The Mountaineers will be looking for revenge after what Pitt did to them. Look for WVU to receive a big dosage of LeSean McCoy once again.

Outcome: WVU 28, Pitt 20

USF: Dec. 6 at WVU

The Last game of the season pits WVU against USF. This game should be another tough one, as USF is another one of those underrated Big East teams. They were once rated as high as second in the BCS last year. Matt Grothe looks to have a big year, and on defense, the Bulls have probably the best pass rusher in the nation in George Selvie.

Look for USF to give WVU some trouble, but Pat White will put this team on his back (that's if he stays in the game).

Outcome: WVU 24, USF 14

WVU overall record: 12-0

Yes, that is right: WVU will go undefeated—do you know why? Because 5+7 equals 12 and 0. It’s the perfect equation to a perfect season. WVU will surprise all the critics and naysayers this year.

Noel Devine Heisman Theory: Coincidence or Fate?

Thalmus Thomas — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:23:36 -0400

Now I'm not one to believe in destiny, fate, and all that fairy tale nonsense, but when I thought about this, I just had to share it.

First off, if you didn't know anything about Noel Devine before, I'm pretty sure you know now. He was one of the most sought after high school football players entering college and caused a stir with a series of highlight tapes that showcased him juking and jiving defenders left and right.

Devine chose to attend college at West Virginia University to play football. It didn't take long for him to dazzle audiences with the same moves they'd seen on those high school tapes.

Devine finished off his freshman year with mind-boggling, beard-stroking, and jaw-dropping stats: 73 carries for 627 yards with a 8.6 YPC average. Now what does that mean?

It means that every time he touched the ball, he made the most of it, coming close to or obtaining a first down, which is really important if you want to win a football game.

But back to what it was that I wanted to share. Check out this theory:

The Noel Devine "HE IS MAN" Theory

Who is Noel Devine always compared to? Barry Sanders. Like I said before, I don't believe in fate (or ghosts), but when comparing Devine to Sanders, it goes beyond the physical attributes.

Sure they're both 5'8", elusive, and possess unbelievable balance and quickness, but they have other things in common.

Now Sanders won the Heisman back in 1988 when he was with Oklahoma State. Devine was born that same year. Sanders was 20 years old when he won the trophy. It's been exactly 20 years since then.

Devine is 20 years old now. Sanders wore number 20 in the pros. They are 20 years apart in age.

Is it a coincidence, or is it fate? Just something to think about. Does this mean that he is going to win the Heisman? He has a chance, but it's a slim one. The reason why is because West Virginia is Pat White's team and it's White's last season as a Mountaineer.

However, I truly believe that he can win the Heisman this year. Yea I know, Tim Tebow this and Tim Tebow that. But Tebow has to share the ball with Harvin, Rainey, Moody, and all those playmakers.

I really think Devine can win the Heisman this year, and I think he is the best back in the nation.

"But he's not even the best back in the Big East." "He's too small." "Can he carry the load?" "He gets caught from behind (Maryland game)."

I know it's way too early to make a bold statement like this (haha, bold statement, look it truly is bold), but trust me, after this season people will understand what I'm talking about. That's just how I feel.