West Virginia Football: How Should the Defensive Lineup Look for 2011?

Does anyone else find it a bit peculiar that the best returning player on West Virginia’s defense won’t even be a full time starter for the 2011 season?

DE Bruce Irvin is as good of a pure pass rusher as you’ll find in the country, but the problem is West Virginia needs to find a way to utilize his talents on first and second down much more often.

In his first season fresh out of the JUCO ranks, Irvin quickly made a name for himself around the Big East, racking up a conference-best 14 sacks, a number that’s pretty scary when you consider his limited snaps.

The 6’3’’, 235 lb. senior was one of the main reasons West Virginia’s defense was so good on third down in 2010. Hopefully, the West Virginia coaching staff can figure out a way to get Irvin more involved outside of just obvious passing situations.

If Irvin can play an even bigger role, it would be a major boost to a defense that has some holes to fill for the upcoming season.

As a whole, this edition of the blue and gold defense is one filled with both mystery and intrigue.

The Mountaineers lose seven defensive starters from a 2010 defense that finished the season as one of the ten best units in country.

Among those seven departures are three future pros—S Robert Sands, CB Brandon Hogan and DT Chris Neild.

Needless to say, there is some work to be done.

Luckily, due to the strong recruiting efforts of Bill Stewart and his staff over the last few years, the defense has some quality up and coming talent.

This group will take some time to work out all the kinks and gel as a complete unit, but the new look offensive attack should be putting up enough points to bail the inexperienced bunch out of some tough jams.

A lot is still left to be decided during spring ball and fall camp, but at this point, here’s a look at the  defensive starting lineup I would send into battle.

 

Nose Tackle: Josh Taylor (Sr. 6’1’’, 278 lbs.)

Josh Taylor has the unenviable task of trying to replicate the fierce presence of big middle man, Chris Neild, who finished off his career in Morgantown as an All-Big East performer.

Taylor doesn’t have Neild’s overwhelming size nor his sheer strength, but he is a more fluid athlete than Neild, and he should be able to beat a lot of opposing offensive linemen with his quickness.

Taylor can cause some disruption in the backfield but the run defense will most likely be noticeably weaker without Neild eating up blockers.

 

Defensive Tackle: Jorge Wright (Jr. 6’2’’, 264 lbs.)

Jorge Wright won’t have as much pressure trying to replace Scooter Berry as Josh Taylor will trying to replace Chris Neild, but Wright will still have his work cut out for him.

While Scooter Berry was never the shining example of a kid who made the best decisions, when it came time to line up and snap the ball, Berry was always ready to knock face masks.

Wright could be a real effective player for the Mountaineers, but he has to show he can mix it up all game long and still have some gas left in the tank when it comes down to crunch time in the fourth quarter.

 

Defensive End: Julian Miller (Sr. 6’4’’, 260 lbs.)

Julian Miller is the only returning starter along the defensive line, therefore, he will have to lead by example.

It’s a task Miller should embrace.

The athletic senior end has been one of the most steady and consistent players on the team over the past two seasons.

Miller already has 20.5 sacks and 32 tackles for loss under his belt and he’ll be looking to add to both those totals this season.

Sam Linebacker: Najee Goode (Sr. 6’1’’, 238 lbs.)

The only returning starter in the linebacker corps is senior Najee Goode. Gone are both J.T. Thomas and Anthony Leonard, two of the team’s top three tacklers from a year go, which means Goode will need to become the new leader of the crew.

In his first season of legitimate action last year, Goode ended up tallying 47 tackles and three sacks.

Even though he’s not the greatest athlete, Goode displays quality instincts and he’s shown that he has a knack for dissecting plays in a hurry. 


Mike Linebacker: Tyler Anderson (Soph. 6’2’’, 240 lbs.)

The battle to replace Anthony Leaonrd at middle linebacker will likely be fought by two sophomores, Tyler Anderson and Branko Busic.

Neither of them were a major factor for the defense in 2010. Anderson finished with six tackles, Busik finished with three.

If it were up to me, I would start Anderson, but both can be used efficiently in a proper rotation.

Busick looks like he would be a stronger player against the run, but Anderson seems like the better all around choice.

The Morgantown native is the type of versatile player who could fit in at any of the three linebacker positions whether it be on the strongside, the weakside or in the middle.


Will Linebacker: Doug Rigg (Soph. 6’1’’, 215 lbs.)

Now that Robert Sands is off to the NFL, I’m going to have to pick a new favorite Mountaineer defensive player.

The two clear cut candidates are DE Bruce Irvin and LB Doug Rigg.

Going into September it will probably end up being Irvin, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Doug Rigg endears himself to the Mountaineer faithful by the time season ends.

If he keeps developing and progressing, Rigg has the chance to be one of the best linebackers in the Big East.

 He is a terrific talent who embodies the term “student athlete.”

You can’t draw up many weakside linebackers that would look better than Doug Rigg.

 

Cornerback: Keith Tandy (Sr. 5’10’’, 198 lbs)

The Mountaineers are going to miss Brandon Hogan, even if his commitment to the team was a little inconsistent at times.

Thankfully, Keith Tandy, the team’s new No. 1 corner, is one of the top defensive backs in the Big East.

The 5’10’’ senior led the conference with six interceptions in 2010.

There’s no disputing that Tandy, who has NFL potential, will be one of the leaders of not only the secondary but the entire defense this year

He’s taken his fair share of lumps in his career thus far, but Tandy looks to have finally learned how to play at a consistent level on nearly every snap.

 

Cornerback: Pat Miller (Jr. 5’10’’, 183 lbs.)

The cornerback spot opposite of Tandy will probably be manned by either Pat Miller or sophomore Broderick Jenkins.

Jenkins is loaded with potential and he’ll surely crack the starting lineup once Tandy graduates, but for now, Miller is likely to get the edge.

Miller finished with 20 tackles in 2010 and he proved that he could handle himself in coverage.

Bandit: Terrence Garvin (Jr. 6’3’’, 215 lbs.)

Terrence Garvin was one of the most unheralded players in the Big East last season.

Garvin led the Mountaineers with 76 tackles and he often outperformed former teammate, Robert Sands, a future NFL safety. Yet, you rarely ever heard a peep about him.

Garvin has what it takes to be West Virginia’s star defensive player. It’s all going to depend on how he handles being the man in the secondary this season.

With Garvin flying around the field, the Mountaineers should once again field an intimidating and disruptive defense.


Free Safety: Eain Smith (Sr. 5’11’’, 204 lbs.)

I’ll be honest, I’m worried about the safety situation.

Robert Sands and Sidney Glover are gone, and all that’s left are questions.

Sure, Jeff Casteel can disguise a hole in the back end with creative schemes, but there will come a crucial time in a game when the weakness will open the door for a big play by the opposition.

The one safety I’m most confident in is Eain Smith.

Smith has seen some significant snaps over the past couple of seasons and he has a good idea of what he’s doing by now.


Strong Safety: Darwin Cook (Soph. 5’11’’ 205)

It’s the other safety spot that really concerns me.

This position should be wide open in camp, and hopefully a leader will emerge by the end of August.

I’d have to say Darwin Cook is the favorite to win the job, but it’s just a hunch at this point.

Cook is intriguing yet still raw.

Safety is definitely a position that blue and gold fans will have to keep an eye on this summer.