MORGANTOWN - Ryan Stanchek takes it personally when West Virginia's offensive line doesn't play at its accustomed high level, as well he should.

After all, he's the anchor of that group, a guy who has started every game since early in his redshirt freshman season, 36 and counting now.

So after a performance as lackluster as the one the Mountaineer offensive line put on last weekend in a 24-3 loss at East Carolina, no one should be surprised that Stanchek - as nasty and as intense on the field as he is reserved and soft-spoken off it - has turned up the volume this week.

"Yeah, I guess there's been some screaming and yelling,'' Stanchek said Thursday. "The biggest thing you have to do is lead by example, by what you do in practice. But yeah, I've let my feelings be known a few times.''

In other words, all of a sudden Stanchek has become Rick Trickett?

"Wow,'' he said smiling, the memory of his former line coach still fresh in his mind.

OK, so we won't go there.

Still, it's hard to argue with the theory that what West Virginia's line lacked last Saturday in Greenville, N.C., was a little bit of fire. This is, after all, a veteran group that has proven itself time and again over the past two seasons. And when the same bunch that was being touted before the season as perhaps the best big uglies in the game has an afternoon like that one, is it too far-fetched to assign the blame to a lack of intensity and effort?

Well, yes and no.

"I don't think it was complacency. I really don't,'' said guard Greg Isdaner, himself a veteran of 27 straight starts - every game since the second of his redshirt freshman season. "People will chalk it up to being unprepared, but we just didn't perform. You can blame that on one thing or another, but that's just how stuff happens.

MORGANTOWN - Ryan Stanchek takes it personally when West Virginia's offensive line doesn't play at its accustomed high level, as well he should.

After all, he's the anchor of that group, a guy who has started every game since early in his redshirt freshman season, 36 and counting now.

So after a performance as lackluster as the one the Mountaineer offensive line put on last weekend in a 24-3 loss at East Carolina, no one should be surprised that Stanchek - as nasty and as intense on the field as he is reserved and soft-spoken off it - has turned up the volume this week.

"Yeah, I guess there's been some screaming and yelling,'' Stanchek said Thursday. "The biggest thing you have to do is lead by example, by what you do in practice. But yeah, I've let my feelings be known a few times.''

In other words, all of a sudden Stanchek has become Rick Trickett?

"Wow,'' he said smiling, the memory of his former line coach still fresh in his mind.

OK, so we won't go there.

Still, it's hard to argue with the theory that what West Virginia's line lacked last Saturday in Greenville, N.C., was a little bit of fire. This is, after all, a veteran group that has proven itself time and again over the past two seasons. And when the same bunch that was being touted before the season as perhaps the best big uglies in the game has an afternoon like that one, is it too far-fetched to assign the blame to a lack of intensity and effort?

Well, yes and no.

"I don't think it was complacency. I really don't,'' said guard Greg Isdaner, himself a veteran of 27 straight starts - every game since the second of his redshirt freshman season. "People will chalk it up to being unprepared, but we just didn't perform. You can blame that on one thing or another, but that's just how stuff happens.

"They came to play more than we did. Don't say we didn't show up, because we were ready to go. The intensity might have been a little higher. I won't disagree with that. If we can match anyone's intensity, we should be able to go in there and take care of business.''

Be it intensity or lack of focus or whatever, this was not the same kind of offensive line performance West Virginia has come to expect. A team that is used to averaging over 6 yards per rushing play gained less than 5 per play against the Pirates. Quarterback Pat White, despite his mobility, was sacked three times. Once, in the fourth quarter, White was sacked by a three-man rush. And when he wasn't being sacked he was being hurried or flushed from the pocket.

"Our offensive line just didn't play that well,'' said coach Bill Stewart. "We certainly didn't pass block well.''

Part of the offensive line's troubles against East Carolina might be traced to unfamiliarity. While the entire line is made up of veterans, the Mountaineers are throwing the ball more and doing less of the zone blocking that was their staple in recent years. Some of that could return next Thursday when West Virginia plays at Colorado because Stewart has indicated a desire to run more option and more of the zone-read running plays that have been successful in the past.

Either way, it's a chance for the line to redeem itself.

"That's the great thing about being an offensive lineman and about this game, we have another one coming up,'' Stanchek said. "We'll go out and have a great game at Colorado and everyone will forget what happened last week.''

Or at least they can have a great game if the fire and the focus are there.

"I don't think we entered that stadium last weekend in the right frame of mind,'' Isdaner said. "This is the time to make sure that next Thursday we'll be ready to go. And I think we will be. Since I've been here, we've never lost back-to-back games and I don't think anybody here's planning on doing that anytime soon.''

Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.