MORGANTOWN - When push comes to shove, there's really not much difference between the offense West Virginia runs and the one Villanova will use when the teams meet Saturday.
MORGANTOWN - When push comes to shove, there's really not much difference between the offense West Virginia runs and the one Villanova will use when the teams meet Saturday.
Well, OK, so there might be a few differences.
"Our offenses are actually quite similar,'' Villanova coach Andy Talley said. "The big difference is they have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, some awfully fine talent and their whole offensive line from last year. I don't think the scheme so much is a concern as is the talent level that West Virginia has.''
Indeed, when West Virginia opens its season against Villanova at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mountaineer Field, both teams will work out of spread offenses that include some significant motion and a run-pass threat at quarterback. Defensively, both line up with a 3-3-5 base look, although what happens after the snap varies greatly.
Those similarities figure to provide a greater advantage to West Virginia than to Villanova. While often the opposite is true - West Virginia loves playing teams that aren't used to facing its schemes because the opponent's preparation is usually a nightmare - this is a Mountaineer team that itself is adjusting to tweaks in both its offensive and defensive schemes under a new coaching staff.
"Schematically it's going to be very similar to what we've seen all spring and all camp, unless they change,'' West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said. "They could come down here and change and do a lot of things, but I don't think that will happen. I think they're going to dance with the girl that brung 'em and that's what we're going to do.''
Likewise, Talley is happy to be facing a known quantity, even though Stewart and his new staff are doing things a bit differently than what Villanova has seen in WVU's 2007 game tapes.
"You'd like to think that since he was on the staff that he's probably going to stick with a winning formula,'' Talley said of Stewart. "I know that there's been some mention that they plan to throw the ball a little bit more and also use [quarterback] Pat White maybe as a wide receiver, but I'm not really sure.''
Even if West Virginia's offense differs in some ways from last season, Talley and his staff think they might have a pretty good handle on what the changes will be. That's because his staff visited Wake Forest when new WVU offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen was there as the quarterbacks coach and actually borrowed much of what they now do at Villanova from the Deacons. And much of what they borrowed is what Mullen is now installing at West Virginia.
"We visited Wake and understand some of those schemes. We run quite similar offenses, really, as West Virginia and Wake run,'' Talley said. "But in a first game for West Virginia, I would seriously doubt that they would try to do anything other than come out and run the ball down our throat. I think they'll probably mix some passing in, but I don't think we're going to see anything that's outlandish.''
Just as is the case on offense, the difference between the two teams on defense is in the talent level.
"I think West Virginia plays a lot more two-deep than we do and they don't blitz a lot because I think they're good enough with enough speed that they can run you down,'' Talley said. "We're a team that's not real big defensively, but we have some speed. So we're a little more of a penetration defense. We'll blitz a lot, we'll take some chances, we'll change our coverages. We have to.''
The idea for Villanova is to take those chances to create turnovers, something the Division I-AA Wildcats certainly have to do Saturday in order to have any chance of staying close to the No. 8 Mountaineers.
"It doesn't look like they want to take a lot of chances,'' Talley said. "And certainly against us they're probably not going to take as many chances. We'll just have to see if we can find some of the soft pieces of their two-deep zone.''
All in all, Talley doesn't expect to see much from West Virginia that he doesn't expect on either side of the ball.
"In general, first game, I don't think West Virginia's going to take a whole lot of chances,'' Talley said. "I think they're just bigger, faster and stronger and they expect to probably dominate the game. I don't think they're terribly excited about Villanova, frankly.''
Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
MORGANTOWN - When push comes to shove, there's really not much difference between the offense West Virginia runs and the one Villanova will use when the teams meet Saturday.
Well, OK, so there might be a few differences.
"Our offenses are actually quite similar,'' Villanova coach Andy Talley said. "The big difference is they have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, some awfully fine talent and their whole offensive line from last year. I don't think the scheme so much is a concern as is the talent level that West Virginia has.''
Indeed, when West Virginia opens its season against Villanova at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mountaineer Field, both teams will work out of spread offenses that include some significant motion and a run-pass threat at quarterback. Defensively, both line up with a 3-3-5 base look, although what happens after the snap varies greatly.
Those similarities figure to provide a greater advantage to West Virginia than to Villanova. While often the opposite is true - West Virginia loves playing teams that aren't used to facing its schemes because the opponent's preparation is usually a nightmare - this is a Mountaineer team that itself is adjusting to tweaks in both its offensive and defensive schemes under a new coaching staff.
"Schematically it's going to be very similar to what we've seen all spring and all camp, unless they change,'' West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said. "They could come down here and change and do a lot of things, but I don't think that will happen. I think they're going to dance with the girl that brung 'em and that's what we're going to do.''
Likewise, Talley is happy to be facing a known quantity, even though Stewart and his new staff are doing things a bit differently than what Villanova has seen in WVU's 2007 game tapes.
"You'd like to think that since he was on the staff that he's probably going to stick with a winning formula,'' Talley said of Stewart. "I know that there's been some mention that they plan to throw the ball a little bit more and also use [quarterback] Pat White maybe as a wide receiver, but I'm not really sure.''
Even if West Virginia's offense differs in some ways from last season, Talley and his staff think they might have a pretty good handle on what the changes will be. That's because his staff visited Wake Forest when new WVU offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen was there as the quarterbacks coach and actually borrowed much of what they now do at Villanova from the Deacons. And much of what they borrowed is what Mullen is now installing at West Virginia.
"We visited Wake and understand some of those schemes. We run quite similar offenses, really, as West Virginia and Wake run,'' Talley said. "But in a first game for West Virginia, I would seriously doubt that they would try to do anything other than come out and run the ball down our throat. I think they'll probably mix some passing in, but I don't think we're going to see anything that's outlandish.''
Just as is the case on offense, the difference between the two teams on defense is in the talent level.
"I think West Virginia plays a lot more two-deep than we do and they don't blitz a lot because I think they're good enough with enough speed that they can run you down,'' Talley said. "We're a team that's not real big defensively, but we have some speed. So we're a little more of a penetration defense. We'll blitz a lot, we'll take some chances, we'll change our coverages. We have to.''
The idea for Villanova is to take those chances to create turnovers, something the Division I-AA Wildcats certainly have to do Saturday in order to have any chance of staying close to the No. 8 Mountaineers.
"It doesn't look like they want to take a lot of chances,'' Talley said. "And certainly against us they're probably not going to take as many chances. We'll just have to see if we can find some of the soft pieces of their two-deep zone.''
All in all, Talley doesn't expect to see much from West Virginia that he doesn't expect on either side of the ball.
"In general, first game, I don't think West Virginia's going to take a whole lot of chances,'' Talley said. "I think they're just bigger, faster and stronger and they expect to probably dominate the game. I don't think they're terribly excited about Villanova, frankly.''
Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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Final WVU 55 Villanova 17
That is why WVU won't "over-look" any team they play...no matter what.
Can't wait to be there in the stands on Saturday, it's going to be great.