Published: August 25, 2008 11:51 pm         

Wildcats brace for wild WVU atmosphere

MORGANTOWN — Villanova has played football in some tough places such as the Air Force Academy and Maryland, but Coach Andy Talley has heard that the atmosphere at West Virginia Saturday might be the toughest the Wildcats have ever had to endure.

“We do have some concerns about it,” he readily admitted Monday on the Big East’s first weekly media teleconference. “We’re going to have noise in our stadium during practice (today) and Wednesday.

“I think it’s a lot to ask a team to come into that kind of atmosphere and not have some concerns. But I don’t think we can simulate what’s going to go on down there. 

“So we’re just going to have to get in there and play hard. We have a no-huddle offense. We signal a lot of stuff in. So we’re going to have to try to handle it quickly in the first quarter and get up into the speed and pace of the game.”

While the veteran coach doesn’t cherish the tremendous challenge, he has mature players who really understand that they are in harm’s way for the 3:30 p.m. opener at Mountaineer Field/Milan  Puskar Stadium.

“It’s a David/Goliath kind of thing,” Talley said. "We know we’re a big underdog.  We’re going to go out and play well. Try to give a good account of ourselves. Be as  competitive as we possibly can.

“We have some guys that were recruited by 1-A schools that are here and have a lot of pride. I think this game will help us prepare for the season in I-AA competition.”

Talley thinks the biggest difference in this match-up is “the Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback (Patrick White) and some awfully fine talent.”

He also cited the all-veteran offensive line that’s rated highly.

He doesn’t think it’s so much the schemes as the talent level of West Virginia talent that is the chief concern for Villanova, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Talley said having all of WVU game tapes from last season helped the Wildcats prepare for the tremendous task that they face. He also is pleased with his players’ summer workouts and the preseason practice sessions so far.

“We were able to evaluate what the Mountaineers did in 2007,” he noted. “You like to think they will stick pretty much with a winning formula.”

Talley thinks there are some similarities between the two teams on offense. His staff had visited Wake Forest and is aware of what Jeff Mullen, who came to WVU  from that ACC school and now is the offensive coordinator here.

“We run quite similar offenses to what West Virginia and Wake do,” he said. “In terms of West Virginia, I doubt if they’d come out and do anything other than try to ram the ball down our throat.

“I think that’s probably going to be their M.O. They will probably mix in some passing, but I don’t think we’re to see anything that’s outlandish.”

A sellout crowd of more than 60,000 is assured for Saturday’s contest.