Published: September 17, 2008 11:19 pm      

WVU needs to turn up speed

Mountaineers facing a tough defense tonight

West Virginia, which has not had a 100-yard rusher this season, faces a Colorado defense that is toughest against the run when the two teams clash tonight in Boulder, Colo.

A near-capacity crowd of about 53,000 is expected for the 8:30 (EDT) kickoff at Folsom Field. ESPN will televise the action nationally.

The 21st-ranked Mountaineers (1-1) and the host Buffaloes (2-0) are meeting for the first time on the gridiron. A rematch is scheduled next year in Morgantown.

West Virginia remains a slim three-point favorite.

This is the first time since 2005 that WVU has gone two games without a back netting 100 yards. As a result, the Mountaineers averaged an unusually low 164 yards on the ground in beating Villanova 48-21 and losing to East Carolina 24-3.

Like those two schools, Colorado is expected to load up the box and do whatever it did in limiting Colorado State and Eastern Washington to an average of 59 yards rushing per game. That happens to be the Buffaloes’ forte.

They have allowed just six 100-yard rushers in their last 39 games, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. The last opponent to do that in Boulder was Alan Webb of Kansas State.

He rushed 24 times for 103 yards on Nov. 13, 2004.

“I didn’t know that (until this week), and that gets me excited,” WVU coach Bill Stewart said. “And I hope it gets our guys excited.

“Defensively, they are a lot like the bunch we played at East Carolina. They have a veteran defense. We are going to have to be disciplined and have our T’s crossed and our I’s dotted because they present a lot of problems for us.”

Colorado undoubtedly will key on senior quarterback Patrick White and sophomore tailback Noel Devine, who have netted 170 and 141 yards rushing, respectively, in the first two games.

White was forced to put the ball into the air more often than usual. He has completed 35 of 51 passes for 280 yards and five touchdowns.

West Virginia’s once-high-powered offense is averaging just 55 plays per game.

The rebuilt defense obviously has been spending too much time on the field. It has been unable to stop the other team, especially on third-and-long sorties. WVU hopes to show improvement in that against Colorado.

However, the Buffaloes have been difficult to deal with defensively after halftime in their two starts. They gave up just six points (a field goal in the third and fourth quarters) while their offense scored 41 points.

In the process, the opponents had just 91 yards in the third period and 265 yards for the entire second half. They averaged just 3.6 yards on first downs after intermission.

Dan Hawkins, Colorado’s head coach, admittedly did not expect East Carolina to hold WVU to three points.

“They’re obviously one of the best teams in the country and deservingly so,” he said. “They have a lot of talent and a Heisman-type quarterback.

“Offensively, they have a ton of speed. They’re very fast, the whole line is very physical, and they’re always coming. Defensively, they give you a lot of problems with all the places that they come from.

“And they’re always good on special teams.”

Hawkins likes having his team on national TV.

“To have the university on a national stage is great,” he said. “It’s great exposure for our football team, for our university, for how we do things and how we look. All of that pays dividends.”

The Buffaloes are averaging 34.5 points to WVU’s 25.5 and 359.0 yards to 302.5 per game. Defensively, they are allowing 20.5 points and 304.0 yards per game compared to the Mountaineers’ 22.5 points and 393.5 yards.

Cody Hawkins, the coach’s son, is a sophomore starting quarterback. He has connected on 48 of 67 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions.

Freshman tailback Darrell Scott is Colorado’s top rusher with a net 93 yards on 24 carries. Rodney Stewart, who’s also a rookie, is next with 76 yards on 13 carries.

Sophomore wide receiver Scotty McKnight is the leading pass-catcher with 12 receptions for 157 yards and one score. Patrick Williams is next with eight for 82 yards.

Jock Sanders, a speedy slot receiver, is WVU’s top receiver with 82 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. Devine is second with nine catches for 46 yards.

Sanders also has rushed twice for 28 yards.

Linebacker Reed Williams will be making his first start of the year, having recovered from two shoulder operations last winter. He was last year’s top tackler.

Two other linebackers, J.T. Thomas and Mortty Ivy, share the lead this year with 16 tackles each.

Linebacker Jeff Smart and defensive back Ryan Walters lead the Buffaloes with 20 and 19, respectively.

West Virginia’s next game is against Marshall at home a week from Saturday. Colorado plays Florida State in Jacksonville that same day.