The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

August 30, 2008

A simple football equation

By Dave Morrison

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia coach Bill Stewart was not a math major at Fairmont State. He didn’t need to be to figure out a simple football equation.

“I tried to say way back, but nobody would believe me — particularly the experts in this (media) room — that if you put nine people in the box (to stop the run), I’m going to throw the football.

“That’s the only thing I know how to do. I don’t know how to run with nine men in the box. I’m not that smart. If you’re going to put nine men in the box, I’m going to throw the ball.”

Oh, Stewart is plenty smart.

He also knows another mathematical equation: 25-33-1-5 = 48-21.

That was Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Patrick White’s line on the day and the final score of the Mountaineers’ season-opening win over Villanova Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium at Mountaineer Field.

White was on fire, all right.

He had a career-high three touchdown passes — one to a listed tight end, Will Johnson — 26 minutes into the game.

He had posted career highs in completions and attempts, 20 and 25, by the end of the first drive of the third quarter.

By the time White threw for his fifth touchdown of the day — with 11:39 left in the fourth quarter — he had the new Mountaineer Field record, previously shared by guys like Major Harris and Marc Bulger.

His reaction.

“I heard about it.”

His coach, the always animated Stewart, was a little more fired up.

“No. 5 (White) was absolutely lights out pitching and catching,” Stewart said. “They said he couldn’t do it. I don’t know how much better you can throw a football. I saw one bad pass, a pass to Alric Arnett going down toward the band. And it could have been better. I know of at least five dropped balls, maybe six. ”

Stewart zeroed in on two pass plays.

One was White’s first touchdown pass to Arnett that was thrown perfectly, low to the ground where only the receiver could make the grab.

The second was a touchdown pass to Jock Sanders.

“I don’t know anyone else who could have made those throws as well as Patrick did on those two plays,” Stewart said.

White stayed pretty much low-key about the whole thing.

Asked if he would have believed at this time last year that he would throw five touchdown passes in the next season’s opener, he said, “A year ago, I probably would have thought it was crazy. I always wanted to, I just never had the opportunity. As long as we get the ‘W.’”

The knock on White also was that he would never make in the NFL as a quarterback.

Stewart isn’t so sure.

“For him now, this is tremendous,” the coach said. “Now the regional scouts, the director of college scouting and the pro personnel people are coming through. We’ve had a GM (general manager) here. They know what this guy can do with his feet. He’s never had to do this. And he can. I’m excited.”

White, though, is his normal, low-key self.

“We just want to spread the defense out a little bit so they can’t hone in on the run,” he said. “They can’t just stack the box. There are other things to worry about now.”

And that equals another number: Excedrin headache No. 9 for upcoming opponents’ defensive coordinators.

The only thing worse than that? Being Rich Rodriguez (his Michigan team losing to Utah at the so-called Big House) or Dave Wannstedt (whose Pitt team fell to Bowling Green).

— E-mail:

demorrison@register-herald.com

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