Scouting the West Virginia O-Line
SoonerSports.com offers a series of scouting reports on the Mountaineers.
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Backup |
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LG
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C
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RG
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RT
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Scouting:
Offensive Line |
The Mountaineer offensive line is built for speed to
propel West Virginia's option attack. Averaging under
300 pounds (a rarity in college football these days),
the OL won't blow people off the line but the front
five rely on quickness, pulling ability and smarts.
WVU employs zone-blocking schemes to open wrinkles
for the backfield tandem of quarterback Pat White and
running back Steve Slaton.
West Virginia ranks fourth in the nation in rushing
offense averaging nearly 300 yards per game.
Left tackle Ryan Stanchek, a first team All-American
by the Football Writers, helped pave the way for
the Mountaineer offense to produce two 1,000-yard rushers
(White and Slaton) for the second-straight season.
Stanchek,
a junior, will make his 34th consecutive start
for the Mountaineers in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma.
Pitt held the Mountaineers to a season-low 104 yards
on the ground in a 13-9 upset in Morgantown
in the regular-season finale on December 1. White
was knocked out for two quarters and the West Virginia
offense sputtered with five fumbles (three lost) and
just 183 yards of total offense.
The
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ran an
interesting
article with
Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes breaking down
game tape on how the Panthers stuffed West Virginia's
spread-option attack.
The only other game WVU was held
below 200 rushing yards was at South Florida on September
28 when the Mountaineers gained just 188 on the ground.
White absorbed a helmet to the thigh on the final
drive of the first half and did not return. Those two
games mark West Virginia's only losses on the season.
Conversely, the Mountaineers rank 113th
in the nation through the air with 157 yards per
game. When West Virginia offensive coordinator Calvin
Magee does call for a toss, White completes 68% of
his throws and ranks 14th in the nation in passing
efficiency. But the bread and butter for the Mountaineers
is the running game.
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Key
Matchups |
Oklahoma's interior linemen must remain disciplined
and not allow themselves to be swept to one sideline.
If the tackles can disrupt the flow of West Virginia's
attack, the Sooner linebackers will get their opportunities
at White and Slaton.
The corners will be key against the option and Oklahoma
standout end Auston English has the quickness to cause
problems for the Mountaineers in this theater. A key
battle within the battle will be English vs. Stanchek.
Fellow defensive ends Alonzo Dotson, Alan Davis and
Jeremy Beal (who had six tackles including two for
loss in the Big 12 Championship victory against Missouri) figure
to see plenty of action.
Mountaineer center Mike Dent has had issues with high
snaps in the shotgun formation. Forcing Pat White to
operate out from under center could promote miscues.
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OU
vs. the Option |
Oklahoma suffocated Texas A&M's option game, allowing
the Aggies just 128 yards on the ground in the 42-14
win in Norman on November 3. Auston English and Gerald
McCoy each recorded a sack while the Sooner linebackers
combined for 20 stops. The OU defense amassed seven
tackles for a loss of 29 yards.
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Key
Numbers |
| 298 |
Average weight of West Virginia
starting offensive lineman |
| 53 |
Total starts this season
(of 60) for WVU's five offensive line projected starters |
| 1.08 |
Average sacks allowed
per game by the West Virginia offensive line |
| 2.54 |
Average sacks per game
by OU defense |
| 292.92 |
West Virginia's
average rushing yards per game |
| 91.92 |
Average number of rushing
yards allowed by OU's defense per game |
| 2,238 |
Combined rushing yards for
Pat White and Steve Slaton during the 2007 season |
| 59 |
Average rank of rushing
defenses faced by West Virginia this season |
| 8 |
Oklahoma's rank in rushing
defense |
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2008
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl |
No. 3 Oklahoma faces No. 9 West Virginia in the 2008
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 2 in Glendale, Ariz.
It's OU's sixth BCS bowl game in eight seasons and
second consecutive trip to the Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners
clinched a BCS berth with the program's fifth Big 12
title since 2000 by defeating then-No. 1 Missouri in
the Big 12 Championship Game.
Complete coverage of the game and an archive of the
scouting reports are available at
Sooner
Fiesta Bowl Central. The OU Athletics Department
has a limited amount of tickets in official OU sections
of the stadium. Sooner fans can check
availability
online or call the OU Athletics Ticket Office toll-free
at (800) 456-GoOU or locally at (405) 325-2424.
7/11/09 - 
