ESPN INsider Notes
West Virginia
The Mountaineers (5-1, 1-0) welcomed UConn to the Big East in convincing fashion, running up and down the field against the overmatched Huskies in a 31-19 victory Wednesday night at Rentschler Field. Coach Rich Rodriguez revved up the ground attack from the opening gun -- sans injured star Kay-Jay Harris, who should be back this week -- and let it rip for 309 yards. Even quarterback Rasheed Marshall got into the act, piling up 110 rushing yards and moving 44 yards closer to Donovan McNabb's all-time Big East rushing record for a quarterback. It was an old-fashioned whuppin' by the current Beast of the Big East. And, it proved that rumors of the Mountaineers' demise, particularly after a 3-point loss at Virginia Tech, have been greatly exaggerated. Up next is a home game against Syracuse on Thursday night (ESPN, 7:30 ET). There could be no stopping these Mountaineers the rest of the way, now that they've regained their confidence and have that running game hitting on all cylinders. Take note: Syracuse has the worst rushing defense in the conference, allowing 182.8 yards per game. WVU ranks fifth nationally with a rushing average of 260.33.
<LI>The thing that stood out about WVU's running prowess Wednesday night was the fact that true freshman Pernell Williams, a highly regarded recruit, was a part of it. The Mountaineers had hoped to redshirt him, but with the senior Harris hobbled by leg injuries, Rodriguez decided it was time to cut Williams loose. The young back did not disappoint, running for 89 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He moved to second on the depth chart -- while Harris is out -- behind starter Jason Colson, who had 111 yards on 13 attempts. A couple more carries by Williams and the Mountaineers might have pulled off a rare trifecta Wednesday night -- three runners with 100 yards.
As good as the Mountaineers looked on both sides of the ball Wednesday night -- their defense contributed a touchdown for the third consecutive week -- they still lack discipline, which could be costly in a tight game. They were penalized 11 times for 89 yards and lead the league with an average of 96 penalty yards per game. Their infractions included false starts, clips and even a celebration penalty for a touchdown that was called back. Rodriguez did not attempt to defend his team, like he did the previous week after the Virginia Tech loss. "One call on (tackle) Mike Watson we didn't agree with," Rodriguez said. "The rest just weren't very smart."
Syracuse
The ever-improving Orangemen (3-3, 1-0) don't get a reprieve after completing a non-conference schedule that featured three top-10 teams. They travel to West Virginia (5-1, 1-0) on Thursday night (ESPN, 7:30 ET) to face the premier team in the Big East. Can these guys get a break? "We like it this way," center Matt Tarullo said. "We're battle-tested." Syracuse had last weekend off following a near-upset of Florida State, 17-13, in the Carrier Dome. The key to beating the Mountaineers is to get the running game going. In their three victories, the Orangemen have rushed for 191 yards or more. In their three losses, they've managed 113 or less. Tailback Walter Reyes must live up to the preseason Heisman hype and forget about his effort against Florida State, during which he ran for 27 yards on 14 carries and fumbled near the FSU goal line. He is the X-factor in this one.
<LI>Coach Paul Pasqualoni had the pleasure of coaching the most electric quarterback in Big East history in Donovan McNabb. Now with the Philadelphia Eagles, McNabb set the league standard in touchdown passes with 77, passing yards with 8,389 and total offense with 9,950. On Thursday, Pasqualoni gets a chance to see WVU's gifted signal-caller Rasheed Marshall, who needs 44 yards to eclipse McNabb's career QB rushing record of 1,561. "I actually think Rasheed Marshall is probably faster," Pasqualoni said. "Donovan is bigger, and they're both quick, but if you put them in a 40-yard dash, the Marshall kid would probably win by a step or two. He can do a lot of damage running the ball." That was evident last week, when Marshall became the first WVU quarterback in 15 years to rush for 100 yards.
Reyes is looking to redeem himself this week. His fumble at the Florida State 5 cost the Orange a chance to go into halftime with a 17-3 lead and might have lost them the game. Reyes said he's been anguishing over the play. "To tell you the truth, that fumble is going to be harder than ever (to forget)," he said. "I know I'm a better player than that." Reyes has fumbled four times this season after going 303 consecutive carries without a drop between 2002 and 2003.
