Countdown to Kickoff – Week 4

WVU hopes to rekindle last decade’s spark

After two early-season Southeastern Conference tilts against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State and a neutral site game against North Carolina, LSU will keep the BCS conference train chugging along when the Tigers host West Virginia Sept. 25.

Times have been tough in Morgantown since the departure of head coach Rich Rodriguez two offseasons ago.

After leading the Mountaineers to conference championships and BCS Bowls in 2005 and 2007, the West Virginia native jumped at the opportunity to coach a school with the prestige of Michigan and skipped town.

Although a 48-28 victory over Oklahoma in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl played a huge hand in taking the interim tag off new head coach Bill Stewart, the Mountaineers have staggered to consecutive 9-4 seasons.

Senior wide receiver Jock Sanders experienced the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and looks to assume a leadership role in the locker room this season.

He told msnsportsnet.com that he is making it his major goal this summer to bring the team together.

“I’ve been trying to get this team together – trying to make them bond like our team that went to the ’07 Fiesta Bowl,” said Sanders. “That’s the type of bond we’re trying to find.”

Sanders said he would start by spending time with projected starting quarterback sophomore Geno Smith to develop better chemistry with him.

For the second year in a row, West Virginia will need to break in a new quarterback.

Last season, senior Jarrett Brown was faced with the daunting task of replacing the four-year face of West Virginia football, Pat White.

Brown threw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions, including four picks in last year’s 41-30 loss on the plains against Auburn.

He added six touchdowns on the ground, but he was no Pat White, and the Mountaineers failed to reach the lofty expectations left behind by Rodriguez.

This year, Smith projects to take the reigns as the starting quarterback.

Smith saw limited playing time last season, but when he did see action, he completed 32-of-49 passes for 309 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

The rest of West Virginia’s offense returns next season except for right tackle Selvish Capers, who was taken late in the 7th round by the Washington Redskins, and receivers Alric Arnett and Wes Lyons.

West Virginia’s top two skill position players return in running back Noel Devine and Sanders, but Stewart said the team focused on developing younger talent in spring.

“I don’t want to come out here and keep handing the ball to [No.] 7 [Devine] and throwing the ball to [No.] 9 [Sanders],” said Stewart to msnsportsnet.com. “We know what they can do. I want to see the young guys touch the ball.”

Running a spread option attack that relies heavily on running the ball, Stewart knows Devine can’t carry the load by himself even though he had 1,465 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. One player who looks to step up and share carries in 2010 will be redshirt freshman halfback Daquan Hargrett.

But there’s no doubt who the goal line back is.

Hargrett looks to compete with sophomore Ryan Clarke to help carry the load in the Mountaineer backfield. Used in goal line situations, Clarke scored eight touchdowns on only 60 carries last season.

“I like Ryan Clarke. It looked like he did some good stuff. He ran the power set well for us,” said Stewart after a spring practice. “I like the way we ran the ball off the goal line. I like the way we ran the ball coming into the goal line.”

One the defensive side of the ball, West Virginia loses only middle linebacker Reed Williams and safety Franchot Allen.

The veteran group held conference opponents to an average of fewer than 20 points per game last year – good prospects if the Mountaineers hope to win the Big East and return to a BCS Bowl in 2010.

West Virginia

2009 Record: 9-4

Starters Returning: 18

Key Returners: Running backs Noel Devine and Ryan Clarke, wide receiver Jock Sanders, linebacker Pat Lazear

Coach: Joey Jones, (7-0; all with South Alabama)

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 26.2 ppg

Scoring Defense: 21.7 papg

Total Offense: 377.5 ypg

Total Defense: 336.5 yapg

Panthers hope new blood brings success in 2010

The Carolina Panthers will be without longtime veterans Jake Delhomme, Julius Peppers and Muhsin Muhammad in 2010.

Rebuilding year?

Don’t tell that to the team’s head coach John Fox.

“It doesn’t really change anything for me. I’m extremely competitive; most guys who do this are,” Fox told the NFL Network. “I look at the glass half full, instead of half empty. I see this as an exciting time.”

With Delhomme having been released this offseason, the Panthers are putting all of their eggs into former backup Matt Moore’s basket.

The 6-foot-3-inch gunslinger went 4-1 as a starter to close 2009, including victories against the Giants, Vikings and Saints.

Fox said he believes Moore will be able to build on his success and turn the Panthers back into a winner.

“He started in the league about as low as you can. He was an undrafted free agent when he was in Dallas. Then we picked him up in the final cut that year,” Fox said. “He’s got all the tools. He can make all the throws. He’s unflappable.”

Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith agreed and told the team’s website the only growing pains the team might have will be ironed out before the season.

“You’re not going to have that guy who has been there the last seven years,” he said.

“But that is the nature of business. Things need to progress and move along.”

Just in case things don’t work with Moore, the Panthers used a few of their draft picks to boost their quarterback depth, drafting Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike.

Clausen was an All-American performer at Notre Dame. He was widely regarded as one of the best prospects in the 2010 NFL Draft until an unexpected draft-day slide placed in Carolina’s laps with the 48th overall pick.

“He was a pretty good guy, and he was available, so that’s the way it went,” Moore told the team’s website. “But really, [I have] no reaction. I’m excited to get out here.”

Regardless of who is under center, running the football has been the trademark of the Panthers the past few seasons.

Halfback DeAngelo Williams has rushed for more than 2,600 yards and 25 touchdowns in the past two seasons. Backup Jonathan Stewart hasn’t been far behind, toting for more than 1,900 more with 20 more touchdowns.

But with teams sometimes taking away the team’s running attack, Fox said he wants more balance in 2010 – that’s where Moore and Clausen come into play.

“We really want to emphasize [balance],” Fox said. “And I’m of the belief that you ultimately get what you emphasize.”

On defense, the Panthers lost Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers to free agency. The team also released veteran lineback Na’il Diggs.

But returning are key contributors Jon Beason, Richard Marshall and Thomas Davis – all of whom played a key role in the Panthers’ No. 8-ranked defense last season.

Despite all the question marks, this season is the last on Fox’s current contract. The coach has led the Panthers to their only Super Bowl berth in franchise history.

But even with a new cast to decide his fate, the coach said nothing will change about the Panthers’ philosophy this year.

“I’m not thinking about it at all,” Fox said.

Carolina Panthers

2009 Record: 8-8

Starters Returning: 18

Key Returners: Quarterback Matt Moore, halfback DeAngelo Williams, wide receiver Steve Smith, linebacker Jon Beason

Key Departures: Quarterback Jake Delhomme, wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, defensive end Julius Peppers

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 19.7 ppg

Scoring Defense: 19.2 papg

Total Offense: 331.1 ypg

Total Defense: 315.8 yapg

Bacone College cleans up program under second-year coach

When Bacone head football coach Lloyd Spotted Wolf took over the Warriors’ program in 2009, he saw some things that were not pleasing to his eyes.

“We inherited a team with 36 ineligible players, and only had three kids in the program with a 3.0 or higher GPA,” the coach said.

So with academics in need of improvement, the coach implemented an academic support plan, which has immediately helped alleviate some of the school’s previous classroom issues.

“After one semester with us, the number of 3.0 guys jumped to 17, and we should have almost 30 guys with at least a 3.0 when you count the end of the Spring semester,” Spotted Wolf said. “Our coaching staff is really hands-on and proactive in helping our players understand that their success in the classroom, on the field and in life, is directly related to their accountability and production.”

But in addition to cleaning up the grade book, Spotted Wolf will also have some talent on the field, as well.

The Warriors will return 11 players who made All-Conference last season for the Central States Football League, including first-team offensive lineman Brandon Medelberg and first-team halfback Jamario Thomas.

“Right now is an exciting time to be a Bacone Warrior football team member,” Spotted Wolf said. “That players are taking ownership of the program, and for the most part, their own success in the classroom, on the field, in the weight room, and in the community … The players are beginning to have high expectations of each other, but more importantly of themselves, and are policing each other more.”

The team is looking to translate talent into more wins in 2010.

Bacone went just 1-8 last season, thanks in part to a defensive unit that allowed 50 or more points in five of the team’s nine games.

So with academics more in focus than before, Spotted Wolf said his team would look to achieve more on the field, as well.

The team hired former Missouri assistant coach Trevor Rubly to serve as defensive coordinator and former Arkansas strength and conditioning coach Thane Read to be offensive coordinator.

With Missouri, Rubly coached the Tigers’ defensive line and linebackers. He was a part of Missouri’s staff in 2008, when the team advanced to the Big XII Championship Game and eventually lost to Oklahoma.

At Arkansas, Read trained former Razorbacks and current NFL players like Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Jamal Anderson.

The Razorbacks also won a Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship in his tenure.

Spotted Wolf said the upgraded staff should help the program achieve the winning tradition they’d like to develop.

“These two coaches have worked at the highest level of college football, and they know how to conduct themselves as professionals,” he said. “They know the importance of recruiting, integrity and self-confidence. We have definitely upgraded the staff by leaps and bounds, and our kids and our school will be the beneficiaries.”

Bacone’s trip to Thibodaux will be the longest road trip the team makes this season.

With a travel budget that is nowhere near the likes of a major collegiate athletic program, the team shuffled its schedule a bit to create a bye week before the meeting.

“I think the bye week before we play Nicholls St. is huge,” Spotted Wolf said. “It allows us a little more preparation time for a big-time opponent, and a little more travel time to get down there.”

Bacone College

2009 Record: 1-8

Starters Returning: 16

Key Returners: Offensive lineman Brandon Medelberg and halfback Jamario Thomas

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 20.3 ppg

Scoring Defense: 51.7 papg

Total Offense: 272.8 ypg

Total Defense: 505.4 yapg