Is it me, or is Steve Slaton having a less than stellar season so far? You be the Judge. Here are his stats through six games:
112 carries for 625 yards, 9 TDs
12 catches for 179 yards, 1 TD.
Avg. 19 carries per game
Avg. 104 rushing per game
5.4 yds per carry
Ranked 27th in the country in total rushing yards.
Against Syracuse, he had 15 carries for 69 yards. Plus, he’s been kept out of the end zone for two consecutive games. Hardly Heisman candidate numbers at the half way point of the season. Another game with those numbers and his heisman hopes will be completely dashed.
In 2006 he averaged 134 yds per game and 7.0 yds per carry.
So why the drop in numbers? Is it the offensive line? Coaching? Is he looking over his shoulder worried about Devine taking some touches away? Has he lost a step? I think its All of the Above. The loss of Mozes et. al. on the O-line is apparent. Their not hitting their assignments…the big holes that Slaton ran through last year aren’t materializing this year. WVU also had some changes to the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball…maybe their not on the same page. Slaton shouldn’t be worried about Devine…Yet.
As we get into the heart of the Big East schedule, we’re going to need the old Super Steve Slaton to take over and dominate, especially with Pat White getting banged up every week.
Today I was honored to attend The Pittsburgh Coaches Corner Luncheon sponsored by Pittsburgh Brewing Co. They hold this luncheon every month and it’s basically a forum for coaches from around the area to talk about their program and some of the good things going on in the region.
I was pumped to go to this one because WVU’s new head basketball coach, Bob Huggins, was (in my opinion) the main speaker. Also, I was going to get the chance to meet him, ask a few questions, and tell him about the site.
I must admit, Huggins is a great speaker. He was funny, engaging and informative, yet straight to the point. I recorded most of his speech [see below] but missed the first minute or so, which might have been the best part.
Since the other speakers were touting their kids graduation rate and GPA, Huggs cut himself down with a quick joke about how WVU’s kids have an average of 3.48 and now he’s the coach and will have to take care of that. He said he doesn’t like to coach kids smarter than him. It was some of the best self-depricating humor, i’ve heard in a long time. Funny stuff.
On the other hand, it was refreshing to hear a coach not beat around the bush about their team. Huggins openly admitted that he didn’t know how the team was this year. With just a few summer practices, he said he will have to wait till this Friday to really start evaluating the players and won’t know till then to really see how they will adjust to his style of ball. He’s a straight shooter and doesn’t BS the media. I got the sense he was happy that he was back in his home town and back to where he could be just “a good ol’ boy”.
I got a chance to meet him after the reception and was able to squeeze in one question. I asked him what we, as fans, could expect from the team and his new style of ball this season. He simply stated, “I don’t know. Come Friday, we’ll find out”. For a second I thought he was inviting me to come watch the first official practice! I was wrong.
Check out the audio version of his speech. It’s about 13 minutes long (a little muffled at first) and starts at the beginning of a funny story he’s telling about one of the biggest games he coached at Cincy vs. DePaul, and continues with some info about the team.
ESPN has effected the start of yet another WVU home game. This time it’s the upcoming Mississippi State game on Oct. 20th. The game now starts at 3:30pm instead of Noon for region coverage of the game on ESPNU.
So guess what kids, that’s 3 and a half hours of extra kielbasa eatin’, MadDog swillin’, moonshine drinkin’ par-tee time. Just remember to drink responsibly and don’t spill any beer. Like the guys over at WBGV.com put it, Horray Beer and let’s make sure we enjoy this one.
I love the “do your own rankings” widget on ESPN.com. It’s a nice way to get move things around, look at various match ups, compare records, etc. After a crazy couple of weeks and a heartbreaking loss by the Mountaineers (they would be ranked 3rd by now, maybe even second), I have come up with the following rankings:
LSU - I don’t think there is anyone (worth their salt) that would dispute this. They still have a long way to go in the minefield that is the SEC.
California - The Big East is showing their hind quarters, so there isn’t much choice but placing these guys second. What? Should I have put BC or Hawaii here?
Oklahoma - When I’m not sure between two teams I match them up… would OK beat BC? Yep, 9 out of 10 times.
Boston College - A nod for being undefeated. Not a nod with a “what’s up” or even a “good morning.” Just a nod.
South Florida - It pains me to say it, but my hands are tied. My prediction is they will lose at least 3 games, so I’m not worried about these guys.
WVU - Sigh. They still have powerhouses all over the field. But there has to be that one game every year when they just don’t show up. Look for them to win out and pray that USF chokes (they will).
Oregon - Wish I had a good reason for this one, other than following along with the pollsters.
South Carolina - For now. As a new found fan of the Game Cocks, it pains me to say it but …”look for them to fall hard in the next few weeks.” I hope they don’t, but they will.
USC - OVERRATED
Ohio State - I hate these guys. It hurts to even put them at 10, but I’m out of options. I think they play Mary Madeline’s School of the Blind this weekend. They are Division III (which is weird cause OSU usually plays in the MAC). Ohio State 24 - School of the Blind 17.
A nod to TV Tebow. I hate to see you go. I was enjoying ESPN drooling all over your jock every third news story.
So the boys are headed up to Syracuse, NY this weekend in, what I hope will be, a major lop-sided victory. They are pretty much the worst team in NCAA Div-1 Football right now. At the time of this post the Vegas is giving WVU 26.5 points. BWAHAHAHAHA.. sweet.
HISTORY
I almost forgot what happened to us in 2005, the last time we visited the Carrier Dome. That was the year WVU as a team was finding itself and that Syracuse almost shut us down. But you have to remember, that was the first game of the year for either team, Bednarik was our starting QB and nobody even knew who Steve Slaton was. I know I couldn’t wait to see the likes of Gwaltney and Bednarik light up the Orangemen and that isn’t what happened.
West Virginia overcame five turnovers to pull out a 15-7 victory at Syracuse in the 2005 season opener. A defensive touchdown and a safety provided the difference in the game.
A close one! Also, we can’t forget that we don’t play well in Syracuse, WVU is 5-8 in the Dome and overall in the series they lead us 30-24.
WHAT WVU NEEDS TO DO
Control the Offensive line.
Syracuse’s defensive line is one of the biggest West Virginia will face this year with Arthur Jones and Tony Jenkins weighing nearly 300 pounds. Backup nose tackle Nick Santiago is listed at 302.
This also means that WVU has to be willing to throw the ball when they can, and take advantage of the many opportunities we should have when the Orange aren’t blitzin’.
“They are not a heavy blitz team but they are not anti-blitz either,” Rodriguez said. “If they can stop you using some base defense and just crowd the box I think they will do that a little bit. They will change their coverage; what they have done this year, and what we have seen is that they have gone from an even-front traditional defense to an odd stack which is very similar to what we from our defense.”
We need to be able to handle their passing game and cover the deep ball.
The Orange have had seven plays of at least 40 yards this season and four have gone for touchdowns, which is a little alarming for an offense that is No. 113 out of 119 Division I-A teams in yards (272.6) and points (16.8) per game.
“The one thing we do expect and probably will see a lot is deep balls down the field,” Mountaineers Coach Rich Rodriguez said. “They’ve thrown numerous deep balls down the field, and not just big play-action plays. If they get a 1-on-1 matchup against man (defense), they’ll check to a deep ball. They’ve got some deep ball threats, so it makes sense. And they’ll hit a few of them.”
The most obvious of all: STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER!!!
We had the worst game last week turning the ball over 6 times. There is no way you can win a ball game when you just give the ball to the other team. We also need to keep our defense rested and ready. Last week, they seemed to be on the field for 59 minutes.
MILESTONES
Steve Slaton could surpass an 88 year long record on Saturday. He can break Ira Errett Rodgers’ (who?) record for rushing touchdowns.
Coach Rod is looking for his 100th win at WVU! GOOD LUCK COACH!!!
I’ve read about 8 reports today about Pat Whites status for the Syracuse game on Saturday. There are reports saying it’s going to be a game-day decision, there are reports saying Coach Rod is prepping Brown and Bednarik to be ready for a start, there are reports saying Coach Rod is keeping his mouth shut and not commenting on Whites status, and still yet there are reports Pat practiced today and is quoted saying that “if you can practice on Tuesday, you can play Saturday.”
Who knows what will happen as the week progresses with Pat and his health. I think WVU will be fine no matter what happens. Of course, we would love to have him play and put up the kind of numbers he had last year against The Orangemen, but I think those boys are looking for someone to take out the frustrations of last Thursday nights debacle, so it won’t matter who the QB is.
If he does play, I want him to be 100% because it’s not worth blowing an easy game like this just to prove that he is healthy and can play. Forget the Heisman, we want need the Big East title now. That happened to us last year when a banged up White and Slaton took to the field against USF after a tough loss to Louisville, both injured. If he’s hurt, let him heal and put in Brown.. simple as that.
But you have to love Coach Rod’s answer when asked about Pats injury:
“If it’s [at] noon on Saturday, I’ll decide at noon on Saturday,” Rodriguez said. “If I decide earlier than that, he won’t know until noon on Saturday. And nobody else will, either.”
.jpg)
Is it me, or is Steve Slaton having a less than stellar season so far? You be the Judge. Here are his stats through six games:
I was pumped to go to this one because WVU’s new head basketball coach, Bob Huggins, was (in my opinion) the main speaker. Also, I was going to get the chance to meet him, ask a few questions, and tell him about the site.
ESPN has effected the start of yet another WVU home game. This time it’s the upcoming Mississippi State game on Oct. 20th. The game now starts at 3:30pm instead of Noon for region coverage of the game on ESPNU.
The 2007 - 08 WVU Basketball Schedule was released today. Keep an eye out for a bball schedule link in the main menu but for now, check it out below.
So the boys are headed up to Syracuse, NY this weekend in, what I hope will be, a major lop-sided victory. They are pretty much the worst team in NCAA Div-1 Football right now. At the time of this post the Vegas is giving WVU 26.5 points. BWAHAHAHAHA.. sweet.
I’ve read about 8 reports today about Pat Whites status for the Syracuse game on Saturday. There are reports saying it’s going to be a game-day decision, there are reports saying Coach Rod is prepping Brown and Bednarik to be ready for a start, there are reports saying Coach Rod is keeping his mouth shut and not commenting on Whites status, and still yet there are reports Pat practiced today and is quoted saying that “if you can practice on Tuesday, you can play Saturday.”
Loading ...
