The Sports Corner

2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl Preview

West Virginia 8-4 vs. North Carolina 8-4

Saturday, December 27, 10 a.m. PST.

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Big East #3 vs. ACC Coastal #3 (tie - who isn’t tied in the ACC)

Coaches: Bill Stewart (9-4) vs. Butch Davis (12-12) - cancer survivor

Quarterbacks: Pat White vs. TJ Yates or Cam Sexton

The line: UNC -1

Payout: $1 million

Rich Rodriguez is off screwing up the winningest program in college football history, so West Virginia has had to make do with him. As long as Pat White is in uniform, odds are pretty good they’ll be fine… uh oh, this is his last game… Quick somebody call Rich-Rod, he’ll know what to do. Funny how a quarterback like Pat White can take a coach like Rich Rodriguez and elevate him to the level of genius. Without Pat White, Rich Rodriguez is still coaching West Virginia to eight and nine-win seasons. Now he’s the multi-millionaire coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Well folks, let me tell you a little story about the young man who gave Rodriguez the chance of a lifetime.

In his freshman season, White helped engineer a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. As a sophomore he was named the Big East’s offensive player of the year. In the Gator Bowl against Georgia Tech the Mountaineers were down 35-17 and running back Steve Slaton was injured (Slaton hurt? What a shocker!). White brought them back to win the game 38-35. The next season White was again named Big East offensive player of the year - the only player to win the award twice - and the Mountaineers won the Big East championship.

But then the unthinkable happened, Michigan offered Rich Rodriguez big money bring the spread option to Ann Arbor. The ensuing legal action left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth. Rodriguez was now head coach of the maize and blue and Morgantown may never forgive him. In the Fiesta Bowl WVU throttled Oklahoma 48-28 after the ugly Rodriguez divorce. 

This, his senior season, didn’t get off on the right foot with two early season losses to East Carolina and Colorado, but the team rebounded and won five in a row. Meanwhile Michigan and Rich-Rod were closing in on the worst season in school history, atta boy Rich!

Back in Morgantown, sophomore running back Noel Devine finished the season with 1,228 yards, taking the bulk of the carries from White, who currently has a career low of 919 rushing yards. White hasn’t had the weapons he’s had in previous years at his disposal. Only receiver Jock Sanders is a threat and he might actually be better in the running game than he is as a receiver. So the QB’s numbers are down, but he’s just as important to the team’s success. 

Defensively it has been a banner year for the Mountaineers. Nobody has topped 26 points scored and only four teams have put up 20 on them. They rank ninth in the nation in scoring defense. Seniors like Mortty Ivy and Reed Williams and Ellis Lankster have been stand-outs. North Carolina will have trouble moving the ball against the unconventional 3-3-5 stack defense. 

The Tar Heels come into this game with 2009 on their minds. They are going to be a sleeper pick for the BCS next year. Especially defensively where they play so many young players, by 2009 they should be ready to be among the best in the ACC. Right now though, they have to deal with Pat White, Jock Sanders and Noel Devine and that might be too much to ask at this point.

Head coach Butch Davis, whose background is in defense, will need to have some sort of scheme put together that doesn’t allow the trio to use the speed to get to the outside. Once they get going or have just a yard of space, it’s as good as over. UNC needs to smother West Virginia at the point of attack if they want to keep this game close. 

On offense both quarterbacks will be healthy for the Tar Heels which begs the question of which will start and how much will each QB play. If the situation is not handled properly by the coaching staff it could be a disaster for UNC. Whoever plays, one thing is certain, receiver Hakeem Nicks will be given the opportunity to make plays. Nicks is thought to be the best at his position in the country. He caught 60 passes this year, 9 TDs and had over 1,000 yards.

But in this game, look for sophomore running back Shaun Draughn to put the team on his back and pound away at the 3-3-5 stack. Draughn became the workhorse in the fifth game of the season but has still managed 800 yards. When the Heels need the tough yardage they turn to 250-pound sophomore Ryan Houston. He’s got 8 TDs this year. 

Run blocking for UNC will be of the utmost importance against WVU. North Carolina can win this game if they control the clock, but they have to worry about the big play on defense and that might bight them in the ass. Strong safety Trimane Goddard will have to live up to his billing and make plays on defense for the Heels to keep White and co. off the board. 

It took four paragraphs to get our first North Carolina reference… I guess the Pat White lovefest had to end at some point, maybe not… after all, White and his fellow senior Mountaineers have had the best four year run in school-history. I was going to pick North Carolina, seeing as they’re playing in a virtual home game, but I’ve convinced myself otherwise. 

West Virginia wins 17-13.