Published: September 06, 2008 02:05 am            

WVU geared up for win at East Carolina

MORGANTOWN — Come rain, wind or high water, West Virginia University and East Carolina were gearing up Friday afternoon for a non-conference football contest which was still scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

The No. 8-ranked Mountaineers’ chartered Delta jet airliner set down in Greenville, N.C., without incident at 2 p.m. Then the squad scampered through a light workout on one of the ECU’s practice fields.

A light rain was falling at 3 p.m. and as much as eight inches of rain and strong winds were expected when Tropical Storm Hanna hit the Carolina coast overnight and heads northeast sometime Saturday, according to weather forecasters.

East Carolina officials were hoping for a capacity crowd of 43,000 fans. ESPN will televise the action nationally.

Both teams are coming off season-opening victories. While West Virginia turned back Villanova 48-21 in Morgantown, the Pirates upset then-17th-ranked Virginia Tech 27-22 in Charlotte, N.C. That triumph earned ECU new respect nationally, and it hopes to build on that.

WVU remains a 7 1/2-point favorite to extend its winning streak against East Carolina to eight games. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series by 17-2.

Whatever the elements might be at kickoff time, their Heisman hopeful quarterback, Patrick White, predicted that they must “give everything we’ve got” to be successful in this first road game of the 2008 season.

“They’re coming off a big win, so I’m sure they will be well-prepared and fired up for us,” he said. “We just have to play West Virginia football. Execute well, offensively and defensively, and do good things on special teams.”

It is not known whether middle linebacker Reed Williams will play against East Carolina. He was not in uniform for the first game.

Coach Bill Stewart said earlier in the week it would be up to Williams and his doctor whether he will play, but he has recovered from offseason operations on both shoulders.

Stewart expects an extremely hostile atmosphere as the host team tries to avenge last year’s 48-7 beat in Morgantown.

“We better be on our ‘A’ game,” he said. “We’re very much aware of what the Pirates can do.”

Skip Holtz, ECU’s third-year head coach, said he would love a low-scoring game. But Jeff Mullen, the West Virginia offensive coordinator, admittedly wouldn’t like that.

Like Stewart, Mullen said the Mountaineers will do whatever they do best. If it’s run more than pass or vice-versa, or a balanced attack, both think their offense is capable of doing what’s required.

Holtz said he thinks White is as good as any quarterback in the country. He’s impressed with the way the 6-2, 195-pound senior has improved steadily over the past three years.

“I commend him and their coaching staff for his development,” Holtz commented. “He’s so difficult to defend. His emergence is the biggest difference in that team.”

Stewart also is impressed by ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney. He completed 19 of 23 passes for 211 yards against Virginia Tech. His 82.6 percentage performance is a school record.

White was 25 of 33 for 208 yards and five touchdowns against Villanova last week. He also led the team in rushing with a net 63 yards on nine keeper plays.

Tailback Noel Devine netted 47 yards rushing on just nine carries and caught six passes for 37 yards.

Brandon Simmons and Jon Williams are ECU’s leading rushers. Against Tech, Simmons netted 54 yards on 17 carries and Williams 48 on 10 totes.

Jock Sanders was the top Mountaineer receiver in the opener with eight catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Alric Arnett caught four passes for 70 yards and also scored twice.

After playing East Carolina, West Virginia won’t play again until Thursday night, Sept. 18, in another nationally televised game at Colorado.

        

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