Published: October 13, 2008 11:50 am            

Devine's run soothing to struggling WVU

MORGANTOWN — On a day when many of his play calls were met with disagreement -- and that may be putting it lightly -- from a noisy, noticeable portion of the crowd, Jeff Mullen was vindicated when anticipation met opportunity.

The most significant call West Virginia's offensive coordinator made in Saturday's 17-6 victory against Syracuse resulted in the most meaningful outcome. A simple zone run left on third-and-7 went for a 92-yard touchdown run by Noel Devine with 4:46 to go.

"That's the zone," said Ryan Stanchek, the left tackle who sprung Devine for the game-changing play. "It can go for 2 yards, minus-4, 6, 80, you never know."

Truth be told, Mullen knew.

"I felt good about the call going into it," he said, somewhat grudgingly as he did not want to accept much credit on a day in which he felt he deserved so much blame. "I thought they'd give us a Cover Zero look and the orbit motion would pull the extra guy out of there."

Throughout the game, Syracuse committed safeties along with its front seven to the line of scrimmage on third down and when defending its end zone. The Mountaineers (4-2, 2-0 Big East) scored against the scheme on Jock Sanders' 12-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and had mixed results with similar situations the rest of the day.

On this one play, though, receiver Alric Arnett motioned left to right before the snap as a way to thin the crowd on the left side of the field. Sure enough, the cornerback covering Arnett followed.

Devine made one cut, worked around a block that erased a linebacker and was left with one defender to beat. He had no trouble getting outside the safety and to the left sideline for a run that not only energized the frequently frustrated crowd of 58,133, but kept the defense from having to stop a potential game-wining drive for a second straight week.

It was a struggle up until that point. Syracuse (1-5, 0-2) arrived with one of the nation's very worst defenses. Yet before Devine's run, the second longest in school and stadium history, WVU had only 124 rushing yards and 176 total yards and had converted just 3-of-11 on third down.

There were reasons. The Mountaineers committed eight penalties and most either crippled drives or ruined punt or kick returns.

Quarterback Pat White did not play and was ruled out Friday after a series of medical tests encouraged WVU Coach Bill Stewart and the training staff give backup Jarrett Brown his second career start.

Brown, who apparently played through thigh and shoulder injuries, was 14-for-20 but for just 52 yards and many of his pass routes were check-downs for short yardage. Devine, for example, caught six passes for six yards and the repeated results drew boos from the spectators.

"Shoot," Mullen said, "I was booing myself half the time."

Stewart had a very different interpretation. He feared the crowd was booing Brown and his passes and not Mullen and his calls. Stewart said Brown "struggled" with his reads, including pass plays on the first and third snaps of the game, and that he never settled into a rhythm.

WVU had the pall for seven plays in the first quarter and 20 in the second quarter. The Orange had the ball for 35:16 and 77 snaps, 25 more than the Mountaineers.

"You go to the flat when you can't see it," Stewart said. "It just isn't there. It's like a pitcher who doesn't have it. It sounds like I'm throwing him under the bus, but I hope people aren't taking it that way. The kid couldn't get in a rhythm.:

Brown, who won his other start against Rutgers in 2006, heard the boos and wasn't close to satisfied with the way he played, but never shared the worries of those in the stands. Brown was instead pleased with the way the offense managed the field and put its defense in positions to stop the Syracuse offense.

"Everyone thinks they're a guru," he said. "If you really know the game, you know it's all about field position. It's not about throwing for 700 yards. It's about field position and how much territory you take up.

"We didn't want to force things. We were anticipating some looks that weren't there. We didn't want to make a mistake and take away from the field position and take points off the board with a sack or a turnover. That paid off in the end."

It did, due in large part to a more inept offensive performance by the opposition, but the Mountaineers have gone five games without scoring 30 points. That hasn't happened since 2000.

Field position and penalties prevented WVU's ability to drive for scores and big plays were again non-existent. Before his touchdown, Devine's 23-yard run was the longest play of the game. Next on the list was Sanders' touchdown, most of which was done after the catch.

The Mountaineers intended to throw deep, but the plays consistently came up short.

Mullen didn't question any of Brown's decisions, but was critical of his own for repeatedly putting his quarterback in spots in which he didn't feel comfortable passing down the field.

"At the end of the day, I've got to coach him better," said Mullen, who doubles as the quarterbacks coach. "He's good enough to make reads and he did make some really good reads, but I don't think I put him in position to make a lot of them that he liked."

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.