Published: November 19, 2008 01:21 pm            

Southern players aren't used to Morgantown snow

MORGANTOWN — Robert Sands had seen snow once before it began to fall on West Virginia's campus Monday night.

"It was on my visit," he recalled of his recruiting experience last winter.

It didn't scare him off then and it didn't keep him indoors Monday night. Sands, the starting true freshman free safety from Opa-Locka, Fla., started a snowball fight with teammates outside their dorm.

"It was so fun," he said. "It started with one and then all of a sudden everyone started throwing them at each other."

Included in the battle were Florida natives Jorge Wright, Ja'tavious Miller and Uriah Grant and Mississippi's D.J. Shaw. Wright, Miler and Grant are freshmen and Shaw is a junior college transfer who was at Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College the past two years.

Snow is new to all of them.

Sands, who has 23 tackles and has started the past six games, said he's coping with the temperature drop and the snowfall, but it isn't easy.

"I don't have a winter coat. All I have is what they gave me here," Sands said tugging at his sweat suit.

He was warned. Junior safety Quinton Andrews, who is also from Opa-Locka, Fla., said he tries to prepare the newcomers from the South for the winters in the North.

"But what is it they say? You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?" Andrews said. "I tell them it gets cold and they better get used to it. They don't always listen."

Sands admitted his feet were numb after a recent practice outside and he wonders how it'll feel to hit in the cold. He has a plan to keep his hands working if it's chilly in Louisville.

"I'm going to get mittens and put them underneath my gloves," he said. "That way my hands are warm and I should still be able to catch the ball because I'll have gloves on the outside."



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LOUISVILLE'S 6-6 finish last season prompted a list of changes on a coaching staff assembled that season by first-year coach Steve Kragthorpe.

The offensive coordinator resigned and the defensive coordinator was fired.

Former Cardinals quarterback Jeff Brohm was promoted to offensive coordinator, but he already had been an assistant head coach and passing game coordinator at the school.

When Ron English was hired as defensive coordinator after being let go at Michigan, he came with three new assistants.

Yet the defense remains a bright spot for the Cardinals (5-5, 1-4 Big East Conference) entering their home game against West Virginia (6-3, 3-1) at noon Saturday.

Louisville is No. 39 nationally in total defense (325.7 yards per game) and No. 8 in rushing defense (95.4). Louisville was No. 84 in total defense and No. 71 in rush defense last year.

While being ranked No. 70 in scoring defense (26 points per game) isn't great, it's an improvement of last year's No. 91 (31.4).

The defense has been a strength even in defeat. In the five losses, the Cardinals have allowed 319.8 yards per game. In losses to Pitt, Connecticut and Kentucky, Louisville allowed five non-offensive touchdowns.

"They're big and strong and gap out and do a nice job mixing in run blitzes from time to time," WVU Offensive Coordinator Jeff Mullen said. "It's just a really physical group that's taken to what they're doing and they're doing it really well."

The admiration is mutual. Kragthorpe understands the buzz about WVU's offense, but he doesn't understand why the defense isn't receiving the same notoriety.

"Certainly Pat White is a great player, a marquee player in our conference and in college football, a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, but people don't give the defense enough credit," Kragthorpe said. "They have a very aggressive odd scheme and give you a lot of different looks."

The Mountaineers are No. 20 in total defense (303.33 yards per game), No. 10 in scoring defense (16 points per game), No. 29 in rush defense (118.11 yards per game) and No. 15 in pass efficiency defense (103.3 rating).



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BEFORE GOING 2-for-3 against Cincinnati, the Cardinals were 3-for-6 on field goal attempts in their first nine games.

The nine attempts are tied for the second-fewest in the country.

Junior Ryan Payne is 3-for-5 since taking over the job and hasn't missed any of his 20 extra point attempts.

Payne made a pair of 23-yard field goals against Cincinnati, but he missed a 45-yard try that would have given Louisville the lead in the fourth quarter.

"We feel like he can make a 45-yarder," Kragthorpe said. "Those are the ones he's made in practice. On that one, there was a bobbled snap we feel affected the timing of the kick."

The kicking trouble has forced the Cardinals to go for it on fourth down in the red zone. The Cardinals have scored on 25-of-33 red-zone possessions, the worst percentage in the Big East. They were 4-for-5 against Cincinnati but kicked two field goals and missed the 45-yarder after a holding penalty pulled them out of the red zone.

"Obviously field goals are not what we want, particularly on the outer part of the red zone, where we need to put points on the board and not have to go for it on fourth down," Kragthorpe said. "But for the most part, the inner half of the red zone has been solid."

        

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