Published: November 30, 2008 12:48 am      

COLUMN: WVU defense has survived, thrived in face of disaster

MORGANTOWN — As morning dawned on Saturday, West Virginia fans began sifting through the debris left from a season gone up in flames and, like victims of a fire or a tornado, they were searching for something of value that they could cling to in their sorrow.

Losing to Pitt in the 101st Backyard Brawl was the final indignation, the end of an era so to speak.

This football team that some thought to be a national title contender, ranked in the top 10 — rightly or wrongly, matters not at this time because the ranking came as a show of respect for the program — had somehow lost that respect along with four games.

While there are universities that would boast after a seven or eight-victory season, that is not what West Virginia had built toward. And when one analyzes those seven or eight victories from this year, depending upon the outcome of the most meaningless game they have played in years against South Florida next Saturday, there is not a signature win among them.

Villanova, Marshall, a Rutgers team that was atrocious at the time but that rallied to salvage its season, Syracuse, an Auburn team that is a shell of its former self, Connecticut and Louisville were all the Mountaineers could conquer.

An offense that once intimidated defenses just by walking on the field became dysfunctional, falling into the trap that motion and trickery could overcome a failure to block or come up with simple, yet utile, game plans.

So futile was the offense that even as great a talent as quarterback Patrick White could not overcome the administrative deficiencies, and for those who point toward the losses from last season who could have imagined that White would miss Rich Rodriguez more than Steve Slaton?

In an era when teams can put 50 or 60 or even 70 points up on the board, WVU scored 24 or fewer six times in 10 games — two of them going overtime.

But we are here this morning not to pick at the debris, but to search through for something upon which to rebuild what was lost, an item that was not destroyed by the flames or blown away by the wind.

It is there, you know, for if there was a treasure in this season it was a defense that played heroically throughout, forced onto the field over and over by an offense that could not convert a third and short, worked overtime in game after game as the offense went through its weekly Rockettes imitation of 1-2-3-kick.

It may seem strange to be offering up the defense as the bright light in the darkness after it allowed Pitt’s LeSean McCoy to run through it for 187 yards and a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, but in the end there were only 19 Pittsburgh points on the scoreboard and that should be enough to allow you to win.

That McCoy should have a huge day really isn’t surprising as he is, perhaps, the nation’s best running back facing a defense that was down to playing its fourth- and fifth-string middle linebackers (Reed Williams, Mortty Ivy and Anthony Leonard had all been starting previously) and that was without its starting defensive end, Doug Slavonic, and backup nose guard Pat Liebig.

This was a defensive unit that was supposed to be the Achilles heel of this year’s team, if there were to be one. Williams was hurt, gone were Eric Wicks and Ryan Mundy and the top three cornerbacks and Keilen Dykes and Johnny Dingle and Marc Magro.

The truth of the matter is that while the offensive coaching staff needs to be carefully looked at after the season, defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel ought to be named the national assistant coach of the year for the way he rebuilt his defense without so much as a whimper about injury or inexperience.

He, Bill Kirelawich, Steve Dunlap and David Lockwood did a spectacular job with what they had, even keeping some of their players who have had a penchant for trouble such as safety Quinton Andrews and linebacker John Holmes in line and performing at the top of their game.

If the offense couldn’t score points, neither could the team they were playing. Only Cincinnati, who had an overtime touchdown to reach 26 points, scored more than 24 on the Mountaineers all season. Only East Carolina and Cincinnati scored more than 21 points on WVU, which often bent but seldom broke under tremendous pressure.

It is this defense around whom the reconstruction of the Mountaineers must be conducted, while the offense must be rethought, especially in the wake of the departure of Patrick White as, perhaps, the greatest player ever to play at WVU.

E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.