Heisman Winner Schools Mountaineers
February 1, 2011
Game Report Posted: April 16, 2009 15:09
Jonathan Dwyer showed the Country this year why he is the best player in college football. At the Orange Bowl, he showed the Mountaineers up-close, as Georgia Tech defeated the Mountaineers 37-31 behind a jaw-dropping performance by Dwyer.
Dwyer scored four touchdowns on the evening - four different ways. First he returned an Aaron Williams punt 60 yards for a touchdown. He then returned a Williams kickoff 102 yards for his second touchdown. Later in the second quarter he added a two yard score on the ground. Finally near the end of the first half he scored via a 19 catch and run. Truly a performance for the ages. At the end of the night, he had tallied 399 total yards. The Mountaineer's simply had no answer for him.
West Virginia was led by it's Seniors playing their last game in the old Gold and Blue. Noel Devine kept the Eers in the game with two first half scoring runs. On the night, the Senior finished with 124 yards on 20 carries.
Defensively, two Seniors led the way for WVU. Pat Lazier recorded a career high 11 tackles to go along with an interception. Chris Neild added six stops and recorded a sack as well.
West Virginia finishes the 2010 season at 10-3 overall, 6-1 in Big East play, and as Big East Champions.
Nightmare in Pittsburgh - Eers fumble away win
November 20, 2010
Game Report Posted: April 14, 2009 20:01
West Virginia lost five fumbles Saturday night and K.Harper kicked field goals of 44, 50, and 52 yards to lead Pittsburgh past #18 WVU 30-22. It was the first loss in the Big East for WVU in 2010. However, the Eers still appear headed to the Orange Bowl as the Big East's representative to the BCS.
Devine leads Mountaineers over Bearcats
November 6, 2010
Game Report Posted: April 14, 2009 17:29
Noel Devine was mad after last Thursday's win over UConn. His team had just won on the road in front of a nationally televised Thursday night audience on ESPN. However, Devine had been benched in the second half in favor of fellow senior Zach Hulse. Appearently Devine got whatever message Coach Bill Stewart was trying to send. Now the only ones mad are the Cincinnati Bearcats after allowing Devine to rush for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns as WVU cruised to a 45-21 victory Saturday in Morgantown.
In all, the Eers racked up 579 yards of total offense including 304 on the ground. Meanwhile the Mountaineer defense held UC to just 29 yards on the ground, forced three intereptions and held the Bearcats to just 3 of 11 on third down.
The win sets up a season finaly at Pittsburgh two weeks from Saturday.
Mountaineers hang on against Huskies
October 28, 2010
Game Report Posted: April 14, 2009 15:07
West Virginia held on strong to defeat UConn 31-21 in a Big East Conference game Thursday night in Connecticut. In a game that the Mountaineers will long remember for their inability to get into any real offensive rythm, Huskie fans will remember the night their team shutdown WVU's vaunted running attack - and still lost.
Connecticut held the Mountaineers to just 15 yards on the ground, but WVU took advantage of every opportunity they had, converting all 4 trips in the red zone into points. Meanwhile the Mountaineer defense forced the Huskie turnovers and held the UConn rushing attack to just 32 yards on the night.
Eain Smith led the way for the Eers defense, coming up with 7 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Ja'Tavious Miller added six stops from his OLB position.
WVU returns home next Saturday for a contest with Cincinnati.
WVU too much for Toppers
October 23, 2010
Game Report Posted: April 09, 2009 17:34
In a game expected to be one sided, WVU dominated Western Kentucky, 40-14 Saturday at Mountaineer Field. The Mountaineers held the Hilltoppers to just 38 yards rushing, one third down conversion, and forced four interceptions on the afternoon.
Safety Robert Sands led the Mountaineer Defense by picking off two passes, while recording 3 tackles. Eain Smith also had an outstanding game from his safety spot. Smith recorded seven tackles including one sack.
West Virginia's offense never really exploded on the afternoon as several reserves played significant minutes as the Eers get ready for a quick turnaround against UCONN on Thursday night in Hartford.
Business as usual?...Eers 31, Bulls 21
October 16, 2010
Game Report Posted: April 08, 2009 13:03
West Virginia used a workman-like effort and conservative offense to defeat South Florida 31-21 Saturday in Morgantown. WVU was never spectacular on the day, but they were certainly too much for the Bulls.
Quarterback Geno Smith led the way for the Eers offensively. Smith completed 21 of 28 passes on the day for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Noel Devine carried 22 times for another 115 yards. Devine also added a score from 29 yards out.
The Mountaineer defense once again proved too much for an opponent to overcome. While USF did have some success through the air, the Mountaineer defense took advantage of two costly interceptions by the Bulls. The second of which Broderick Jenkins returned 65 yards and a score midway through the fourth quarter to put the Eers up 31-14 and seal the win for WVU.
West Virginia is home once again next week as they host non-conference opponent Western Kentucky at Mountaineer Field.
Mountaineers sack Cards
October 9, 2010
Game Report Posted: April 07, 2009 18:16
West Virginia used a stubborn, attacking defense to blow-out Louisville Saturday, 31-3 in Big East play. Nose tackle Chris Neild led the way with a career high four sacks on the day. At the end of the day, WVU allowed just 147 total yards and held the Cards to just 2-12 on third down. The Eers also forced three turnovers as there relentless pressure up front forced several errant throws by Cardinal QBs.
Offensively WVU had a balanced attack. The Mountaineers rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile QB Geno Smith finished 12 of 17 for 146 yards and a touchdown. The young quarterback did have two picks on the day however.
WVU returns home next week to face South Florida at Mountaineer Field.
WVU cruieses to win over Scarlet Knights
October 2, 2010
Game Report Posted: March 31, 2009 14:39
West Virginia jumped out to a commanding 31-0 halftime lead Saturday en route to 38-22 Big East win over Rutgers. Quarterback Geno Smith threw for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns on 17 of 22 passing, in leading the WVU offense. West Virginia racked up 358 yards of total offense on the day, with most of the damage taking place in the first half. Most of the second half was spent with back-ups at every position.
The WVU defense had another stout performance with Rutgers doing most of their damage after the game was well in hand and WVU was playing most of their youngsters. Linebacker Ja'Tavious Miller led the Eers with seven tackles, including two for losses. Safety Robert Sands added five stops and an interception.
WVU will now travel to Louisville next Saturday for a showdown with the undefeated Cardinals.
Thursday Night Thriller - Eers escape with last second win
September 23, 2010
Game Report Posted: March 30, 2009 17:15
Geno Smith hit a diving Will Johnson in the end zone with just 10 seconds remaining to give West Virginia a thrilling come-from-behind 24-20 victory over Syracuse Thursday night in Morgantown. The score capped a gutsy performance for the Mountaineers who raillied in the fourth quarter after trailing 20-10 at the end of three.
The Eers were led by Sophomore QB Geno Smith who rallied West Virginia after throwing a costly pick in the third that the Orange returned the length of the field for a score.
With the scored tied at 10 all in the third, WVU appeared headed for at least a field goal to take the lead when K Scott stepped in front of a Smith pass and returned it the entire length of the field. The Orange then added a field goal with just over a minute left in the third to take a 20-10 lead. But Smith and the Eers were not to be denied.
Smith found JD Woods on a 5 yard slant to get within a field goal at 20-17 with 2 and half minutes remaining. After the Mountaineer defense forced a three and out, Smith and his troops went to work. The drive culminated with a 9 pass to TE Will Johnson who made a diving catch that will be shown on Mountaineer highlight reels forever.
Smith finished the game 21 of 34 for 209 yards and three TDs. He did have the one costly pic. The Mountaineer running game for the most part was held in check by the Orange. Noel Devine was held to 75 yards on 22 carries. Forced to the air by the Orange D, WVU's receivers stepped up. Jock Sanders finished with 6 catches for 72 yards and JD Woods caught 7 balls for 90 yards and the one touchdown.
The WVU defense certainly stood up when it counted most. Needing a quick three and out was just what the doctor ordered after the Woods score and this veteran group was up to the challenge. The Eers were led by host of defenders. Eain Smith led the way with six tackles and was followed by Chris Neild, Keith Tandy, and Pat Lazier who all finished with five stops.
WVU returns to action next Saturday with another Big East matchup at home with Rutgers.
Mountaineers overcome turnovers, defeat Navy
September 18, 2010
Game Report Posted: March 30, 2009 14:23
WVU overcame three turnovers on Saturday to defeat Navy 42-21. Noel Devine's big plays led the Mountaineers to to their first road win of the year. Devine scored on runs of 58 and 74 yards. The senior also added a touchdown catch of 12 yards to highlight a solid game by the Eers offense. Quarterback Geno Smith threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns. However, the young sophomore was picked off twice on the day.
Defensively, West Virginia was able to shut down the vaunted Navy rushing attack. WVU held the Naval Academy to 145 yards rushing on the day. Navy usually presents quite a challange for most defenses with their vaunted option rushing attack. Safety Sidney Glover led WVU with 9 stops on the afternoon, including two for losses. Linebacker JT Thomas added another 6 stops.
WVU returns home Thursday evening for the start of their 2010 Big East slate, as they host rival Syracuse at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Domination: Eers win big over Herd
September 11, 2010
Game Report Posted: March 26, 2009 19:53
Once again, WVU proved too much for their state rival. West Virginia defeated Marshall 56-17 behind an explosive offense Saturday in Morgantown.
Halfback Noel Devine led the way with three first half touchdowns, one of which went 76 yards as the speedster from Florida simply out-ran any and all would-be tacklers. Both WVU quarterbacks got in on the fun as well. Geno Smith and Coley White both threw touchdown passes as the Herd were simply overmatched.
The Mountaineer defense had an outstanding game as well. They limited the Herd to just 4-12 on third down and held Marshall to just 88 yards rushing. Senior LB Pat Lazier once again led the way with six stops.
WVU returns to action next week as they travel to Annapolis Maryland to take on the Naval Academy. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
Tigers claws past Eers
September 4, 2010
Game Report Posted: March 26, 2009 14:34
Sixth ranked LSU's J Jefferson found wideout C Mitchell on a 74 yard catch and run with just 44 seconds left in the game to take a 31-27 lead over WVU. The Mountaineers comeback attempt was foiled when Geno Smith was intercepted at LSU's 16 yard line and J. Eugene returned it 84 yards for the final margin of victory, 38-27.
West Virginia ranked 25th in the latest polls coming into the game, gave the SEC west power all they wanted. Halfback Zach Hulse scored the go-ahead touchdown on a one yard run with just 2:55 left in the game. But the Eer defense just couldn't hold the Tigers when it counted most. QB Geno Smith, in just his second career start led the Eers with 222 yards and one touchdown through the air. Noel Devine added 76 yards on the ground and another 46 yards receiving to lead the Mountaineer attack.
Defensively, Pat Lazier had a great game from his middle linebacker slot. The senior captain had 8 tackles on the night. Safety Sidney Glover added 5 stop of his own.
WVU returns home for a game next Saturday with Marshall in the Friends of Cowl Bowl.
Defense leads Eers past Terps
August 28, 2010
Game Report Posted: March 25, 2009 14:14
West Virginia's defense held Maryland to just six points for most of the game on Saturday, to lead WVU to an opening game win over the Terrapins, 41-20. The Mountaineers forced the Terps into a dismal 1-10 conversion rate on third down and forced three interceptions. The Eers were led by safeties Eain Smith and Robert Sands who recorded six tackles each.
The WVU offense was led by veteran Noel Devine and first year starter Geno Smith. Devine finished with 118 yards on 17 carries and two scores. Meanwhile, Smith led a balanced attack throwing for 167 yards and two scores. He finished 14 of 21 on the day, before giving way to Coley White late in the third quarter with WVU up 28-6.
WVU returns to action next Saturday in Death Valley when they face #6 LSU in always tough Baton Rouge.