2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football
Big East Conference Co-Champions
Orange Bowl vs. Clemson,
Conference Big East Conference
Ranking
BCS #23
Coaches #22
AP #23
2011 record 9–3 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach Dana Holgorsen
Offensive scheme Air Raid
Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel
Base defense 3–3–5
Home stadium Mountaineer Field (60,000)
Seasons
« 2010 2012 »
2011 Big East football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#23 West Virginia §   5 2         9 3  
Cincinnati §   5 2         10 3  
Louisville §   5 2         7 6  
Rutgers   4 3         9 4  
Pittsburgh   4 3         6 6  
Connecticut   3 4         5 7  
South Florida   1 6         5 7  
Syracuse   1 6         5 7  
† – BCS representative as champion
§ – Conference co-champions
As of December 31, 2011 • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 West Virginia Mountaineer football team will represent West Virginia University in the 2011 college football season as members of the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers are led by Dana Holgorsen, who is entering his first season as head coach. West Virginia will play their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. The team finished the regular season 9-3, earning a share of the Big East Conference Championship and the league's automatic berth in the BCS.

Contents

Previous season

The 2010 West Virginia Mountaineers finished the season at 9-4 with a 5-2 record in Big East play. They shared the 2010 Big East Football Championship with Pittsburgh and Connecticut, with Connecticut earning the Big East BCS bid by way of tie-breaker. The Mountaineers were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they were defeated by North Carolina State 23-7.

Pre-season

Coaching changes

On December 16, 2010 West Virginia University announced the hiring of former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen replaces Jeff Mullen as offensive coordinator and will take over as the Mountaineers head coach in 2012.[1]

On January 5, 2011 the Mountaineers announced the hiring of three offensive coaches; Robert Gillespie (Running Backs), Bill Bedenbaugh (Offensive Line), and Shannon Dawson (Inside-Receivers).[2]

On March 10, 2011 it was announced that lone offensive staff holdover Lonnie Galloway (Outside-Receivers) has left West Virginia to take a coaching job at Wake Forest.[3][4]

On March 28, 2011 West Virginia University announced the hiring of Daron Roberts as an assistant coach. Roberts will be working with wide receivers and special teams.[5]

On June 10, 2011 West Virginia University announced that Bill Stewart had resigned as head coach and that Dana Holgorsen would assume the position effective immediately.[6] Holgorsen has stated he will serve as his own offensive coordinator but that he was unsure who would fill the extra spot on the coaching staff.[7]

On July 8, 2011 Head Coach Dana Holgorsen hired Alex Hammond as recruiting coordinator.[8]

The Mountaineers have retained the entire 2010 defensive coaching staff for the 2011 season.

Key losses

Noel Devine - RB
Jock Sanders - WR
Eric Jobe - OL
Scooter Berry - DT
Chris Neild - DT
Pat Lazear - LB
J.T. Thomas - LB
Anthony Leonard - LB
Brandon Hogan - CB
Robert Sands - S

2011 recruits

Spring Game

The 2011 Gold-Blue Spring Game took place on Friday, April 29, 2011 at 7 PM at Mountaineer Field. Over 22,000 fans attended to see the Gold team defeat the Blue team 83–17. The game was televised statewide on West Virginia Media stations.

Polls

The Mountaineers were picked to win the Big East Conference by the media at conference media day, picking up 21 out of 24 first place votes.[9]

Coaching staff

Head Coach

Offensive coaches

  • Quarterbacks - Jake Spavital
  • Running Backs – Robert Gillespie
  • Inside Receivers – Shannon Dawson
  • Wide Receivers/Special Teams - Daron Roberts
  • Offensive Line – Bill Bedenbaugh
 

Defensive coaches

  • Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Jeff Casteel
  • Defensive Line – Bill Kirelawich
  • Defensive Backs – David Lockwood
  • Safeties - Steve Dunlap

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Mike Joseph
  • Assistant Strength Coach - Mark Smith
  • Assistant Strength Coach - Kevin McCadam

Roster

2011 West Virginia Mountaineers

Quarterbacks

  • 14 Paul Millard - Freshman
  • 10 Ian Loy - RS Freshman
  • 12 Geno Smith - Junior

Running Backs

  • 20 Shawne Alston - Junior
  • 32 Ryan Clarke - RS Junior
  • 34 Daquan Hargrett - RS Sophomore
  • 21 Trey Johnson - Sophomore
  • 41 Ricky Kovatch - Senior
  • 38 Matt Lindamood - RS Junior
  • 40 Nate Majnaric - RS Freshman
  • 30 Pete Miller - RS Junior
  • 28 Eric Rollman - RS Sophomore
  • 14 Chris Snook - RS Sophomore'

Wide Receivers

  • 1 Tavon Austin - Junior
  • 3 Stedman Bailey - RS Sophomore
  • 23 Dustin Brown - RS Freshman
  • 83 Jack Crossin - RS Sophomore
  • 84 Andrew Goldbaugh - RS Junior
  • 5 Ivan McCartney - Sophomore
  • 83 Willie Milhouse - RS Senior
  • 80 Ryan Nehlen - RS Junior
  • 91 Soraya Alsien-Ogbebar - RS Senior
  • 86 Reggie Rembert - RS Junior
  • 11 Vernard Roberts - Freshman
  • 33 Thomas Sims - RS Freshman
  • 2 Brad Starks - RS Senior
  • 89 Tyler Urban - Senior
  • 15 Coley White - RS Junior
  • 81 J.D. Woods - RS Junior
 
Offensive Lineman
  • 70 Blaise Arbogast - RS Sophomore
  • 64 Don Barclay - RS Senior
  • 60 John Bassler - RS Junior
  • 72 Cole Bowers - RS Sophomore
  • 57 Jeff Braun -RS Junior
  • 70 Mike Calicchio - RS Freshman
  • 76 Pat Eger - RS Sophomore
  • 77 Josh Jenkins - Senior
  • 79 Nick Kindler - RS Sophomore
  • 74 Joe Madsen - RS Junior
  • 88 Tyler Rader - RS Senior
  • 65 Chad Snodgrass - RS Senior
  • 67 Quinton Spain - RS Freshman

Defensive Line

  • 95 Curtis Feight - RS Sophomore
  • 78 C.J. Huffman - RS Senior
  • 97 Julian Miller - RS Senior
  • 62 Donovan Pearson - RS Junior
  • 76 Ted Rietschlin - RS Freshman
  • 94 Josh Taylor - RS Senior
  • 99 Jorge Wright - RS Junior

Defensive End

  • 98 Will Clarke - RS Sophomore
  • 87 Trevor Demko - RS Freshman
  • 11 Bruce Irvin - Senior
  • 91 J.B. Lageman - RS Junior
 

Linebackers

  • 53 Tyler Anderson - RS Sophomore
  • 54 Hunter Bittner - RS Junior
  • 32 Steve Bohon - RS Freshman
  • 51 Josh Contraguerro - RS Junior
  • 30 Josh Francis - Junior
  • 49 Troy Gloster - RS Freshman
  • 52 Najee Goode - RS Senior
  • 42 Donovan Miles - RS Junior
  • 50 Taige Redman - RS Sophomore
  • 47 Doug Rigg - Sophmore
  • 13 Jewone Snow - RS Freshman
  • 43 Casey Vance - RS Senior

Defensive Backs

  • 20 Ishmael Banks - RS Freshman
  • 26 Travis Bell - Sophomore
  • 18 Brantwon Bowser - RS Senior
  • 39 Nick Cadwell - RS Junior
  • 25 Darwin Cook - RS Sophomore
  • 33 Michael Dorsey - Sophomore
  • 3 Qudral Forte - RS Freshman
  • 28 Terence Garvin - Junior
  • 17 Lucas Henn - RS Freshman
  • 23 Brodrick Jenkins - RS Sophomore
  • 14 Cecil Level - RS Junior
  • 6 Pat Miller - Junior
  • 22 Vance Roberts - Freshman
  • 35 Lawrence Smith - RS Junior
  • 24 Eain Smith - RS Senior
  • 8 Keith Tandy - RS Senior
  • 16 Wes Tonkery - RS Freshman
  • 15 Anthony Vecchio - RS Freshman
  • 4 Avery Williams - Freshman
 

Special Teams

  • 40 Tyler Bitancurt - RS Junior (K)
  • 69 Jerry Cooper - RS Freshman (LS)
  • 46 Trent Lusk - RS Junior (LS)
  • 41 Michael Molinari - RS Freshman (K)
  • 87 Cody Nutter - RS Senior (LS)
  • 44 Corey Smith - RS Junior (P)

Key

  • - Currently Injured
  • - Current redshirt
  • I* - Ineligible

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 4 3:30pm Marshall* #24 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (Friends of Coal Bowl) ESPN W 34–13   60,758[10]
September 10 1:00pm Norfolk State* #19 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV ESPN+ W 55–12   51,911[11]
September 17 12:00pm at Maryland* #18 Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD ESPNU W 37–31   53,627[12]
September 24 8:00pm #2 LSU* #16 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (Gold Rush) ABC L 21–47   62,056[13]
October 1 3:30pm Bowling Green* #22 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV ESPN+ W 55–10   46,603[14]
October 8 12:00pm Connecticut #16 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV ESPN+ W 43–16   56,179[15]
October 21 8:00pm at Syracuse #11 Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY ESPN L 23–49   45,265[16]
October 29 3:30pm at Rutgers #25 High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ ABC W 41–31   47,303[17]
November 5 12:00pm Louisville #24 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV ESPN+ L 35–38   57,287[18]
November 12 12:00pm at #23 Cincinnati Paul Brown StadiumCincinnati, OH ABC W 24–21   48,152[19]
November 25 7:00pm Pittsburgh Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl) ESPN W 21–20   60,932[20]
December 1 8:00pm at South Florida #22 Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL ESPN W 30–27   41,743[21]
January 4 8:30pm vs. #14 Clemson* #23 Sun Life StadiumMiami, FL (Orange Bowl) ESPN      
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

Game notes

Marshall

1 2 3 4 Total
Thundering Herd 7 3 3 0 13
#24 Mountaineers 3 17 7 7 34

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 10–0

Recap: WVU picked up the win in a game that was delayed a total of 4 hours, 22 minutes and called with 14:36 left in the 4th quarter.[22] Following a 3rd quarter Tavon Austin kickoff return for a touchdown that gave the Mountaineers a 27–13 lead with five minutes to play in the third quarter, the game experienced a lightning delay that lasted 3 hours, 6 minutes. Once resuming play a Vernard Roberts one-yard touchdown run extended the WVU lead to 34–13 early in the fourth quarter, after which the game was once again delayed for lightning. It was ultimately agreed to by both teams to end the game. Geno Smith lead the game for WVU going 26–35 for 246 yards and two touchdowns.[23]

Norfolk State

1 2 3 4 Total
Spartans 3 9 0 0 12
#19 Mountaineers 0 10 28 17 55

Series Lead: First meeting.

Recap: The Mountaineers overcame a sluggish first half exploding for 45 second half points and ending the game with 533 yards of total offense. Geno Smith went 20-34 for 371 yards and 4 TDs passing. As a team WVU passed for 431 yards, the most since 1998.


Maryland

1 2 3 4 Total
#18 Mountaineers 14 13 7 3 37
Terrapins 3 7 13 8 31
  • Date: 9/17/11
  • Location: Byrd Stadium
    College Park, MD
  • Game start: 12:00pm EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:28
  • Game attendance: 53,627
  • Game weather: Cloudy
  • Referee: Dennis Hennigan
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Rob Stone & Danny Kanell

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 25-21-2

Recap: The Mountaineers got off to a fast start, building a 27-10 halftime lead behind the arm of junior quarterback Geno Smith and rushing touchdowns from freshmen Vernard Roberts and Andrew Buie. The lead was built to 24, 34-10, in the third quarter on a Smith connection to high school teammate Stedman Bailey. Maryland scored 21 unanswered points to bring the game to within 3 points, 34-31, before the Mountaineers added another field goal to build their lead to 6, 37-31. The Terrapins drove down the field in an attempt to take the lead, but quarterback Danny O'Brien was intercepted by Eain Smith with 1:13 remaining in the game to seal it for the Mountaineers.[24]

LSU

1 2 3 4 Total
#2 Tigers 13 14 7 13 47
#16 Mountaineers 0 7 14 0 21

Series Lead: LSU leads 2-0

ESPN's College GameDay broadcasted from Morgantown for the first time.[25]

Recap: Despite outgaining the tigers 533-366, West Virginia was unable to overcome poor tackling and special teams play. The Mountaineers also committed four turnovers. West Virginia's Geno Smith set school records for completions (38), attempts (65) and passing yards (463) against LSU's highly regarded defense.

Bowling Green

1 2 3 4 Total
Falcons 10 0 0 0 10
#22 Mountaineers 17 21 10 7 55

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 2-0

Recap: West Virginia put together its most complete game of the season as the running game that had struggled in past weeks exploded to the tune of 360. True freshman Dustin Garrison set a school record for most rushing yards by a freshman with 291, good enough for a tie for the second most total in school history. WVU's 643 yards of total offense were a Mountaineer Field record.

Connecticut

1 2 3 4 Total
Huskies 3 6 0 7 16
#16 Mountaineers 3 7 23 10 43

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 6–1

Recap:

Syracuse

1 2 3 4 Total
#11 Mountaineers 3 6 7 7 23
Orange 7 14 14 14 49

Series Lead: Syracuse leads 31–27

Recap:

Rutgers

1 2 3 4 Total
#25 Mountaineers 14 7 7 13 41
Scarlet Knights 17 14 0 0 31

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 33-4-2

Recap: Geno Smith threw two second-half touchdowns to help West Virginia (6-2, 2-1 Big East) post its 17th straight win over Rutgers. WVU trailed 31-21 at the halftime, fighting both the Scarlet Knights offense, and harsh weather conditions. The Mountaineer defense allowed a season-high 31 points in the first half, but shutout Rutgers in the second. The Mountaineers won their first conference road game of the season, and became bowl-eligible in the process. Smith finished 20-33 for 218 yards, and two touchdowns, while Shawne Alston ran for a career-high 110 yards and two scores on 14 carries.<http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313020164/>

Louisville

1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 14 7 3 14 38
#24 Mountaineers 7 14 0 14 35

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 10-2

Recap:

Cincinnati

1 2 3 4 Total
Mountaineers 7 10 0 7 24
#23 Bearcats 7 0 7 7 21

Series Lead: West Virginia leads 15-3-1

Recap:West Virginia blocked a game tying field goal attempt as time expired to secure the win over the #23 ranked Bearcats, WVU's first road win over a team ranked in the AP Top 25 since their last win in Cincinnati during the 2007 season.

Pittsburgh

1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 14 3 3 0 20
Mountaineers 0 7 7 7 21

Series Lead: Pitt leads 61-39-3

Recap:

South Florida

1 2 3 4 Total
#22 Mountaineers 0 13 7 10 30
Bulls 0 7 6 14 27

Series Lead: Series even at 3-3

Recap:

Clemson

1 2 3 4 Total
#23 Mountaineers 0 0 0 0 0
#14 Tigers 0 0 0 0 0

Series Lead: Clemson leads series 1-0

Recap:

Rankings

Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final
AP 24 19 18 16 22 16 13 11 25 24 RV RV RV 22 23
Coaches RV 24 20 16 23 19 16 14 24 21 RV 23 23 20 22
Harris Not released 16 14 23 22 RV 22 24 21 22
BCS Not released 15 25 24 NR NR NR 23 23

Statistics

References

  1. ^ Dunlap, Colin (December 14, 2010). "Holgorsen to become WVU head coach in 2012". Post-Gazette.com. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10348/1110701-100.stm. Retrieved September 10, 2011. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/WVUSports/201103090744
  4. ^ Bennett, Brian. "West Virginia loses receivers coach - Big East Blog - ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/18409/west-virginia-loses-receivers-coach. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  5. ^ "West Virginia University Mountaineers". MSNsportsNET.Com. 2011-03-28. http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=18392&cat=football. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  6. ^ "A New Era - West Virginia University Sports News, Scores and Coverage from". Wvmetronews.Com. http://www.wvmetronews.com/wvu.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=46019. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  7. ^ Adelson, Andrea. "Comments from Luck, Holgorsen - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/42970/comments-from-luck-holgorsen. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  8. ^ Vingle, Mitch (2011-07-08). "Holgorsen names recruiting coordinator - WVU - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports". Wvgazette.com. http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/WVU/201107081157. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  9. ^ Adelson, Andrea. "West Virginia picked as preseason favorite - Big East Blog - ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/21939/west-virginia-picked-as-preseason-favorite. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  10. ^ "No. 24 W. Virginia gets best of Marshall in storm-shortened opener". ESPN.com. ESPN. September 4, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312470277. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  11. ^ "West Virginia wakes up in second half to win easily". ESPN.com. ESPN. September 10, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312530277. Retrieved September 10, 2011. 
  12. ^ "Geno Smith throws for 388 yards as West Virginia survives Maryland". ESPN.com. ESPN. September 10, 2011. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312600120. Retrieved September 17, 2011. 
  13. ^ "LSU Tigers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Box Score". ESPN.com. September 24, 2011. 
  14. ^ "Dustin Garrison boosts West Virginia past Bowling Green". ESPN.com. ESPN. September 10, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312740277. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
  15. ^ "Connecticut Huskies vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Box Score". ESPN.com. October 8, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312810277. 
  16. ^ a b "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Syracuse Orange Box Score". ESPN.com. October 22, 2011. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312940183. 
  17. ^ "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Box Score". ESPN.com. October 29, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313020164. 
  18. ^ "Louisville Cardinals vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Box Score". ESPN.com. November 5, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313090277. 
  19. ^ "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Box Score". ESPN.com. November 12, 2011. 
  20. ^ "Pittsburgh Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Box Score". ESPN.com. November 25, 2011. 
  21. ^ "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. South Florida Bulls Box Score". ESPN.com. December 1, 2011. 
  22. ^ "No. 24 W. Virginia gets best of Marshall in storm-shortened opener". Associated Press. ESPN.com. September 4, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312470277. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  23. ^ Antonik, John (September 4, 2011). "West Virginia 34, Marshall 13". MSNsportsNET.com. West Virginia University. http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=19189&cat=football. Retrieved September 4, 2011. 
  24. ^ Antonik, John (September 17, 2011). "Smith's Pick Seals It". MSNsportsNET.com. West Virginia University. http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=19311&cat=exclusives. Retrieved September 18, 2011. 
  25. ^ Adelson, Andrea (September 18, 2011). "'College GameDay' headed to WVU-LSU". ESPN.com. ESPN. http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/47451/college-gameday-headed-to-wvu-lsu. Retrieved September 18, 2011. 

External links