2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

NCAATeamFootballSeason
Year=2005
Team=West Virginia Mountaineers


ImageSize=150
Conference=Big East Conference
Division=
ShortConference=Big East
CoachRank=6
APRank=5
Record=11-1
ConfRecord=7-0
HeadCoach=Rich Rodriguez
OffCoach=Calvin Magee
DefCoach=Jeff Casteel
OScheme=
DScheme=
Stadium=Mountaineer Field (63,500)
Champion= Big East Champion
BowlTourney=2006 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl
BowlTourneyResult= #8 Georgia , W 38–35
Bowl=Sugar Bowl
BowlResult=Won, 38-35The 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with an 11-1 record. The Mountaineers won their second consecutive Big East Title with a conference record of 7-0. They ended the season with a 38-35 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.

Preseason

chedule

CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/04/2005
time = 12:30 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf = no
homecoming =
away = yes
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Syracuse
opprank =
site_stadium = Carrier Dome
site_cityst = Syracuse, NY
gamename =
tv = ABC
score = 15-7
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/10/2005
time = 1:00 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
away =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Wofford
opprank =
site_stadium = Mountaineer Field
site_cityst = Morgantown, WV
gamename =
tv =
score = 35-7
overtime = CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/17/2005
time = 12:00 a.m.
w/l = w
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
away = yes
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Maryland
opprank =
site_stadium = Byrd Stadium
site_cityst = College Park, MD
gamename =
tv = JP
score = 31-9
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/24/2005
time = 12:00 a.m.
w/l = w
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
away =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = East Carolina
opprank =
site_stadium = Mountaineer Field
site_cityst = Morgantown, WV
gamename =
tv = ESPN+
score = 20-15
overtime = CFB Schedule Entry
date = 10/01/2005
time = 12:00 a.m.
w/l = l
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
away =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Virginia Tech
opprank = 3
site_stadium = Mountaineer Field
site_cityst = Morgantown, WV
gamename =
tv = ESPN
score = 17-34
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 10/08/2005
time = 12:00 a.m.
w/l = w
nonconf =
homecoming =
away = yes
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Rutgers
opprank =
site_stadium = Rutgers Stadium
site_cityst = New Brunswick, NJ
gamename =
tv = ESPN+
score = 27-14
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 10/15/2006
time = 3:30 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf =
homecoming =
away =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Louisville
opprank = 19
site_stadium = Mountaineer Field
site_cityst = Morgantown, WV
gamename =
tv = ABC
score = 46-44
overtime = 3OTCFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/02/2006
time = 7:30 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf =
homecoming =
away =
neutral =
rank = 18
opponent = Connecticut
opprank =
site_stadium = Mountaineer Field
site_cityst = Morgantown, WV
gamename =
tv = ESPN2
score = 45-13
overtime = CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/09/2005
time = 7:30 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf =
homecoming =
away = yes
neutral =
rank = 15
opponent = Cincinnati
opprank =
site_stadium = Nippert Stadium
site_cityst = Cincinnati, Ohio
gamename =
tv = ESPN2
score = 38-0
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/24/2005
time = 8:00 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf =
homecoming =
away =
neutral =
rank = 12
opponent = Pittsburgh
opprank =
site_stadium = Mountaineer Field
site_cityst = Morgantown, WV
gamename = "Backyard Brawl"
tv = ESPN
score = 45-13
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 12/03/2005
time = 7:30 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf =
homecoming =
away = yes
neutral =
rank = 12
opponent = South Florida
opprank =
site_stadium = Raymond James Stadium
site_cityst = Tampa, Florida
gamename =
tv =
score = 28-13
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 01/02/2006
time = 8:30 p.m.
w/l = w
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
away =
neutral = yes
rank = 11
opponent = Georgia
opprank = 8
site_stadium = Georgia Dome
site_cityst = Atlanta, GA
gamename = Sugar Bowl
tv = ABC
score = 38-35
overtime =

Roster

Game Notes

yracuse

Linescore Amfootball
Road=West Virginia
R1=0
R2=7
R3=3
R4=5
Home=Syracuse
H1=0
H2=7
H3=0
H4=0The 2005-2006 West Virginia Mountaineers opened the football season at Syracuse. Syracuse was playing its first game under new head coach Greg Robinson. The Mountaineers committed 5 turnovers, including 4 lost fumbles, but managed to hold on to a lead for a 15-7 win. Syracuse started the scoring with a 5 yard touchdown run by fullback Damien Rhodes.

West Virginia tied the game at 7 with Eric Wicks's 32 yard interception return for a touchdown. Right before halftime, the Mountaineers had a chance to take a 10-7 lead, but freshman place-kicker Pat McAfee missed a 47 yard field goal wide right. He redeemed himself later with a 33 yard field goal with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

With just over 8 minutes left in the game, West Virginia's Ernest Hunter tackled Patrick Patterson in the end zone for a safety to increase the lead to 12-7. On West Virginia's next possession they added a 26 yard field goal by McAfee with 3 minutes left. The win brought the Mountaineers record to 1-0, and the Orangemen fell to 0-1. The win increased WVU's streak to 4 wins over Syracuse.

Wofford

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Wofford
R1=0
R2=7
R3=0
R4=0
Home=West Virginia
H1=14
H2=7
H3=7
H4=7

After West Virginia's starting quarterback went down with a knee injury, back-up Pat White was asked to start. White, who is now known as a rushing quarterback, rushed for 107 yards and 1 touchdown. He rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown, and completed 6 out of 10 passes for 82 yards in the 4th quarter. West Virginia finished the game with over 500 yards of total offense, and no turnovers. West Virginia rolled to a 35-7 win.

Maryland

Linescore Amfootball
Road=West Virginia
R1=0
R2=7
R3=0
R4=24
Home=Maryland
H1=0
H2=3
H3=3
H4=13

Steve Slaton rushed for 167 of his 195 yards in the first half, and the Mountaineers forced two turnovers in a 28-0 first-quarter blitz on their way to a 45-24 victory over Maryland. He scored twice in the opening quarter of his first game against Maryland, the school that offered him a scholarship, then withdrew it because they felt they had enough running backs. He had 149 yards against the Terrapins in the first quarter, when West Virginia scored on all four possessions. Slaton had early TD runs of 38 and 37 yards. Pat White threw for a TD and ran for another while Darius Reynaud scored twice, including a 96-yard kickoff return, for the Mountaineers (3-0), who extended their winning streak to 10 games, second in the nation to TCU's] 12 in a row. With scouts from 15 NFL teams in attendance, West Virginia took a 38-10 halftime lead in beating Maryland (2-1) for the third straight year, the first time that has happened since 1996-98. The teams have met every year since 1980. Maryland, which had wins over Division I-AA William & Mary and Middle Tennessee State, watched as the Mountaineers compiled more than 300 yards rushing for the third straight game. West Virginia's young defense finished with five takeaways. Maryland's Sam Hollenbach was intercepted twice and the Terrapins fumbled the ball away three times, twice by Josh Wilson on kickoffs. After Slaton's early TD runs, a fumble recovery on a kickoff set up Reynaud's 5-yard scoring catch from White and Jay Henry's interception led to another first-quarter score for West Virginia. Lance Ball's 11-yard TD run early in the third quarter pulled Maryland within 38-17, but the Terrapins got no closer. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?confId=&gameId=262570277]

East Carolina

Linescore Amfootball
Road=East Carolina
R1=3
R2=3
R3=3
R4=6
Home=West Virginia
H1=7
H2=13
H3=0
H4=0

The previous 3 times the Mountaineers played East Carolina were blow-outs, 37-17, 48-7, and 56-23. This one appeared to be another one after the Mountaineers led 20-6 at half-time. The offense looked terrible the entire game, as they turned the ball over 4 times. The defense had to constantly defend short fields, after turnovers in their own territory. The defense only allowed 287 yards and 1 touchdown in the entire game. West Virginia failed to score a single second half point, and managed to escape 20-15.

Virginia Tech

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Virginia Tech
R1=10
R2=14
R3=3
R4=7
Home=West Virginia
H1=0
H2=14
H3=3
H4=0

3rd ranked Virginia Tech clashed with West Virginia, at Milan Puskar Stadium in a showdown of two 4-0 unbeaten teams. Virginia Tech had a monster game from their star quarterback, Marcus Vick. The junior completed 15 of 17 passes for 177 yards, and rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries. Virginia Tech jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, through a West Virginia turnover. Virginia Tech played a solid game, converting 10 out of 15 third down attempts, and having only one turnover. With Virginia Tech leading 24-17 late in the fourth quarter, a touchdown run sealed the deal for the Mountaineers who fell to 4-1 on the season.

Rutgers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=West Virginia
R1=14
R2=7
R3=3
R4=3
Home=Rutgers
H1=0
H2=7
H3=7
H4=0

Visiting West Virginia defeated Rutgers 27-14.

Louisville

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Louisville
R1=7
R2=10
R3=7
R4=0
OT1=7
OT2=7
OT3=6
Home=West Virginia
H1=0
H2=0
H3=7
H4=17
OT1=7
OT2=7
OT3=8

In one of the best games of the year, The Louisville Cardinals clashed with the West Virginia Mountaineers who were 5-1. Louisville completely dominated the first half of play racing to a 17-0 lead. West Virginia finally got on the board in the third quarter, with a rushing touchdown from freshman Steve Slaton. Louisville answered with another touchdown in the third quarter, to take a 24-7 lead after 3 quarters.

With just over 8 minutes left in the game, Steve Slaton scored a rushing touchodwn to make the score 24-14. With 4:35 left in the game, Pat McAfee kicked a 35 yard field goal to trim the margin to 7. WVU's defense held, and the Mountaineer's came back on offense again. Steve Slaton scored with less than a minute to go to tie the game at 24-24, and send the game into overtime. West Virginia ended up winning the game 46-44 in triple overtime.

Connecticut

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Connecticut
R1=3
R2=0
R3=3
R4=7
Home=West Virginia
H1=14
H2=21
H3=3
H4=7

West Virginia beat visiting Connecticut 45-13.

Cincinnati

Linescore Amfootball
Road=West Virginia
R1=7
R2=14
R3=17
R4=0
Home=Cincinnati
H1=0
H2=0
H3=0
H4=0

Pat White ran for two touchdowns and threw another and Steve Slaton added two scoring runs as No. 10 West Virginia bounced back from its first loss with a 42-24 victory over Cincinnati. West Virginia (8-1, 3-1 Big East) overcame a sluggish start and scored five of its six TDs on drives of five plays or less. Slaton, who fumbled twice after injuring his elbow and wrist in the loss at Louisville, held onto the ball against the Bearcats. He ran for 148 yards on just 12 carries and had TD runs of 65 and 2 yards. West Virginia, the nation's second leading rushing offense, compiled 313 yards against Cincinnati, one of the best run defenses which had surrendered five TDs entering the game. Cincinnati (5-5, 2-3) lost to a ranked opponent on the road for the fourth time this season. Coach Mark Dantonio had compared West Virginia's offense to top-ranked Ohio State's. The Buckeyes beat the Bearcats 37-7 earlier this season. Cincinnati's Dustin Grutza completed 13 of 24 passes for 143 yards and was intercepted twice. Backup Nick Davila threw a pair of fourth-quarter TDs. Grutza took the Bearcats 75 yards early in the third quarter, hitting Derrick Stewart with a 45-yard TD pass to pull the Bearcats within 21-10. Slaton answered with a 63-yard run on the first play of the next series to the Cincinnati 2, and White finished off the drive with a keeper on the next snap, his 11th rushing TD in the last four games. White went 51 yards on a bootleg on the first play of West Virginia's next drive but fumbled at the Cincinnati 6. Rayshawn Bolden picked up the loose ball and stretched over the goal line for a TD. Quinton Andrews then returned an interception 20 yards to the Cincinnati 10, and Slaton scored from 3 yards out for a 42-10 lead late in the third. White, who rushed for 93 yards on 10 carries, scored from 3 yards out on the first series of the second quarter and lofted a pass that Brandon Myles caught in the left corner of the end zone four minutes later for a 34-yard TD. Slaton slipped through a crack on the right side and went 65 yards up the sideline for a score on the second play of West Virginia's next series. The 21 first-half points were the most allowed by Cincinnati all season. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?confId=&gameId=263150277]

Pittsburgh

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Pittsburgh
R1=7
R2=6
R3=0
R4=0
Home=West Virginia
H1=14
H2=7
H3=3
H4=21

West Virginia's Pat White and Steve Slaton crossed up Pitt by teaming as a passing combination in a high-scoring first half, then put away the Panthers for the second season in a row with a string of long runs in a comeback second half to lead No. 8 West Virginia's 45-27. The Mountaineers (9-1, 4-1 Big East) beat their biggest rival for the fourth time in five seasons, though not quite as easily as in last year's 45-13 romp in Morgantown in which White and Slaton combined for 399 of West Virginia's 451 yards rushing. Pittsburgh (6-5, 2-4) led 27-24 at the half before being overwhelmed by West Virginia's playmaking speed in a scoreless second half in which the Mountaineers had 371 of their 438 yards rushing. West Virginia finished with a 641-295 edge in total yardage, outgaining Pitt 373-30 in the second half. White, the sophomore option quarterback whose quickness again was too much for Pitt to handle, threw for 204 yards and hit Slaton on the running back's first two touchdown receptions this season. White ran for touchdowns of 64 and 19 yards on the Mountaineers' first two possessions of the second half. He finished with 220 yards rushing against Pitt for the second season in a row as West Virginia's two stars again turned the rivalry very one-sided. Slaton, the nation's No. 2 rusher, was held to 7 yards on six carries in the first half, but still became the first player in school history to have more than 100 yards rushing (215) and receiving (130) in a game. He had scoring catches of 11 and 67 yards, as well as another 43-yard catch as a slot receiver, and touchdown runs of 15 and 55 yards. Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko tried to keep the Panthers in the game with two touchdown passes, but was sacked eight times and got nothing going in the second half. The 99th edition of the game now known as the Backyard Brawl kicked off one of college football's most awaited weekends. West Virginia's offense was everything it expected to be in the first half, except for its reliance on throwing rather than running. The major surprise was that Pitt, held to 10 points by Rutgers in its last home game, not only kept up but led 27-24 at halftime as Palko threw touchdown passes of 23 yards to Nate Byham and 15 yards to Oderick Turner. The play that Pitt fans will most remember is Darrelle Revis' adventuresome 73-yard punt return down the Panthers sideline that put Pitt up 24-17 with 2:18 remaining in the half. Revis took off after a thunderous block by wide receiver Derek Kinder so leveled West Virginia's Ridwan Malik that Malik took out one of his own teammates. The only problem was Revis' return left West Virginia with plenty enough time to score, with White hitting Slaton for 67 yards on their second pass play touchdown of the half. After West Virginia was held to 67 yards rushing in the first half, White got outside on the second play from scrimmage of the second half for a 64-yard scoring run that give the Mountaineers a 31-27 lead. On West Virginia's next possession, White needed only four plays to drive them 97 yards for a touchdown. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?confId=&gameId=263200221]

outh Florida

Linescore Amfootball
Road=West Virginia
R1=7
R2=7
R3=7
R4=3
Home=South Florida
H1=0
H2=3
H3=3
H4=7

The Bulls' defense scored on a fumble return and held the nation's second-best rushing and scoring offense to less than half of its averages in a 24-19 win over the No. 7 Mountaineers. Matt Grothe ran for a touchdown and passed for another as USF (8-4, 4-3 Big East) handed West Virginia (9-2, 4-2) its first home loss in nine games -- a loss that could end the Mountaineers' chances for a Bowl Championship Series bid. South Florida coach Jim Leavitt described it as a milestone in the school's 11-year football history, surpassing a win over Louisville last year. West Virginia fell into second place in the conference. Steve Slaton, the nation's No. 2 rusher, had his worst game as a starter. He saw his streak of six straight 100-yard games snapped, finishing with a season-low 43 yards, 115 below his average. The Mountaineers didn't score their first touchdown until midway through the third quarter and were limited to 132 yards rushing.Pat White threw two touchdown passes to Brandon Myles but the Mountaineers squandered several other scoring chances. They had scored touchdowns on 77 percent of their drives inside the 20 entering the game, yet failed to reach the end zone four times from the red zone against South Florida, including their first three drives. Slaton fumbled the ball away at the South Florida 1 on the first drive of the second half. West Virginia got the ball back at the South Florida 28 after a punt and White found a leaping Myles with a 15-yard TD pass in the left corner of the end zone. But White's conversion pass fell incomplete to make it 14-12. Grothe, the redshirt freshman, finished 21-of-29 for 270 yards and helped keep the Mountaineers' offense off the field. He took the Bulls 70 yards on the next series, finding Ean Randolph with a 21-yard TD pass late in the third. He later converted a pair of third-down passes to keep alive a 14-play drive that resulted in an 18-yard field goal by Delbert Alvarado midway through the fourth and a 24-12 lead. Pat White found Myles with a 44-yard scoring pass with 5:16 left to cut the deficit to 24-19. South Florida failed to get a first down on its next drive and West Virginia got the ball back at its 15. But a pass went off Myles' hands and Trae Williams intercepted the tipped ball for South Florida with 1:54 left. White finished 14-of-22 for 178 yards and ran for just 17 yards on 15 carries. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?confId=&gameId=263290277]

Sugar Bowl - Georgia

Linescore Amfootball
Road=#12 West Virginia
R1=21
R2=10
R3=7
R4=0
Home=#8 Georgia
H1=0
H2=21
H3=7
H4=7

The Sugar Bowl, the second BCS bowl, and the final game of six played on January 2, 2006, was contested at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, having been, like the New Orleans Bowl, displaced from the Louisiana Superdome by Hurricane Katrina. West Virginia, representing the Big East as conference champion, upset Georgia, the winner of the SEC championship game, 38-35. Georgia was looking for its third straight win in Atlanta in as many appearances, having won its last regular season game (against rival Georgia Tech on the Tech campus) and the SEC championship game (over LSU) at the Georgia Dome, located near the Bulldogs' Athens, Georgia campus, but West Virginia took a 28-0 lead in the game’s first 16 minutes and withstood a furious Georgia comeback before scoring late in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Mountaineers freshman running back Steve Slaton began a career day early, running for a 52-yard score just 2:48 into the game en route to accumulating 204 yards on 26 carries against a Bulldogs defense that entered the game having allowed only 3.5 yards per carry. On the subsequent West Virginia possession, freshman quarterback Pat White accounted 56 yards of a 64-yard scoring drive, connecting with wide receiver Darius Reynaud for a three-yard touchdown pass; Reynaud caught six passes for 50 yards on the day. Just two plays into the next Bulldogs drive, running back Danny Ware lost the first of what would be three Georgia fumbles on the day, and West Virginia took just five plays to go 26 yards, scoring a touchdown on a 13-yard Reynaud run. The Mountaineers defense stymied an additional Georgia drive and forced a fumble by Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, setting up a 50-yard drive that culminated in Slaton’s second touchdown scamper, an 18-yarder that gave West Virginia a 28-point lead just 15:50 into the game. Shockley began to have success against the Mountaineers defense in the second quarter, completing three straight passes for a total of 46 yards before running back Kregg Lumpkin, who finished the day with 67 yards on nine carries, scored from 34 yards to put Georgia on the board. After their defense forced a West Virginia punt, the Bulldogs went 91 yards in just six plays, with Thomas Brown’s scoring on a 52-yard run; Brown has held largely in check the remainder of the game, totaling only 78 yards on nine carries. A long run by West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt, who finished the day having run for 80 yards on nine carries, set up a 27-yard Pat McAfee field goal, but Shockley, who finished the day having completed 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and having gained 62 yards on eight carries, drove his team 80 yards in under five minutes and hit wide receiver Leonard Pope, who caught six passes for 52 yards on the day, from four yards to cut the West Virginia halftime lead to 10 points. After combining to give up more than 600 yards in total offense in the first half, both defenses tightened in the second half and although Brown lost a fumble to the Mountaineers, neither team managed a score until 1:44 remained in the third quarter when Shockley hit A.J. Bryant for a 34-yard touchdown to bring the Bulldogs to within three points. White continued to play well through air and on the ground in the fourth quarter, though, and led his team on an 80-yard drive that ended when Slaton ran for a 52-yard touchdown and once more extended the West Virginia lead to ten. For the game, White completed 11 of 14 passes for 124 yards—completing four passes for 64 yards to senior Brandon Myles, his leading receiver—but also added 79 yards on 24 carries in contributing to his team’s 386-yard rushing performance. Shockley drove his team once more, connecting with Mohamed Massaquoi, whom he four times for 43 yards on the day, to convert a crucial third down and then finding Bryan McClendon, who caught three balls for 72 yards, on a 43-yard scoring drive. The Bulldogs defense held but West Virginia punter Phil Brady successfully carried out a fake punt and ran for a first down, allowing the Mountaineers, behind Slaton and White, to run out the clock, run their season to 11-1, and prevent the Big East from going winless in four bowls; South Florida, Rutgers, and Louisville had all lost earlier. The game was the final of three games hosted by the Georgia Dome in four days; the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl was held on December 30, and an NFL contest between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons was played on January 1, which the Panthers won 44-11. The game returned to New Orleans in 2007.

tatistics

References