By Bob Hertzel
MORGANTOWN — While the nation is embroiled in a great debate over health care, the state of West Virginia is embroiled in an equally great debate over the health of the state university’s football team.
The most pressing question as the team stands at 2-1 heading into next Thursday night’s home game against Colorado is whether or not the Mountaineers are throwing the football too much and by so doing taking carries away from running back Noel Devine, who is their greatest quick strike offensive threat.
Devine carried 19 and 17 times in the two victories, just 15 in the loss last weekend to Auburn, a game in which he scored three touchdowns, one on a dynamic 71-yard burst. By comparison, quarterback Jarrett Brown wound up with 19 rushes in the Auburn game due to scrambles and option calls.
Bill Stewart, the head coach, admits that the carries for Devine are not where he would like them to be.
“We talked about this earlier in the year, but I would like to see him carry the ball about 20 to 25 times a game,” Stewart said in his latest press gathering. “I would like to get the ball in his hands passing about three to eight times (in addition to his runs).”
Devine has 17 carries and three catches a game. Running the ball he averages 6.3 yards a carry, catching it 6.6 yards.
An extra seven or so touches could make a big difference, especially if the turnover plague that has hit the Mountaineers the last two games doesn’t abate.
“The problem is when you run the option and Jarrett pulls the ball, Noel’s number is called. We can’t tell you what the defense is going to do. That is why we have to find ways to get the ball in No. 7’s hands like we did on that first touchdown.”
The first touchdown was a run to the left on which Devine displayed great patience waiting for the hole to open, then hit with a tremendous burst, withstood an attempt at tackle from behind and ran those 71 yards into the end zone.
What teams are doing is trying to take the pitch away on the option, forcing Brown to keep the ball himself. While a dangerous runner, Brown is not the weapon on the ground that Devine is, so defenses are willing to take their chances with him running the ball.
Considering that Brown does make good yardage on the option, it isn’t something that Stewart wants to put on the back burner any more than he wants to cut back on his passing game, which has been effective when avoiding turnovers.
The passing game, he believes, sets up the running attack.
“I think if you spread the defense out and give the ball to No. 7, there are lanes and creases and he can hit them,” Stewart said. “I am so impressed with his burst. When the ball touches his hands, watch how fast his feet turn.”
And don’t be fooled by Devine’s short stature, for he is as strong a running back as you will find.
“The other night, No. 7 flat out ran over two or three guys. He is a tough man,” Stewart said.
Tough enough, it would seem, to carry more the way Avon Cobourne and Amos Zereoue did when they were setting records as running backs, carrying more than 17 times a game.
As for Devine, he is deftly avoiding being involved in the discussion, dodging questions much the same way he dodges defenders.
He won’t talk about the play calling, saying only, “Whenever I get the ball, I’ll make the most of it.”
And as for the criticism of the play calling, he says that sportswriters and broadcasters don’t know the offense well enough to be critical.
“You have to understand and watch films before you can say anything like that,” he said. “You have to understand football more. You have to study the game. There’s more to it. It’s not about me. It starts up front. It starts with Jarrett. It starts with the coaches and the play calling.”
You can’t argue that the sportswriters, broadcasters and, yes, the fans, do not have the indepth knowledge that comes with spending a lifetime watching video of an offense operate, but that should not and cannot detract from their right to holding an opinion.
Those opinions are what allow there to be a week or two between games without losing interest in the sport, whatever that sport may be.
Coaches coach, players play and the sporting public and media second guess.
That is the nature of the beast.
Right or wrong, it certainly isn’t unreasonable to think Devine should be the centerpiece of the WVU offense.
The real question is how many times should he carry, and that is a variable that will change from week to week depending upon how defenses opt to play West Virginia and how the game situations play out.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
