By Bob Hertzel
MORGANTOWN — West Virginia played its way past Rutgers and into the Gator Bowl on the strength of a strong defense and some spectacular kicking.
For the second week in a row Tyler Betancourt provided the margin of victory with a 41-yard field goal — not as dramatic as his last-second 43-yard boot that won the Backyard Brawl over Pitt last week but none less important.
Bitancurt, who has missed only once all year, was taking no bows.
“This game was won by the defense. No doubt about it,” he said.
But do not minimize his contribution, for this was not a day for man or beast or place-kicker.
The footing was uncertain, the wind strong.
Rutgers’ placekicker San San Te had tried one from 45 yards in the same direction as Betancurt earlier in the game and the ball barely reached the end zone.
That did not play in Bitancurt’s mind.
“I don’t focus on what the other kicker does,” he said. “Because he missed one doesn’t mean I’m going to believe I can’t make one.”
Still, there was the wind.
“The wind was blowing in my face. You’d rather that than a crosswind or swirling wind because then it becomes a mind game. This way you just have to drive the ball.
And that is just what Betancourt did.
Then there was the punting of Scott Kozlowski.
With the ball slippery and the footing unsure and kicking into a wind on occasion, he still managed to get off nine punts for a 42.3 average, including a long of 62 and four inside the 20.
“It was a little rainy in the beginning of the game but the refs were pretty good about wiping the balls down so I could get a good grip on them,” Kozloski said. “Toward the third quarter is when it started to get a little rough. Balls were getting slick. I would catch it and it would go through my hands. I have to give props to the other punter, although he got a kick blocked. For me and him to go through all those punts — it was windy.”
Kozlowski, of course, lost his job three years ago when he mishit a directional punt, Rich Rodriguez replacing him with Pat McAfee and telling him he didn’t think he would ever punt at WVU again.
“This young man, Scott Kozlowski, that everyone had written off a couple of years ago, has had a banner year,” Coach Bill Stewart said. “He changed the entire field position all day. Believe me, those last two punts were awesome.”
The only problem in the kicking game came when the Mountaineers went away from the squib kick they had used all day with Josh Lider kicking and let Bitancurt kick it deep.
It was run back 91 yards by Rutgers’ Joe Lefeged for a touchdown.
“I was not pleased with that,” Bitancurt said. “I saw the hole opening up and there was nothing I could do. He is twice as fast as I am.”
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WVU’s Ian Smith earned the Mountaineers’ first punt block of the season.
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WVU safety Sidney Glover experienced the ultimate high and the ultimate low for a defensive back in the game.
He first picked off a Tom Savage pass and ran it 24 yards into the end zone, but then got caught with a double move, much the same as he was in the Pitt game by Jonathan Baldwin, and gave up a 62-yard touchdown pass from Savage to Mohamed Sanu.
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Rutgers used the Wildcat formation often in the game but mostly the WVU defense turned it into a pussy cat.
This was most evident when they tried to run a reverse pass off it to quarterback Savage, that was well covered by the Mountaineers. It was the same play that Notre Dame had used a week earlier and that Stewart had referred to in his press conference, a play they were sure to have covered.
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Wide receiver Brad Starks missed the game after suffering a concussion … WVU has scored 100 points in its last five games after scoring 167 points in its first five games … WVU has beaten Rutgers 15 straight years … Jock Sanders had five catches against Rutgers and needs seven in the Gator Bowl to tie the school record of 77 in a season set by David Saunders and tied by Shawn Foreman … Sanders has caught a pass in 27 consecutive games … Fullback Ryan Clarke was crucial weapon for the Mountaineers, rushing for 36 yards on 11 carries and scoring a touchdown … WVU’s now a better than .500 team in nationally televised games, standing 79-78-1.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@timeswv.com.
