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Stew gives reasoning for squibs: Gator Bowl gifts [The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.]
(Dominion Post (Morgantown, WV) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 8--Last Saturday's football game between WVU and Rutgers wasn't a very high-scoring affair.
The Mountaineers won 24-21, but struggled on offense all day.
In some ways, perhaps that was a good thing.
Because with scoring comes kickoffs, and the Mountaineers' misfiring kickoff unit blessed the Scarlet Knights with excellent field position after every score.
Bill Stewart, who doubles as both head coach and special teams coach, had Josh Lider squib kick (a short, low, line drive instead of a high arc) on four of the Mountaineers' five kickoffs because he was concerned about the weather conditions. The temperature of the air at game time was 43 degrees, but the windchill lowered the temperature even further, to about 36 degrees.
Stewart said he was worried about the swirling of the wind.
"I like to squib," Stewart said. "It was very good to us early."
The squib kick minimizes the opponents' ability to return the ball because it's kicked so short that the designated kickoff return man usually doesn't even get a chance to touch the ball.
Still, the Mountaineers' success with the squib kick was marginal at best. On Lider's four kickoffs, the Scarlet Knights never started their offensive drives any farther back than their own 32 yard line.
On the flip side, WVU was infinitely more successful with the squib kick than it was with regular kickoffs.
Tyler Bitancurt, the regular kickoff specialist, kicked off once for the Mountaineers against Rutgers... to disastrous results.
Joe Lefeged fielded the ball at the Rutgers nine yard line and ran it back 91 yards for a touchdown.
Bitancurt assumed responsibility for the return.
"I didn't put it deep enough, I didn't put it high enough, I take all the blame for that,I should have put the ball a little farther or higher," Bitancurt said, "We knew before coming into this game that Rutgers was really strong in their returns, and special teams in general. Their coach must have studied [WVU's kickoff schemes] and found something.
"It's mainly a combination of [Rutgers' film study] and me not doing my job the way I should have."
Still that doesn't change the fact that WVU's kickoff coverage is still one of the worst in the country.
The Mountaineers are 101st out of 120 FBS schools in kickoff return yardage defense, and have given up an average of 24.13 yards per return.
Why not pass?
Quarterback Jarrett Brown started off a perfect 6-of-6 for 85 passing yards in the first quarter, and the passing game was instrumental in WVU's first two touchdown drives.
Brown completed a 29-yard pass to Jock Sanders to set up Noel Devine's touchdown run, then hit Alric Arnett on a 30-yard strike during the drive that ended with Ryan Clarke's touchdown.
But in the final three quarters of the game, Brown went 4-of-14 for 31 yards, and the Mountaineers ran the ball more.
Why?
Again, the weather was responsible for the tweak to the game plan.
As snow started to fall in the second half, the Mountaineers had to deviate from the passing game because it became more difficult to hold onto the ball.
"In the second half, it was a big effect because we really couldn't throw the ball the way we wanted to," Sanders said.
Brown attempted only five passes in the second half, and only completed one. He also fumbled twice.
Bowl gifts galore
According to The Sports Business Journal's study of the bowl gifts that will be awarded to the players of every team in the 32 college football bowl games, the Konica-Minolta Gator Bowl's package pales in comparison to many other bowls.
Each Mountaineer will receive a Fossil watch and Oakley Antix sunglasses, but the Gator Bowl does not give out any fancy electronics.
The Meineke Car Care ( Charlotte, N.C.) Bowl's gift lineup for the Pitt Panthers includes a choice of a Bose gift package, an iPod touch, speakers, or a $20 gift card, a Fossil watch, an Ogio duffle bag, and a commemorative photo from the Richard Petty Driving experience.
The St. Petersburg Bowl (Fla.) will give each Scarlet Knight an iLuv iPod/DVD player, and an Oakley package that includes a watch, sunglasses and a backpack.
Each South Florida Bull headed to the International Bowl (Toronto) will receive an electronics package, a watch and a football, while the PapaJohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.) will give each player an RCA HD mini-camcorder and an Oakley backpack.
The Sugar Bowl-bound Cincinnati Bearcats are in for a treat. Their bowl package includes gifts from Sony, Apple, Trek and Garmin, a watch, an Ogio laptop pack, and a recliner.
To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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