Much on line in UConn-WVU battle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A season-long shake-up in the polls and standings has No. 4 West Virginia right where it hoped to be — in a late-November showdown for a Big East title with the chance to contend for a national championship.
The first hurdle is the simplest one. A win over No. 20 Connecticut (9-2, 5-1) on Saturday would give the Mountaineers (9-1, 4-1) the conference's berth in the Bowl Championship Series.
They got some help on the second wish. West Virginia, third in the BCS standings, could vault into the national title picture after LSU's loss Friday.
First, the Mountaineers must beat Connecticut and then Pittsburgh at home next week.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez told his players at the beginning of the week to avoid talking about anything except Connecticut and the conference title "because really that's the only thing we can control," he said. "Anything else outside of that is further down the road and (something) we can't control. So we shouldn't worry about it."
Rodriguez, who said he mentioned playing for a national championship early in the season, isn't even doing his own peeking at the weekly polls.
"The only thing I'm watching is UConn tape," he said.
He's certainly not discounting underdog UConn, which can win the Big East title outright in only its fourth season in the conference with a win on Saturday. The Huskies have no shot at a national title, but it sure can ruin West Virginia's day.
Connecticut coach Randy Edsall is calling it the Huskies' biggest game since they moved to the current Football Bowl Subdivision in 2002. Connecticut recruits used to doubt Edsall when he would say he wanted them to be part of a champion.
"We are still a young program, but now that we are in that position, there can't be any doubt anymore," Edsall said.
When the season began, Connecticut didn't have a clear starter at quarterback, returned just eight seniors and was picked to finish far down in the standings.
"I didn't really go back and look at last year's film and see who was playing for us because I tried to put '06 behind me," Edsall said.
UConn's Tyler Lorenzen has completed 58 percent of his passes and has thrown just five interceptions. The defense has allowed only 18 touchdowns all season. Only Ohio State (15) has allowed fewer.
"I know this.: We're a healthier team. We're more experienced. The quarterback is different. Defensively, we've been able to play the same 11 starters every game," Edsall said. "We're just trying to play as hard as we can each and every game and try not to beat ourselves. So far we've done a pretty good job of that."
West Virginia has pounded Connecticut in the teams' last two meetings by combined scores of 82-25. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton each surpassed 100 rushing yards last week in a 28-23 win at Cincinnati.
Both should easily surpass the 1,000-yard mark together Saturday for the second straight season.
Barring a tremendous finish, Slaton won't approach the 1,744 yards he gained in 2006 and doesn't have a 200-yard effort like he did the past two years.
"West Virginia has so many weapons and they can spread it around. Steve doesn't have to be the guy every game," Edsall said. "Rich has a lot of ammunition there he can turn to to make plays for him. I know he's a great running back. If he gets a seam, he can take it. Anytime he touches the ball, if you don't take care of business, he can make a big play on you."
