AU defense braces for West Virginia

Paul Rhoads’ defense was one of the few that handled and contained West Virginia’s lights-out offense last season.
The first-year Auburn defensive coordinator has also had a front-row seat to watch the Mountaineers’ side of the scoreboard flicker faster than a slot machine.

Neither of those experiences, though, will matter tonight in Morgantown, Rhoads said.

“This one is under completely different circumstances,” said Rhoads, who was the defensive coordinator at Pitt from 2000-2007 before coming to Auburn. “New program here. Doing new things here, and them the same way.”

Yes, what Rhoads’ defense did last season against one of the most prolific offenses of the 21st century doesn’t mean much when it comes to tonight’s pivotal non-conference matchup.

But it’s certainly worth a reflection.

West Virginia was one win away from an assured spot in the BCS national championship before it ran into four-win Pitt and Rhoads’ defense.

Before the 2007 version of the Backyard Brawl Pitt and West Virginia’s Iron Bowl, Rhoads said the Mountaineers were averaging nearly 42 points per game and 475 yards of total offense.

The Panthers proceeded to limit Pat White, now-NFL running back Steve Slaton and the rest of the No. 1 Mountaineers’ attack to just a touchdown, a safety and 183 yards of offense in the 13-9 major upset. A little more than a month later, the same West Virginia team, under new coach Bill Stewart, put up 48 points and 525 yards of offense against Big 12 power, Oklahoma.

“We prepared to win that football game and executed to win that football game,” Rhoads said recently.

To win tonight’s football game, Rhoads has prepared for what he sees as a much different West Virginia.

Without Owen Schmitt and Slaton, the Mountaineers are down to two playmakers in White and speedy scat back Noel Devine. That has caused Stewart to spread it out more and use the entire field, instead of relying on his weapons near or inside the pocket, Rhoads said.

Basic translation: the Mountaineers are passing a lot more.

They’ve widened out their weaponry to use all the field and all the positions,” Rhoads said. “And that’ll be the first thing that we’ve got to set out to make sure we’re handling.“

Passing, though, hasn’t been as successful as the Mountaineers would like because of White’s injury problems.

The athletic senior has battled an injury to his hand — White would not disclose which hand has been affected in a teleconference last week — and a concussion, which served as a nasty combination and was enough to keep him on the sidelines for the first time of his career Oct. 11 against Syracuse.

White’s injury forced the Mountaineers to put the brunt of the workload on Devine, who racked up 188 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries against the Orangemen. It didn’t necessarily translate into offensive fireworks, as West Virginia mustered just 17 points.

Still, with White vowing to be completely healthy, the double-threat poses some concerns.

“You’ve got to be sound in your approach schematically. It’s option football. Whether there’s ever a pitch involved, it’s option football,” Rhoads said. “Every single tackle in this game is going to be played with a lot of space involved.“

When there was a lot of space involved and the ball was in speedy Arkansas running back Michael Smith’s hands Oct. 11, Auburn’s defense struggled especially when fatigue set in late. The result was 416 yards surrendered, a blown lead and a second consecutive loss in the SEC.

“We know better than that. That 400 yards against Arkansas, that was crazy,” middle linebacker Josh Bynes said. “This game, we all know we have to play our raw defense like we’ve been playing all season before last week.

“We have to get back into it and just continue doing what we’re supposed to do.“

That appears to be the plan, as the Tigers defense should be completely healthy and aided by the return of cornerback Jerraud Powers. But there was just a little extra film preparation that only Rhoads could help provide.

“(Pitt) did real good against West Virginia,” said linebacker Craig Stevens, who recently watched last year’s Backyard Brawl. “It gives us a lot of confidence to see that, since he knows what it takes to stop them.“