WVU LOOKS FOR A WIN FOR WHITE (IN WHITE OUT)

By Matt Whitfield

Pat White and the Mountaineers take to the field Saturday in what will be the last home game for him and the senior Mountaineer class. Looking back on his career White said, "It’s more sweet than bitter. I’ve enjoyed everything about West Virginia. It’s gone a lot faster than what I thought. The days haven’t been shorter but time has flown by." Pat White will be looking to go out a winner, but South Florida has had West Virginia's number the past two years, averaging 22.5 points and 420 yards of offense a game against the Mountaineers in the last two games.

The South Florida Bulls have let the Mountaineers wear white to accommodate their celebration of Pat White's career. In the past two meetings, South Florida hasn't just beaten the Mountaineers, but their defense has stifled them. The Bulls held the then high-scoring Mountaineers to just 13 and 19 points in their previous two meetings. They also forced the Mountaineers to an average of 4 turnovers in each of these two previous meetings. This being said, the vaunted Bulls' defense doesn't seem to be so vaunted anymore. Gone are shutdown CB's Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams; and so is their defense, which has allowed an average of 27.5 points in the past four games. If the Bulls are to win Saturday, they will needs their defense to control the tempo of the game, as they have done in the previous two meetings. Bulls NFL prospects George Selvie and Tyson McKenzie will need to lead the way on defense and hit hard early and often if the Bulls are to pull of the upset Saturday.

West Virginia will be playing with a lot of of pride in what will be the second-most anticipated game of the season. Seniors including Pat White, Pat McAfee, and Morty Ivy will be playing their last home game at Mountaineer Field. This isn't just another Big East opponent but one that has beaten them the previous two times. The Mountaineers have a tough opponent, as the Bulls lead the Big East in rush defense and rank second in total defense. However, factor in that most of South Florida's players are from Florida, and will be playing in possibly the coldest game in Bulls history, and the fact that the Mountaineer fans will be decked in white, and will be as rabid and as loud ever, and it's fair to say the Mountaineers have an advantage. For the Mountaineers to win though, they will need the three-headed monster of Pat White, Noel Devine, and Jock Sanders to play their role and watch for the frequent blitzes of South Florida. If the three can avoid getting caught behind the line of scrimmage too often, and the Mountaineer defense can play as it has the second half of this season, the Mountaineers have a very good shot of making Pat White happy and winning his final home game.