Mountaineer defense finds its footing, puts Virginia in check – WV News

Mountaineer defense finds its footing, puts Virginia in check  WV News

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three drives. Fourteen points. One hundred thirty-six yards, 113 of them on the ground. West Virginia defenders Gimer Latimer (1) and Matt Seig (3) celebrate a stop At the end of the first quarter, West Virginia's biggest concern had become reality Saturday night against No. 25 Virginia in Charlotte. "They hit us on some big runs, but there was no panic," said WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Cavaliers' quick start running behind college football's most veteran offensive line in terms of games played (180). "I was probably panicking more than the players were. I was wanting to get some three-and-outs together. But even when they start to put a drive together, there's no panic.

Our guys keep playing." The Mountaineers allowed the Cavs just 215 yards the rest of the game, and a chunk of that came on the final drive with the result already decided. The biggest worry through an uneven 2-0 start, suddenly turned into the difference in the game, as WVU gave up only 13 points after the first quarter and held a UVA offense that had scored 93 points through its first two games in check. "We knew we could play well," said WVU third-year sophomore linebacker Isaiah Patterson, who led that Mountaineer defense with 12 tackles. "We knew we could