West Virginia vs. Cincinnati Football 2009
Mountaineers Look to Upset Undefeated Bearcats
Nov 10, 2009
On the other hand, West Virginia needs this victory in order to remain a contender to win the Big East. They are able to pull off two huge conference upsets over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
The Mountaineer’s only conference loss has come to South Florida, which has already been defeated by both Pitt and Cincy.
Jarrett Brown will need to have a solid performance in order for the Mountaineers to get the win. Brown has been struggling ever since he suffered a concussion against Marshall. WVU’s passing game only accounted for 100 yards against a weak Louisville defense on Saturday.
Collaros to Start for Cincy
The Bearcats, on the other hand, have been having great play at quarterback. Cincy backup quarterback Zach Collaros helped get a school-record of 711 total yards in the Bearcats’ 47-45 win over Connecticut.
Tony Pike, who is recovering from surgery to his non-throwing arm, may see some action on Saturday, but Kelly has announced that Collaros will start in Saturday’s matchup.
Pike was considered as a Heisman candidate before his injury, but the Cincinnati offense has not slowed down a bit since he has been gone.
Collaros took over and has completed 66 of 82 attempts for 1,028 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also ran the ball for 132 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Devine is Questionable for the Matchup
Noel Devine has powered West Virginia’s offense through this season, but he suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday’s game. Devine is expected to start, but if he is unable to play then Sanders will likely start at tailback.
The Mountaineers will need Devine to be healthy and run the ball hard in order for WVU to put up points on Cincy. Devine is one of only sixteen players in the country to have 1,000 yards on the ground so far this season.
The Mountaineers have a solid rushing defense, but not a very strong pass defense. They will have to improve in order to slow down the Bearcats, who are sixth in the nation in passing yards per game. Cincinnati is also third in the nation in total yards and total points per game.
This will likely be a very high-scoring contest if Jarrett Brown can play as he did at the start of the season. Neither defenses are very strong, and the offenses should go back and forth to make far a very entertaining Big East contest.
Mountaineers Look for the Upset
Cincinnati looks to be the stronger team as they come in undefeated and as the reigning Big East champions, but the Mountaineers will be looking to lay it all on the line and get this big win.
If Jarrett Brown struggles in the start then it may be a long night for WVU, but if he comes out looking like a strong leader then the Mountaineers should be able to win it.
It definitely does not favor West Virginia with the game being played at Cincinnati on ESPN 2. The Bearcat fans will be extremely loud for this Friday night televised game, but the Mountaineers are the last team to defeat the Cincinnati at home, which was two years ago.
WVU lost in overtime last year at home to the Bearcats, but in that loss the Mountaineers held Cincy to least yards offensively in two years. The Mountaineers could pull the upset, but it will not come easy for either teams and could result in overtime just like last year’s matchup.
