ESPN College Football

Last up in our position rankings for the defense -- the secondary. In the preseason, I rated the safeties and cornerbacks separately. In the postseason evaluation, I feel that would be a little redundant, so I am taking into account the unit as a whole. Of all the positions, I felt there was a clear bottom and a clear top to the league in this category.

In my opinion, this was also one of the weakest positions in the league. Only three teams allowed opponents to complete fewer than 60 percent of their passes.

1. Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were clearly the best here, allowing a league-low eight passing touchdowns, grabbing a league-high 19 interceptions and allowing their opponents to complete just 51.8 percent of their passes. Logan Ryan emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, while safety Duron Harmon won first-team honors.

2. West Virginia. Though there were some problems for the Mountaineers in the secondary this season, for the most part this group held its own. Cornerback Pat Miller was inconsistent and eventually lost some starts to Brodrick Jenkins -- who was an upgrade. Keith Tandy was third in the league with four interceptions, and Eain Smith, Terence Garvin and Darwin Cook played well at safety. West Virginia finished the year as the No. 2 pass defense, and let's not forget some of the huge plays this group made at the end of the season.

3. Pitt. The Panthers were up and down in pass defense all year, and were hurt when safety Jason Hendricks was lost for the year. Antwuan Reed was better; Jarred Holley earned his spot on the Big East first team. This was not an opportunistic group, with a league-low eight interceptions. But it was one that got better as the year went on. After allowing over 300 yards in two of the first three games of the season, the Panthers held the rest of their opponents below that mark.

4. USF. This unit was steady, if unspectacular in 2011. Kayvon Webster was much improved, and Jerrell Young did a nice job anchoring the team at safety. But there weren't big plays -- 12 total interceptions, and depth was an issue when injuries hit late in the season. Major kudos are deserved for holding West Virginia to 237 yards -- second-lowest on the year.

5. Louisville. The Cardinals were better than I expected given all the youth and inexperience in the secondary. Hakeem Smith was good again; Adrian Bushell was a huge pickup and made a big impact. The one weakness was getting beat way too many times on deep passes. Louisville allowed 20 passing touchdowns and had just 10 interceptions, tied for second-worst in the league.

6. Cincinnati. The Bearcats were a much more opportunistic group than a year ago. Drew Frey emerged as a first-team Big East safety, and Cam Cheatham and Deven Drane each got three interceptions. But the long pass was again something the Bearcats had a hard time covering, and wrapping up and tackling was sometimes a problem, too. Opponents averaged 7 yards a completion.

7. Syracuse. Injuries took a toll on the defensive backs last season. Players like Shamarko Thomas, Olando Fisher, Ri'Shard Anderson and Keon Lyn were banged up and that impacted how everybody played. Then the best player in the secondary, Phillip Thomas, was suspended for the final two games of the season. Syracuse gave up 300 yards five times last season, and only had 10 interceptions.

8. UConn. The Huskies struggled in the secondary all season, particularly after starting cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson went out with a knee injury. There were a lot of young players forced into action, and it showed. UConn gave up over 400 yards passing four times last season, and ranked last in the league in passing defense.

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys for West Virginia in the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson:

1. Get into rhythm. It's hard to keep up all your momentum when more than a month has passed between football games, especially when your offense is so dependent on rhythm and timing. Nobody really knows how the long layoff is going to impact this offense, but coach Dana Holgorsen has said all week that his team has done all it can to prepare for this game. What really will help rhythm is protecting quarterback Geno Smith, who doesn't do so well when he's flustered and out of the pocket. "We need to dominate," center Joe Madsen said. What also will help is the short passing game out of the backfield, an area that West Virginia is going to have to adjust with Dustin Garrison out.

2. Safety help. By now you already know how much of a blow it is for West Virginia to be without starting safety Terence Garvin, a two-year starter with 72 tackles this season and 3.5 sacks. West Virginia has no experienced players to fill in at the spur position, so the Mountaineers will go with a rotation of Shaq Petteway, Wes Tonkery and Matt Moro. There could be other tinkering as well, as the game wears on. Clemson, of course, averages 284.8 passing yards a game, and has explosive players like Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Dwayne Allen. Getting pressure up front is going to really help take pressure off the back end, and players like Keith Tandy and Brodrick Jenkins are also going to have to step up from their corner positions as well.

3. Be special. It cannot be stated enough how big a role special teams plays in any game, most especially one with teams as evenly matched as Clemson and West Virginia. The Mountaineers have been shaky at times in this category, and cannot afford another bad punting game -- especially with a good punter in Dawson Zimmerman on the other sideline. It will be great to see the kickoff return duel between Sammy Watkins and Tavon Austin. Watkins has one kickoff return for touchdown this season; Austin has two. One of these players could decide the game in this hugely important phase.

West Virginia is going for its first 10-win season since 2007 in the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson tonight. Here is a quick preview:

WHO TO WATCH: Quarterback Geno Smith. All eyes are going to be on both quarterbacks in this game, for obvious reasons. Clemson has made it no secret this week that its No. 1 goal is to get after Smith, in order to get him out of rhythm. This, of course, would limit the number of touches for 1,000-yard receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. A few teams have been successful at getting Smith off his game, and the front Clemson brings may have that capability -- with Andre Branch and Brandon Thompson two of the more highly-rated linemen for the 2012 NFL draft. Branch had 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss this season, and could pose major problems. West Virginia has not been consistent on the offensive line this season, but there is some good news. The Mountaineers tend to play up to their level of competition. So getting to face a line as good as Clemson could mean an outstanding performance, which is the biggest key to getting Smith and his receivers going.

WHAT TO WATCH: West Virginia defense vs. Tajh Boyd. Much has been made about the two offenses in this game, but the defenses should not be ignored. West Virginia has made a pretty solid turnaround in the final three games of the season, allowing just 365.7 yards a game, turning up its pressure and playing much better pass defense. This group has been much more opportunistic as well. It most certainly will have to be against Clemson, a team that has fared much better in turnover margin. Tight end Dwayne Allen poses a huge threat, because he is like an extra receiver on the field, and West Virginia will be without starting safety Terence Garvin. At least the Mountaineers have experience going against an up-tempo team. Can they keep up the momentum from the end of the season?

WHY TO WATCH: Everybody loves offense, right? And everybody loves the battle for supremacy between the Big East and ACC, right? OK maybe not the latter, but there should be plenty of fireworks in this one, and plenty of NFL talent on this field. Plus, this could be West Virginia's final game as members of the Big East. If that is indeed the case, you can bet the Mountaineers will want to do nothing but go out on top.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 35, Clemson 30. Yes, I realize that West Virginia is going to be without several of its starters, including Garvin and Dustin Garrison. But I also think this is a team that found its way in the latter part of the season, and will not be denied. Simply put, West Virginia refused to lose, and every part of this team willed itself to victory against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and USF. Folks are focusing on the offenses; but West Virginia is better overall on defense and that makes the difference in this game.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Here are a few news and notes from West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen's final news conference before the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson:

• Holgorsen said he had not made a decision on who would start at safety in place of the injured Terence Garvin. Freshmen Shaq Petteway and Wes Tonkery, and junior college transfer Matt Moro will all be rotated in. "When you lose Terence Garvin, who was our leading tackler last year and has played a lot of football, you can't just replace him with one guy," Holgorsen said. "And all those guys I mentioned are all new guys. Matt is a junior college kid first year, Wes is a freshman, Shaq is a true freshman. You've got a lot of guys that haven't been put in that situation. So what you do is you plug one guy in, see how it works, and then if you need to take him off and calm him down and put somebody else in there, then you need to do that."
• One of Holgorsen's bigger concerns about playing in the game was the way his players would handle some of the distractions of South Beach. But he said there were no problems with any of his players. "We all had our concerns with it just because it's a busy place, and there's a lot to do," he said. "I give our team a tremendous amount of credit. You know, we named captains in the beginning of the week with Geno Smith, Joey Madsen, Keith Tandy and Najee Goode, and then we talked to the rest of the seniors about this being your team and there's going to be situations out there to where you're going to have to make decisions on whether you do the right thing or do the wrong thing. That's no different here than it is in Morgantown throughout the course of the week. I just was really proud of how the guys handled themselves."
• Holgorsen was also asked if there was such a thing as being over prepared, with so much time to get ready for the game. "You've got to be careful with time on your hands," he said. "Coaches have a tendency to outsmart themselves at times, so you've got to figure out what your team does well, which we've had a lot of time here in the last four months to figure out what our team does well, and we've just got to put them in those positions to be successful."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- With the way the West Virginia and Clemson offenses have been hyped leading into the Discover Orange Bowl, you have to wonder whether both defenses have gotten a little tired about hearing how they are the weak link.

After all, there has been nothing weak about the way the Mountaineers defense played at the end of the season. After struggling early on, West Virginia put together its three best defensive performances of the season when they were needed most -- in the final three games. In those games, West Virginia had 14 sacks and allowed averages of 22.7 points and 365.7 yards per game.

Consider that in the first nine games of the season, West Virginia had just 14 total sacks, allowed 27.4 points a game and 487.8 yards of offense.

Defensive end Julian Miller pinpointed why things turned around late in the season for the defense.

"It was mainly three things," he said. "No. 1, younger guys started stepping up, started to understand our defense and started make plays for us. No. 2, with our defensive coaches, we had the No. 3-ranked defense last year so those guys had high expectations for us coming in. At the beginning, we weren't living up to those expectations. It got to a point where we got frustrated and tired of getting yelled. We knew we could be doing better. Everything the coaches were teaching us, we started realizing they're right, so let's go ahead, get our stuff together and play ball like we know we can. No. 3, it was gaining confidence as a defense. We weren't as confident as we could have been. Those last three games, being able to play the way we did, our confidence was almost through the roof and that's a good way to come into a game like this."

Miller, for one, came on strong at the end of the year, mainly because he was healthy again. An ankle injury hobbled him for much of fall camp and the start of the season, so he was not as effective as he was in 2010. He had a huge play against Cincinnati when he recovered a fumble in the end zone, and that helped get the BCS dominoes to fall in favor of West Virginia.

The following week against Pitt, Miller had four sacks to tie a single-game high. West Virginia had 10 total in that game. Then, in the finale against USF, linebacker Najee Goode forced a crucial fumble late in the game that allowed West Virginia to drive for the winning touchdown. Pat Miller also scored on an interception return for a touchdown -- the second defensive score in three weeks. West Virginia had one (Terence Garvin against Maryland) in the first nine games of the season.

West Virginia also forced at least one turnover in five consecutive games to end the season. In the first seven games, it failed to force a turnover four times. There were nine forced turnovers in those first seven games; 10 in the final five.

So offense might get all the headlines, but this is quite a confident group headed into its showdown Wednesday.

"I love our offense," Goode said. "The fact they can score 35 points a game makes our job easier. The team that plays the best defense is going to win. If you take advantage of some of the stuff Clemson does, if we can take advantage of Tajh Boyd, fluster him a little bit, and even though Sammy Watkins is a great player, he's still a freshman. He hasn't played against a defense like ours. Tajh Boyd hasn't played against a defense like ours. So if we can confuse him enough to do certain things and take advantage of certain plays they run, then we can have a great game.

"Kinda how we played Oklahoma (in 2008 Fiesta Bowl), that was a bigger team, that was a huge team compared to us, and then we were able to confuse Sam Bradford, who's in the NFL right now. A good offense like (Clemson's), we have to play a sound game, we have to execute."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Greetings from beautiful South Florida, where West Virginia and Clemson practiced for the second day in preparation for the Discover Orange Bowl.

Mountaineers defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and select defensive players met with the media this morning, along with Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris and select offensive players.

The big story of the day, of course, were the injuries that keep mounting for West Virginia. Running back Dustin Garrison is out for the game, the third West Virginia starter to be declared out. On Casteel's side of the ball, West Virginia will be without safety Terence Garvin. Redshirt freshman Wes Tonkery and true freshman Shaq Petteway have been working the position during practice but no starter has been announced.

"We'll still work those two kids the next two or three practices, and they're both going to play," Casteel said. "That's what happens when you get an injury; a kid has to step up, and the next guy goes. I know that they're excited to play. We've been through those situations before, so those guys will be ready to go."

Eain Smith and Darwin Cook could be relied upon even more with Garvin out.

"I think the key is letting the kids get in and get settled in," Casteel said. "For some of these kids, obviously this is a big game for them. Once they get in and settle in, they're going to find it's no different than any of the other games that they've played.

"But our leaders will settle those guys down, and they'll be ready to play."

Playing with young players like Petteway and Tonkery is going to be something West Virginia will have to get through, the way it did when Garvin missed the Cincinnati game with a knee injury. Smith started in place of Garvin in that game, but the coaches don't seem to want to move him for this game.

Garvin was third on the team with 72 tackles. With the way Clemson likes to throw the ball, and the talent the Tigers have at the skill positions, they could take advantage.

"Will it change our thinking?" Morris asked. "We're going to do what we do. We've got to be able to be who we are, what got us to this point in the season. You know, we try to do a good job of mixing up the run and the pass. So are we going to change our thought process? No. And if we were, I couldn't tell you.

"So it's one of those type of deals. We feel like we've got to make sure that we do the things that got us here, protecting the football, being physical, playing physical and being aggressive. That's who we are, that's who I've been since 2002, and it's not going to change.

"You know, it's unfortunate. I heard the injury report, and that's unbelievable. I hate that for that young man. What a great football player. But again, we've got to do what's got us here to this point."

Both head coaches offered statements about the way practice, which was closed to the media, went Saturday afternoon:

• Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said receiver DeAndre Hopkins practiced and is good to go for the game. "He’s back and it and looked fine," Swinney said. "Probably could’ve practiced yesterday, but we just wanted to have another day to evaluate him but I thought he moved around pretty good. Other than that, we’re physically in good shape, just have to mentally get dialed in."
• West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen named his captains for the game: linebacker Najee Goode, center Joe Madsen, quarterback Geno Smith and cornerback Keith Tandy.
• Former Mountaineers who were at practice Saturday were Grantis Bell (WR, 1985-88), Johnny Dingle (DL, 2005-07), Dale Williams (OL, 1991-93) and James “Puppy” Wright (LB, 1991-94).
• Also in attendance at Saturday's practice was former Miami coach Randy Shannon and Florida Atlantic assistant Kurt VanValkenburgh.
• “Practice went fine today," Holgorsen said. "We consider this our Tuesday practice so we were getting into our normal routine for the game week. The weather has been outstanding and I can see that our players are getting excited for game day. The player’s focus has been good, and they have been working hard. We are down here to win a football game, and I think our mix of preparation and fun has been good.”

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said Wednesday that starting strong safety Terence Garvin, reserve defensive tackle Josh Taylor and reserve running back Vernard Roberts were out for the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson on Jan. 4.

Garvin and Taylor each have injuries; Roberts is academically ineligible.

Losing Garvin is a big blow for a defense that is going to be seeing its share of playmakers in Miami. Garvin started every game for the Mountaineers, and was third on the team with 72 tackles. Roberts had 140 yards rushing and three touchdowns as a true freshman, and Taylor provided good depth on the line.

CINCINNATI -- It is a perfect day for football here at Paul Brown Stadium as West Virginia prepares to play No. 23 Cincinnati in a game with major Big East implications.

West Virginia (6-3, 2-2) needs a win to keep its slim championship hopes alive. Cincinnati (7-1, 3-0) needs a win to keep its momentum and is stranglehold atop the league standings.

Here are a few keys for each:

Cincinnati

1. Balance. The Bearcats are at their best when they are getting balance from Isaiah Pead and Zach Collaros. Pead has been terrific this season in a much bigger role in the offense. Collaros is a gamer who has willed his team to win. Both are capable of taking this game over.

2. Pressure. Cincinnati has got to get pressure on Geno Smith in order to take pressure off the secondary, which has given up some big plays this season. The last thing the Bearcats want is for Smith to march his teammates up and down the field, because he is perfectly capable. Coach Dana Holgorsen will no doubt be looking for matchup advantages, and to get Smith to release the ball as quickly as possible.

West Virginia

1. Energy. Holgorsen preached this week that his players have not played with the same energy as their opponents. They have got to against the Bearcats, who have shown perhaps the most heart of any team in the Big East. This is a team that never quits. Can West Virginia say the same?

2. Force mistakes. West Virginia has not forced many turnovers this season, but there is an opportunity to force some mistakes from Collaros, who has eight interceptions this season. Generally those come when he is rushed out of the pocket and forced into making a poor decision. If West Virginia can get him into these mistakes, the Mountaineers have got to convert them into points.

One note: West Virginia starting safety Terence Garvin is not on the dress list due to injury. After threatening to only bring 55 players with him, Holgorsen has 64 on the dress list.

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen wanted his team to get off to a fast start against Maryland. The Mountaineers delivered, breaking out to a 27-10 lead over Maryland at halftime. They scored 14 points in the first quarter after scoring a combined three in the opening period in their first two games.

Among the highlights:

• Geno Smith is playing very well. He is making all the right reads and throwing some pinpoint passes to his receivers. He is 21-of-28 for 232 yards so far in the game.
• West Virginia has run 46 plays, an incredible number for one half, and a clear indication the Mountaineers are playing their type of tempo in the early going. The Mountaineers had 17 first downs and 302 yards in the first half.
• Tavon Austin already has 101 yards receiving, but dropped what looked like a touchdown pass late in the game. But perhaps Ivan McCartney has been more impressive, with six catches for 71 yards.
• The defense finally got its first two turnovers of the season. Terence Garvin returned one 37 yards for a score. But on the flip side, West Virginia turned the ball over twice -- its first turnovers of the season.
• The offensive line has played much better. But if there is one area that still might be a concern, it is the run game. Andrew Buie has the long run of the game at 10 yards. It appeared West Virginia wanted to emphasize the pass in this game, though, as it came out throwing. The pass-to-run ratio is 28 to 18.
• Going into the second half, West Virginia cannot let up and start thinking about next week against LSU. It has to continue to force the up-tempo game.

Last weekend without football! Hope you all enjoy it. And once again for my friends across the Atlantic seaboard, please be prepared for Hurricane Irene, and stay safe!

• Munchie Legaux appears to have the edge for the Cincinnati backup quarterback job. Butch Jones wraps up camp. Kerry Coombs keeps local high school players in town. Video: Best of training camp.
• Paul Pasqualoni woos the crowd at a Middlesex County breakfast.
• Charlie Strong is looking for some young leaders.
• H-backs offer versatility to the Pitt offense. Tino Sunseri is worth a second look. The freshman running backs don't lack confidence.
• Rutgers season preview.
• Familiar names are back at Syracuse.
• The second-team offensive line is coming together at USF. The Bulls have a new practice facility thanks to the generosity of Frank Morsani.
• Terence Garvin has a much better grasp of the West Virginia defense. The Mountaineers have added a transfer from UCLA, defensive end Derrick Bryant. There are options aplenty at running back. Dana Holgorsen has a different idea for balance.

Let's check in on practice from the weekend:

Cincinnati: Coach Butch Jones has yet to decide on a backup quarterback to Zach Collaros. Munchie Legaux and Jordan Luallen are locked in a battle for the backup spot, with neither player emerging just yet.

Connecticut: The Huskies went back to the basics during practice Saturday, but there still is no answer in the quarterback race. Coach Paul Pasqualoni said, "We are constantly changing the rotation of who is doing what. They are all working hard, all doing good things. They also all still have things that they need to improve on and we try to point those things out and move on."

Louisville: The Cardinals ran about 125 plays in their Saturday scrimmage, which was closed. Will Stein led the first-team offense and led a scoring drive early. Victor Anderson ran for more than 100 yards. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater also looked sharp, capping off his drive with a 25-yard scramble for a touchdown. The defense recorded five turnovers on the day, including a 56-yard interception return by Terence Simien. Shenard Holton had an interception in the end zone. One other note: Eli Rogers had a nice day at receiver.

Pitt: The Panthers broke camp with a few positions still up for grabs. Coach Todd Graham said he would know more after evaluating tape from the final scrimmage Saturday. But it appears Todd Thomas has beaten out Greg Williams for the starting spur linebacker job. The offensive line, cornerback and backup quarterback jobs still are open.

Rutgers: Mohamed Sanu stood out during Rutgers' final scrimmage Saturday, catching six passes for 112 yards. De'Antwan Williams had 79 yards on 14 carries (that includes five negative running plays). Savon Huggins had 55 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Jawan Jamison had 25 yards on 14 carries. Jeremy Deering is still out with a head injury. Meanwhile, the defense played better though both sides were sloppier than coach Greg Schiano wanted to see.

Syracuse: The Orange held a scrimmage Saturday in which nearly all the backups were featured. Adrian Flemming did a nice job at receiver, and the offensive line looked solid. Now the Orange are going on lockdown with no media availability or open practices as they prepare for Wake Forest. Also, offensive line coach Greg Adkins underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder and is expected to return to work this week. Freshman cornerback Jaston George injured his left groin and will be out indefinitely.

USF: Skip Holtz was not pleased with his backup quarterbacks following the team's scrimmage Saturday, saying he was disappointed that Bobby Eveld hasn't pushed starter B.J. Daniels and Matt Floyd hasn't pushed Eveld for the backup job. Holtz also wants to see more out of his second-team offense.

West Virginia: Coach Dana Holgorsen named a few standouts from Saturday's scrimmage: "Jeff Braun had some energy out there, and Stedman Bailey made some really good plays. Najee Goode is a guy that is as mentally tough as they come Terence Garvin is a guy that has been in those wars and battles. The guys that have been there and done it are the guys that typically rise up and are able to handle a situation like this. This is the closest we have come to what it is going to be like two weeks from now, which is the way we wanted it. You can’t just put them in this situation all the time. You have to practice. You go in and watch the film and correct it. You try to put them in more situations before the first game."

Time to finish up the rankings before the frenzy of media days next week. I am going with the top five safeties and top five cornerbacks on this list of defensive backs. Safety is a much stronger position leaguewide than cornerback, where many teams lost their top players.

Safeties

1. Hakeem Smith, Louisville. Smith had a breakout season as a freshman last year and was selected the Big East Rookie of the Year. He led the team with 88 tackles, including six for a loss, and became known for his ability to make big plays. Imagine what he can do as a sophomore.

2. Jarred Holley, Pitt. A second-team All-Big East selection in 2010, Holley enters his third year as a starter. Last year, he ranked third in the Big East with five interceptions. This year, he should anchor a unit that has the potential to be among the best in the league.

3. Phillip Thomas, Syracuse. Thomas is the top returning tackler for the Orange, having made 92 stops last season. He is a physical player and brings an incredible energy to the field, but has to make sure to keep his emotions in check.

4. Jon Lejiste, USF. The Bulls have one of the best secondaries in the conference, and Lejiste is a reason why. He especially excelled last season on the safety blitz USF liked to use -- he racked up four sacks from his safety position.

5. Terence Garvin, West Virginia. Garvin led the Mountaineers in tackles last season. In fact, he had five or more tackles in nine games last season. He brings great size to the position (6-foot-3, 222 pounds), and great leadership and experience as well.

Cornerbacks

1. Keith Tandy, West Virginia. Not only is Tandy the best cornerback in the league, he is one of the best in the country. Tandy was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list this season after a breakout 2010, when he ranked No. 5 in the nation in passes defended (17) and was named first-team All-Big East. He is moving to the left side this season.

2. Blidi Wreh-Wilson, UConn. Wreh-Wilson found his comfort zone last season and became a force. Of his four interceptions, he returned two for touchdowns. He should be even better this year in a secondary that returns all four starters.

3. Quenton Washington, USF. With Mistral Raymond gone, Washington should step in as the team's best cornerback. USF coaches are confident he is going to have a breakout season after an impressive spring. One area he can work on -- helping the secondary get more interceptions. He had just one last season.

4. Dwayne Gratz, UConn. The Huskies overcame a shaky start in the secondary last season and should be one of the best this year. Gratz and Wreh-Wilson team to form the best cornerback duo in the league.

5. Antwuan Reed, Pitt. Reed returns as the most experienced player in the Pitt secondary. Despite missing the spring as a precaution (concussion), Reed should be full-go for fall practice and much is expected of him in his second year as a starter.

Previous rankings:

• Offensive linemen
• Wide receivers
• Running backs
• Tight ends
• Quarterbacks
• Defensive line
• Linebacker

2010 overall record: 9-4
2010 conference record: 5-2, tied for first in Big East

Returning starters:

Offense: 8. Defense: 4. Punter/kicker: 1.

Top returners:

QB Geno Smith, WR Tavon Austin, DE Bruce Irvin, DE Julian Miller, CB Keith Tandy, OT Don Barclay, WR Brad Starks, S Terence Garvin

Key losses:

RB Noel Devine, WR Jock Sanders, CB Brandon Hogan, DL Chris Neild, S Robert Sands, DL Scooter Berry, S Sidney Glover, LB J.T. Thomas

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Noel Devine (936 yards)
Passing: Geno Smith* (2,763 yards)
Receiving: Tavon Austin* (787 yards)
Tackles: Terence Garvin* (76 tackles)
Sacks: Bruce Irvin* (14 sacks)
Interceptions: Keith Tandy* (6 interceptions)

Spring answers

1. Offensive firepower: Dana Holgorsen's arrival had an immediate effect on the Mountaineers' offense, as witnessed by the 800-plus yards and 87 points put up in the spring game. The offense wasn't quite that crisp the entire spring, but it's clear that West Virginia will be hard to stop in 2011. Quarterback Geno Smith showed no ill effects from his offseason foot surgery, and even without injured players like Shawne Alston, Brad Starks and Ryan Clarke, the offense found ways to move the ball in Holgorsen's schemes this spring.

2. Bruce Almighty: Of course, the offense was helped by the fact that the defense couldn't hit the quarterback. If it could, Bruce Irvin might have injured every signal-caller on the roster. Coming off a 14-sack season, Irvin spent more time in the backfield than most Mountaineer ball carriers this spring. He had an almost unfair advantage since both West Virginia starting tackles were out with injuries. But Irvin also showed he's ready to take on an every-down role this season, and that he's still one of the most fearsome pass-rushers in the country.

3. Urban renewal: Tight end Tyler Urban wondered what his role in the offense would be when Holgorsen brought his spread to town. Urban moved to the slot receiver position and shined there in the spring. He's a matchup nightmare for linebackers at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. The only note of caution: Urban has been hyped in the spring before and has usually become an afterthought by the fall. He and the Mountaineers hope that is different this year.

Fall questions

1. Replacing Neild: Finding someone to fill in for noseguard Chris Neild was one of the toughest jobs facing defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel this spring. Jorge Wright stepped forward and appeared to earn the starting job, but he was arrested on gun and marijuana charges just before the spring game. He has been suspended indefinitely, and though Bill Stewart has shown he will give guys second chances, no one really knows for sure when Wright will be back. That leaves the noseguard position in flux this summer, with Josh Taylor and incoming junior-college transfer Shaq Rowell the best available options.

2. The offensive line: Holgorsen may have one of the brightest offensive minds in the country, but it's hard to move the ball without a good offensive line no matter how smart you are. The Mountaineers didn't have either starting tackle this spring, and starting guard Josh Jenkins hurt his knee in the spring game and could miss significant time if it does not heal this summer. The O-line hasn't been dominant since the Rich Rodriguez era, and depth is lacking. West Virginia needs things to come together there by the fall to reach its full potential.

3. The kicking game: Veteran place-kicker Tyler Bitancurt had all kinds of problems this spring, missing field goal tries and having some blocked. While it's too early to panic over kicking, Bitancurt needs to figure out what's wrong or he'll be out of a job. One solution is to just score more touchdowns, but odds are at least one big game in 2011 will come down to a field goal. The Mountaineers also want to get more explosive in the kick-return game after not doing much there last year.

It's time to bring back our series looking at the biggest hope and biggest concern for each Big East team heading into the 2011 season. We'll do this in reverse alphabetical order, so things kick off with the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Biggest reason for hope: Dana Holgorsen

West Virginia ranked just fifth in the Big East in scoring at 25.2 points per game last season, and the team averaged a paltry 12 points per game in its four losses in 2010. It's hard to imagine a Holgorsen attack ever scoring fewer than 20 points, especially with the tools available to him this season. Quarterback Geno Smith is a year older, and his targets like Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Brad Starks should cause opponents fits. This isn't the Big 12 or Conference USA where defense often appears optional, so it will be interesting to see how Holgorsen's schemes work in the grind-it-out mentality of the Big East. But it seems like a foregone conclusion that the West Virginia offense will be much more explosive in 2011.

Biggest reason for concern: Young defense

Sing defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel's praises all you want, and he deserves almost every accolade. Still, there's no getting around the fact that this defense lost a whole lot of valuable players, including Chris Neild, Brandon Hogan, J.T. Thomas and Robert Sands. Only four starters return, and Casteel has made no secret of the fact that his 3-3-5 scheme works best when it's full of veterans who know it in and out like last season. There are questions at noseguard, linebacker and in the secondary, a particularly critical area for this defense. On the flip side, star players Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller return up front, while Keith Tandy developed into an all-league cornerback last year and safety Terence Garvin led the team in tackles. If this is West Virginia's biggest area of concern, and it's not something more crippling like a bad offensive line or turnovers or staff chemistry problems, then the Mountaineers should be a safe bet to win seven or eight games at the very least.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- On my trip to West Virginia last week, the one year that came up about as much as 2011 or 2010 was 2008.

That, of course, was Bill Stewart's first year as the head coach of the Mountaineers. And there are several similarities to the 2008 defense when it comes to this, Stewart's final season at the controls in Morgantown.

Like 2008, this 2011 club loses seven defensive starters off a senior-laden unit that was one of the best in the country the year before. West Virginia hopes the results are a little better.

To be sure, that 2008 defense was far from a disaster. It ended up leading the Big East in points allowed (17 per game), though it finished just sixth in total defense. The biggest issue came early on, when Stewart says the team wasn't experienced enough to throw out different looks in the first month against East Carolina and Colorado, both losses.

Jeff Casteel's 3-3-5 stack defense has proved to be very effective over the years, but it runs best when he has veterans who know the system in and out. Stewart talked all last preseason about how the 2010 team masked its coverages just like the 2007 Fiesta Bowl team. It did just that in producing one of the best defenses in the country.

"This year is a lot like '08," Stewart said. "You've got to be able to disguise in the 3-3-5. If you just set it, you're in trouble."

Why is the 3-3-5 so dependent on experience and movement? Stewart and Casteel have not divulged much about the specifics of the defense or how it works over the years. Unlike other successful systems, they don't share tips at coaches clinics or have other schools come in over the summer to study how they do things.

"And we don't really care to," Stewart said. "It's not advantageous for us. The system is unique in the way we run it."

Suffice it to say that the 3-3-5 can confuse opposing quarterbacks and offenses because of the different looks it presents. One of the three safeties can come from anywhere, as well as the linebackers. But that also means that everyone on the defense has to be on the same page at the same time -- "like puppets on a string," defensive end Bruce Irvin said.

"In a lot of ways, it's a benefit to us that not a lot of offenses are seeing it week in and week out," Casteel said. "Nobody really runs it. We have a belief in the way we do things."

Despite the loss of so many starters, the Mountaineers still boast a strong core to build around. There's Irvin, the Big East leader in sacks who will play a bigger role this year. There's defensive end Julian Miller, who slides over to Scooter Berry's slot to take on tight ends and down blockers. Cornerback Keith Tandy will look to continue his elevated play after grabbing six interceptions last year. Safety Terence Garvin quietly led the team in tackles last year, and Najee Goode was an underrated presence at linebacker.

Now it's about working in some of the new guys, such as junior-college transfer Josh Francis at linebacker.

"He doesn't know where he's going right now, but when he goes, he gets there awful fast," Stewart said. "I never see him not going 100 miles an hour. I hope he doesn't drive on the highway like he plays on the field, because it's full throttle. But I know one thing: when he comes off that edge, not many tackles or backs want to mess with him."

Stewart also called linebacker Doug Rigg "a rising superstar" because of his understanding of the game, which he compared to former standouts Reed Williams and Mortty Ivy.

The Mountaineers have a mountain of a challenge in replacing nose guard Chris Neild; they hope a combination of Jorge Wright, Josh Taylor and incoming junior college transfer Shaq Rowell can do the trick. And they have to find replacements for cornerback Brandon Hogan and safeties Robert Sands and Sidney Glover, two rocks in the back end of the 2010 defense.

"We have some kids who can really run back there," Casteel said. "They're just puppies right now."

How fast those puppies grow up could determine how much bite this West Virginia defense has. Or how much like 2008 it will really be.