By MIKE CASAZZA
Charleston Gazette-Mail
ORLANDO, Florida — The first place Tony Gibson’s mind raced to upon learning West Virginia would be facing Miami in Wednesday’s Russell Athletic Bowl was the identity of the offensive coordinator.
(File photo)
“Where,” Gibson wondered, “do I know that name from?”
Brown was Georgia’s leading rusher in 2005, and Gibson was the defensive backs coach for the Mountaineers when they beat the Bulldogs in the 2006 Sugar Bowl. So Gibson found a copy of that game and decided to review it. The technology back then was not what it is now, and to Gibson it seemed like an old Western he might have watched on television when he was a kid.
But the content?
“What’s crazy is if you throw on the old Georgia film and you throw on this film, it’s very similar,” Gibson said.
Those Bulldogs were coached by Mark Richt. He’s in his first season as the head coach at Miami, which is his alma mater. Brown was a star pupil more than a decade ago and he’s a protege now.
“We’ve changed a little bit on offense, but we are similar in some areas from back in the day,” said Brown, who replaced JaJuan Seider as Marshall’s running backs coach when Seider left the Thundering Herd for WVU in 2013. “I look at their defense and there are definitely some similarities that I remember. There’s definitely the same versatility as before.”
How well one knows the other and what that meant for postseason preparations is a key to the 5:30 p.m. ESPN game at Camping World Stadium. The Mountaineers (10-2) have five 11-win seasons in 125 years of football, and the Sugar Bowl win capped the first of three in a row. The Hurricanes (8-4) have lost six straight bowl games and haven’t won one since 2006.
“This is probably the most balanced team we’ve played all year long,” Gibson said. “They can run the ball, so you have to get some help down in the box, but when you do that, they have some guys on the perimeter who can hurt you with the big play.”
In 2006, WVU triumphed despite allowing 501 yards of offense, but a 28-0 lead in the first half proved critical.
“That was tough,” said Brown, who had 81 of Georgia’s 224 yards rushing. “We underestimated West Virginia at that time, and I think some guys were overlooking them. That won’t happen again, but they were a really well-coached and talented team. Pat White and Steve Slaton had breakout national games.”
The Mountaineers forced and recovered two early fumbles and scored touchdowns after each to take their lead. They’d force and recover three fumbles in the game, which is the same number of fumbles the Hurricanes have lost this season. Only two teams across the country have lost fewer fumbles, and only three teams have committed fewer than Miami’s 10 turnovers.
WVU ranks No. 20 in forced fumbles (11) and No. 17 in forced turnovers (25).
“(Brown) was very tough and ran hard, and when you watched him play and you turn on Miami now, you can see what they’re doing with their running backs,” Gibson said. “You’re talking about a team that turned the ball over 10 times all year. You watch the ball security with these guys when they run and how they hold the ball and you go back and watch how he played, he did it, and it looks very familiar now. He’s making his mark on their offense.”
The Hurricanes rank No. 52 nationally in yards per game (431.2) and No. 36 in points per game (34.6). They started 4-0, lost four in a row and have won their past four games. They averaged 47 points in the first four games and 18.8 points in the losing streak and are averaging 38 points in the current winning streak. They averaged 474.3 yards in the first four games and 327.5 yards in the middle four games and average 491.8 in the past four.
“You always watch film and see what could have been,” Richt said. “I think, when you’re a coach, you are probably more critical than anybody. So were we perfect by any means? No. But I think as the season went on, I did a better job of really understanding our personnel and the things that they could do and tried to get the playmakers in position to make plays.
“Overall, it was solid. Not spectacular, in my opinion. I think the best is yet to come, but it was a good start.”
The Mountaineers held seven of their nine Big 12 opponents and nine of 12 overall to 21 or fewer points. Their two losses came when they allowed their two highest point totals — 56 to Oklahoma and 37 to Oklahoma State, although turnovers by the offense contributed to both totals.
Gibson seeks to stop Miami’s running game, which averages 33.4 carries, 157.7 yards and two touchdowns per game. From there, WVU will use its unique 3-3-5 alignment to take aim at quarterback Brad Kaaya and use pressure to move him off his spots and keep him from being comfortable in the pocket.
“They didn’t do as much Cover Zero and all the blitzing before that they do now, and that can give you issues with the run game and from a protection standpoint,” Brown said. “We’ve faced some odd front teams, but a lot of those base defenses don’t move their guys around as much and are limited with their fronts and with their coverages.
“When you have the five defensive backs on the field, they can bring the pressure from everywhere and play coverage behind it.”
See more on WVU at the Russell Athletic Bowl at the Charleston Gazette-Mail