Defense comes up big for Mountaineers

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/05/2010 -

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -West Virginia is accustomed to scoring in bunches. What stood out after the season opener was an effort unseen from its defense in quite some time.

The Mountaineers earned their first home shutout win in 13 years on Saturday, giving up just 186 yards in a 31-0 victory over Coastal Carolina.

``Having a shutout is huge for this defense,'' senior defensive lineman Chris Neild said. ``This is the first shutout that I've been a part of since I've been playing here. We knew that we had to come out fast and make a statement and I think we did with this game.''

The Mountaineers returned nine starters on defense this season, led by a three-man front consisting of Neild, Julian Miller and Scooter Berry, so the result against an FCS opponent wasn't too surprising.

West Virginia also rolled out a new defensive formation with four linemen on passing downs that included junior college transfer Bruce Irvin. Coastal Carolina quarterback Zach MacDowall hurried many of his passes and often threw to spots where he didn't have any receivers.

``We put so much pressure on that quarterback on third down that he had a hard time releasing the ball,'' said West Virginia safeties coach Steve Dunlap. ``If we can continue to do that, it makes the secondary coaches look awfully smart.''

The pursuit to the ball also showed on running downs.

West Virginia was maligned for allowing six 100-yard individual rushing efforts last season, but eight different Coastal Carolina players combined for just 63 yards.

Safety Terence Garvin, a new starter, had 10 tackles to match his total for all of last season.

``We were flying around out there and I thought we looked real fast,'' Neild said.

Maybe not fast enough at times. The Mountaineers were unable to register any sacks and forced only two turnovers. They'll get the chance to improve on that Friday night at Marshall (0-1).

``I'm pleased with the way our defense played, reacted and took control of the game,'' said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart. ``The most important thing is that we played with reckless abandonment. There were collisions and not just contact.''

Some of the collisions came at a cost. Safety Robert Sands, the Big East's interception leader last season, hurt a thumb and his right shoulder on consecutive plays in the third quarter. His status for Friday's game wasn't immediately determined.

West Virginia earned its first shutout since a 38-0 win at Cincinnati in 2005 and its first home shutout win since beating Rutgers 48-0 in 1997.

The defense might be counted on for more such efforts until the offense can put together a complete game.

West Virginia led only 10-0 at halftime but scored on three of its first four drives of the second half. Geno Smith, making his first career start, completed 20 of 27 passes for 216 yards before taking a seat early in the fourth.

``I don't want to make excuses for Geno, but this was his first complete game and he's a sophomore,'' Stewart said. ``He'll get better and he's my guy.''

Noel Devine rushed for 111 yards, but the largest chunk of his yards came on a 39-yard run late in the game to set up West Virginia's final touchdown.

West Virginia has been looking for another offensive weapon to emerge to help out Devine and slot receiver Jock Sanders and the Mountaineers may have found that in sophomore Tavon Austin.

Austin, hoping to become more than just a return specialist for the Mountaineers, showed his speed at wide receiver against the Chanticleers, coming up with two nice runs after catches. He led the team with 90 yards on five receptions.

``The object was to get the ball in our playmakers' hands and I think that's something that we did today,'' Smith said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Ccasion NCAA Football Betting News

<< Veteran coach Jack Crowe leads JSU to huge victory
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -Jack Crowe has been coaching football for 40 years, but even he was at a loss to describe how Jacksonville State pulled off the unthinkable with a 49-48 double-overtime victory over Mississippi on Saturday.Not only was it undoubt

<< With Hampton out, Robinson shines for No. 9 Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -The anticipation for Iowa sophomore running back Jewel Hampton's return from knee surgery and a one-game suspension has reached a fevered pitch in Iowa City.Meanwhile, Adam Robinson keeps moving the chains.Robinson, an unherald

<< No. 5 Texas' new running game unimpressive
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -Texas spent the offseason loading up a new power running game that was going to get tough yards and first downs when they need it.The Longhorns still have some work to do.By the numbers, Texas was able to grind out 197 yards on 4

<< Bomar, Pascoe among 7 on Giants practice squad
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Quarterback Rhett Bomar is back with the New York Giants.Bomar, who threw more passes than any other Giant this preseason, was among seven players signed to the team's practice squad on Sunday.The Giants say they also si

<< Smyth wins Senior Masters by three
Woburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ireland's Des Smyth posted a three-under 69 Sunday to win the Travis Perkins Senior Masters by three strokes. Smyth finished the event at 10-under-par 206. The victory was Smyth's third on the European Seni

Clijsters, Venus roll into quarterfinals in New York >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams each recorded straight-set victories in fourth-round play Sunday at the 2010 U.S. Open. Clijsters needed just 59 minutes to post a 6-2 ,6-1

Verdasco moves on to fourth round at U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Verdasco was a third-round winner Sunday at the U.S. Open. The eighth-seeded Spaniard dispatched Argentina's David Nalbandian 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Verdasco was a quarter-finalist here l

Frogs overcome Fiesta flashback to beat Oregon St. >>
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -Andy Dalton and the TCU Horned Frogs can now start looking forward to trying to make another BCS run.The sixth-ranked Frogs survived a tough opening test, beating No. 24 Oregon State 30-21 Saturday night in their first game si

Nats recall P Balester >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals recalled right- hander Collin Balester from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. It's the third callup this season for Balester, and over six appearances in the 2010 campaign, he is 0

Cousins' hit lifts Marlins over Braves in extras >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Cousins' pinch-hit single -- his first big league hit -- in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Emilio Bonifacio, as the Florida Marlins got by the Atlanta Braves, 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-g

MySportsbook.com is operated by Sportingbet, a UK gambling company which is publicly traded on the AIM on the London Stock Exchange.

Sportingbet easily forms the world's largest Internet gaming company, with a truly global outreach. This also provides added transparency and accountability to this online Sportsbook and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. MySportsbook offers betting lines on all major sporting events. Our staff of almost 400 people includes clerks ready 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to care for your needs.

MySportsbook's competent, experienced managerial staff and personnel are backed by a state-of-the art sports wagering software.

We offer a 15% sign-up bonus to new customers who use Neteller for deposit and 10% bonus for all other deposit methods. Casino clients can take advantage of a 5% cash back monthly. Clients are also eligible for a 5% re-up bonus on subsequent deposits and 10% cash back on NFL losses.* Our instant-play flash casino is no-download, just click and go to a wide range of games including online Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, Craps, Baccarat, Roulette and Pai-Gow Poker, as well as a variety of slots and video poker games for the complete online casino Las Vegas experience.

My Sports book accepts all credit cards, online checks, Neteller, Firepay and bank wires. MySportsbook guarantees prompt, hassle-free payouts, as well as unparalleled individual attention from its acclaimed customer service department.

To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.