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| | Sunday, September 3 Mountaineers searching for answers | |||||
| By Bill Doherty Special to ESPN.com West Virginia Mountaineers 1999 record: 4-7 (3-4 Big East) Coach: Don Nehlen Returning starters: 9 (5 offense, 4 defense) Outlook Not so good. Last season, Nehlen - who has won 142 games in 20 years in Morgantown - came under fire. Airplanes towing "Nehlen Must Go" signs flew over Mountaineer Field last fall as WVU suffered through a 4-7 season. This year, there are major questions at quarterback (where junior Brad Lewis takes over for the graduated Marc Bulger) and in the defensive backfield (where three starters must be replaced from a unit that was roasted for 218.4 yards per game last season). The good news? Tailback Avon Cobourne is back after leading the Big East in rushing (1,139 yards) last season. Keep an eye on ... Senior LB Chris Edmonds. A three-year starter, Edmonds is being moved from strong side linebacker to a rush linebacker/defensive end spot. It's hoped that with his great speed, the 6-3, 240-pound Edmonds will wreak havoc off the edge, much like Corey Moore did at Virginia Tech the past two seasons. It's a good season if ... Nehlen can find some answers on defense, particularly in his rebuilt secondary. Junior free safety Rick Sherrod is the only experienced hand back there and he only started three games last season. Suffice it to say, Nehlen's all-new last line of defense will be tested each and every week. Bill Doherty covers Big East football for ESPN.com |
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