ORLANDO, Fla. — Two ex-Big East cousins meet up at Camping World Stadium, and the Russell Athletic Bowl trophy isn’t necessarily biggest motivator. We’ll cover the relevant ground in today’s season-ending edition of Four-Down Territory:
1. What’s at stake?
No. 16 West Virginia (10-2), despite spending nearly three months in the rankings and contending for the Big 12 title until Thanksgiving week, still feels under-appreciated. By the College Football Playoff committee. By the national media. Even by the oddsmakers, who made four-loss Miami a three-point favorite.
Coach Dana Holgorsen said Tuesday he’ll remind his seniors “that nobody thought they were any good. This is their team, their legacy.”
The Hurricanes (8-4) haven’t gone nine years without a bowl victory since pre-Schnellenberger and are starving to reclaim the cache they lost under Randy Shannon and Al Golden. First-year coach Mark Richt could take a huge step toward restoration by nipping the bowl drought.
Apprised that the Canes hadn’t won a bowl since 2006, tight end David Njoku was stunned: “That doesn’t sound right — we are Miami. That is a big deal, and we are trying to change that this year.”
2. Rasul Douglas, second-team fumer
After producing what may have been the best all-around season of any cornerback in the nation, WVU’s Rasul Douglas was miffed about only being a second-team AP All-American.
“I shook my head. I thought I had a great chance of being first-team. Maybe I needed more stats, more picks,” Douglas said.
He tied for the FBS lead with eight interceptions while facing some of the top-ranked offenses in the country. He also registered a sack, a forced fumble and made 62 tackles as a constant in run support.
“I don’t know if they look at us being in the Big 12,” he said when asked about the league’s reputation for soft defenses. “I thought they look at stats and game film and what you actually produce, but I don’t know.”
Despite earning All-Big 12 honors and elevating himself in the eyes of NFL scouts, you get the sense Douglas wants a big-time bowl performance before proclaiming his senior season a success.
“The goals I wrote down, I kind of didn’t get to the goals. I wanted to be a Jim Thorpe winner, which I didn’t. I wanted to be first-team All-American, which I didn’t. I guess just playing at a high level, I accomplished that. Being a hard worker, staying coachable, I accomplished that. But the other goals I didn’t really accomplish.”
3. TightEndU’s next man up
Miami’s Njoku is following in the lineage of Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow, Jimmy Graham and Greg Olsen at TightEndU.
A red-zone force much of this season, Njoku tacked on game-buster touchdowns of 78 and 56 yards against Duke in the season finale. With 38 receptions for 654 yards and seven scores, he sports a 6-foot-4 frame and freakish leaping ability.
West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson asked his 5-11 outside linebackers Justin Arndt and David Long: “Which one of you two midgets is going to be able to cover him?”
Though the Mountaineers faced a pair of productive 6-foot-5 tight ends in Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews and Oklahoma State’s Blake Jarwin, neither compare’s to Njoku.
“He’s much more athletic than them,” Gibson said.
Still, despite the presence of the school’s all-time passing leader Brad Kaaya, freshman All-American receiver Ammon Richards and sophomore 1,065-yard rusher Mark Walton, Miami ranks only 52nd nationally in total offense (431 yards per game) and 95th in third-down conversions (37.1 percent).
“We’ve faced better offenses,” Gibson said.
But …
4. The Canes’ D can be nasty
Nasty as in 13th nationally in allowing 18.9 points per game, 28th in total defense (355 yards per game) 23rd in sacks and sixth in tackles for loss.
First-year coordinator Manny Diaz scripted a dramatic turnaround by developing a front seven that features four freshmen and no seniors. The secondary features some talented upperclassmen, including All-ACC cornerback Corn Elder.
“Miami is so good on defense. I don’t know if we will get a first down, let alone score a bunch of points,” joked Holgorsen.
Holgorsen obviously can’t expect quarterback Skyler Howard to put up Cactus Bowl-type numbers again, but it’s clear what the overachieving senior has meant to the offense.
“He is a competitor. It is important to him. He is 19-8 as a starting quarterback. There have been times where things haven’t gone his way. There have been times where I have been a little discouraged with him, but at the end of the day, it is about winning football games, and he understands how to do that.
“There weren’t too many quarterbacks across the country in the last two years that have been able to go through 12 game stretches without missing games. He has done that for two years in a row.”