Andrew J. Beckner
Charleston, WV Daily Mail Sportswriter

Wednesday April 05, 2006

The ramblin' man returns:

Guess how many times John Beilein was asked, prior to the just-completed basketball season, how his team would handle changing its mindset from an underdog to a legitimate national contender?

One hundred? Oh, way more than that.

One thousand? That's probably more like it.

Now, it's Rich Rodriguez's turn. There are parallels between Beilein's Elite Eight squad in 2005 and Rodriguez's Sugar Bowl champs of a year ago. Namely, no one expected them to do what they did.

Of course, Beilein's boys backed it up with a strong Sweet 16 appearance. The big question surrounding Rodriguez's roster is whether it can do the same.

The football team will have a decidedly harder time. That's partly because Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey, the returning catalysts of that Elite Eight team, were both seniors, as were five of WVU's top six players.

Rodriguez, by contrast, will rely on the arm of sophomore Pat White and the feet of sophomore Steve Slaton, both of whom were flying so far below the radar heading into last season that they were as invisible as a Stealth bomber.

Rodriguez was touting the "stay humble, stay hungry" theme hours after the Mountaineers had polished off Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and for good reason.

Other than center Dan Mozes, there isn't a lot of senior leadership on this team, and that has to be a concern.

"Wait, there weren't a lot of seniors last year, either," you say.

That's true. But Mike Lorello and Jahmile Addae were both exceptional in their leadership roles a year ago, and both of those guys are gone.

Oh, this team is certainly capable of getting the "Eye of the Tiger" back.

For all his short answers in the media room, White is pretty doggone vocal out on the field. He shouldn't have any trouble commanding his team's attention and respect.

Still, it's going to be interesting to see how White and Slaton both handle their newfound roles as Mountaineer superstars -- and how West Virginia will handle its role as a national championship hopeful.

http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/200604056/

Bitcruncher - What happens to Bednarik?

If they aren't hungry right now - it will be tough to get it back.

Adam Bednarik is relegated to the backup QB slot. If his shoulder is up to snuff, that is. He has resigned himself to this role, and plans to do whatever he can to help the Mountaineers be the best team in the country. If that means sending the plays in from the sidelines and being ready to go at a moments notice, so be it. It's the same kind of commitment that helped his Uncle, Concrete Charlie, play both ways in the NFL. The last man to do so. That kind of spirit will find a place, no matter the circumstance. We need more Bednariks. Unfortunately, they are few and far between.