Wednesday, September 11, 2002
West Virginia wary of Guidugli
The Associated Press
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It's just what West Virginia doesn't want — another opposing quarterback with the ability to score points quickly.
The Mountaineers saw that Saturday when Wisconsin ran off 27 points in the second quarter behind Brooks Bollinger and backup Jim Sorgi.
This week, West Virginia (1-1) heads to Cincinnati (1-0) to take on Gino Guidugli.
The sophomore overcame four interceptions to lead the Bearcats back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 36-29 overtime victory over Texas Christian.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is overlooking Guidugli's mistakes and focusing on his leadership.
“You see the guy that led them to the comeback,” Rodriguez said Tuesday. “In the first game, there's some kinks to work out and get in the rhythm. That was the case with him.
“In the second half, he just took them right down the field. It was an impressive show. He's the centerpiece of their offense.”
It wasn't anything new for Guidugli, who led three fourth-quarter comebacks last season as a true freshman, twice pulling out wins in the final seconds.
Rodriguez wants the Mountaineers to counter with their own fireworks, something that was missing in a 34-17 loss at Wisconsin.
“We have to hit some big plays when the opportunity's there,” he said.
That means getting a long runback on special teams, doing a better job of rushing the passer and creating turnovers.
He also would like to see some continuity with the running game.
Avon Cobourne, seeking to become just the fifth Division I-A running back to have 1,000 yards in each of their four seasons, was held to 40 yards on 17 carries until he broke a 39-yarder with 1:20 left.
No other running back had more than 4 yards rushing against Wisconsin. Quarterback Rasheed Marshall had 76 yards on 18 carries.
“I don't think we're that far off in our run game,” Rodriguez said. “We have enough positive signs there that we can keep working on that and at least establish some tempo and rhythm on offense.
“That's the key for us, to get into some rhythm.”
The Mountaineers had the momentum in a 56-7 opening victory at home against Division I-AA Tennessee-Chattanooga. Against Wisconsin on the road, it was the opposite.
“On the road, it's a little more difficult,” Rodriguez said. “You usually get momentum by scoring touchdowns or getting a big play. If you can get two or three in a row, then all of a sudden you take their crowd out of the game and your kids get some confidence.
“The biggest momentum changers are turnovers on defense, a big play on special teams and a big play or two on offense. You hit one pass play for 60 yards, those are momentum changers. That's the thing we weren't able to do at all last weekend. It's something we've got to be able to do to win this one.”
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 West Virginia wary of Guidugli
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