Texas-sized showdown

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest sounded even more unhappy about his unit’s poor performance in the 70-63 win against Baylor than Mountaineer fans. So much so, he assumed some of the blame himself and vowed that some changes in personnel are probable before Saturday’s Big 12 game at Texas (4-0). DeForest admitted that defense was bad for both teams in the greatest high-scoring shootout in WVU (4-0) history. “I did a poor job of preparing them,” he stated. “I did a poor job of calling the game. We’ve got to make some personnel changes. “We’ve got to do a better job of making better calls. We’ve got to do a better job of tacking. We’ve got to do a better job of attacking the ball. “The bottom line is they executed better than we did. We did play some good defense at times and then gave up. “We have to adjust and will before Saturday.” Baylor (3-1) managed 34 first downs, 92 offensive plays, and 700 yards in total offense. The Bears averaged 7.6 yards per play. The Bears’ 67-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the second quarter was a major concern. That tied the score at 35-all. Young players in the West Virginia secondary were cited as the main reason. WVU allowed 700 yards of total offense against Baylor and now has to attempt to slow down Longhorns quarterback David Ash, who ranks second only to Geno Smith nationally in pass efficiency. Ash threw for 304 yards against the Cowboys on Saturday, making him just the fourth signal caller in Texas history to post back-to-back 300-yard games. The Mountaineers are No. 106th in total defense through four games. Texas has been installed as a seven-point favorite. Texas edged Oklahoma State 41-36 on Saturday. n n n Geno Smith certainly has the numbers, a third of the way through this season, to be considered the top Heisman Trophy contender. West Virginia’s incredible senior quarterback is No. 1 in the nation in passing yards per game (432), touchdowns (20), and completions percentage (83.4). What’s more, Smith has not interceptions. In the 70-63 win against Baylor, he also set single-game WVU records with 45 completions, 51 attempts, 656 yards and eight touchdowns. Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are also building records as the top two receivers. Both are solid leaders in receiving yardage per game and in touchdowns. But Smith, Austin, and Bailey all are handling their accolades very well. They insist that they are only interest in team victories. The ultimate goals are a Big 12 Championship and a National title. Begin forwarded message: 0000,0000,0000From: Mickey Furfari < 0000,0000,0000Date: October 1, 2012 2:18:38 PM EDT 0000,0000,0000To: "gfauber@register-herald.com" <, dan stillwell <, cam <, Butch Antolini <, dawn dayton < 0000,0000,0000Subject: Furfari Column for Tuesday, Oct. 2 0000,0000,0000Reply-To: Mickey Furfari < ArialFurfari Column for Tuesday, Oct. 2 ArialDeForest talks about WVU defense ArialBy Mickey Furfari Arial MORGANTOWN – West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest sounded even more unhappy about his unit’s poor performance in the 70-63 win against Baylor than Mountaineer fans. Arial So much so, he assumed some of the blame himself and vowed that some changes in personnel are probably before Saturday’s Big 12 game at Texas (4-0). Arial DeForest admitted that defense was bad for both teams in the greatest high-scoring shootout in WVU (4-0) history. Arial “I did a poor job of preparing them,” he stated. “I did a poor job of calling the game. We’ve got to make some personnel changes. Arial “We’ve got to do a better job of making better calls. We’ve got to do a better job of tacking. We’ve got to do a better job of attacking the ball. Arial “The bottom line is they executed better than we did. We did play some good defense at times and then give up.” Arial “We have to adjust and will before Saturday,” Deforest said. Arial Baylor (3-1) managed 34 first downs, 92 offensive plays, and 700 yards in total offense. The Bears averaged 7.6 yards per play. Arial The Bears’ 67-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the second quarter was a major concern. That tied the score at 35-all. Young players in the WVU secondary were cited as the reason. = Arial*** Arial West Virginia has moved up one notch to No. 8 in this week’s rankings by The Associated Press. Arial Texas, which hosts the Mountaineers Saturday night in Austin, is ranked No. 11. The Longhorns (4-0) edged Oklahoma State 41-36 on Saturday. Arial Texas has been installed as a seven-point favorite against WVU. = Arial*** Arial Geno Smith certainly has the numbers, a third of the way through this season, to be considered the top Heisman Trophy contender. Arial West Virginia’s incredible senior quarterback is No. 1 in the nation in passing yards per game (432), touchdowns (20), and completions percentage (83.4). Arial What’s more, Smith has not interceptions. Arial In the 70-63 win against Baylor, he also set single-game WVU records with 45 completions, 51 attempts, 656 yards and eight touchdowns. Arial Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are also building records as the top two receivers. Both are solid leaders in receiving yardage per game and in touchdowns. Arial But Smith, Austin, and Bailey all are handling their accolades very well. They insist that they are only interest in team victories. Arial The ultimate goals are a Big 12 Championship and a National title.