White, Slaton show their stuff
WVU duo dazzled in romp over Western Michigan
MORGANTOWN - Sometimes it takes a fairly detached point of view to quantify what you may have begun to take for granted.
Take the nearly immeasurable talents of Patrick White and Steve Slaton, for instance. After watching them shred defenses for almost two years now, their performances have become expected, almost an afterthought.
What the two did in No. 3 West Virginia's 62-24 win over Western Michigan Saturday, though, was no afterthought to Broncos coach Bill Cubit.
In fact, it was right out of one of his recurring nightmares leading up to the game.
"We're going to face those types of offenses, but we're not going to face those type of kids, which is encouraging," Cubit said. "What I saw out there was kind of like my fear the last two weeks of practice."
As West Virginia begins preparing for Saturday's game at Marshall, White and Steve Slaton put everyone on notice that perhaps the best is yet to come from these two Heisman Trophy contenders. Each has had better statistics at times in the past two seasons, but it is both their collective and individual versatility that has perhaps risen to a new level.
White showed the same kind of electrifying running moves and has now added an even better touch to his passing and a deeper understanding of the West Virginia offense. The junior quarterback gained 97 yards on just nine carries and completed his first five passes for 151 yards. In all he ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more.
And Steve Slaton, healthy for the first time in more than a year after wrist surgery in January, may have struggled early, but not only wound up with 109 rushing yards on 16 carries, he also caught two passes for 61 more yards. He ran for three touchdowns and caught a fourth.
"They are so competitive that you kind of expect them to do something. But we're around them so much they don't surprise us," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said Sunday. "Sometimes they make mistakes, but Steve is healthy now and Pat continues to grow each and every day."
White was particularly impressive with his passing and his command of the offense, but it was one of his old tricks that just about everyone talked about afterward. His 38-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter was classic White. It began almost as a busted play when he kept the ball and the hole that was supposed to be in front of him wasn't there.
See more
at www.wvgazette.com
