2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
Encyclopedia
The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers
football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez
until he announced on December 16, 2007 that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines
. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement, with Assistant Head Coach Bill Stewart
serving as interim head coach. Stewart was then named Head Coach on January 3, 2008, after leading the Mountaineers to victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia plays their home games at the Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia
.
West Virginia unveiled a new gold uniform with blue stripes design for the season. The tops have been featured with both blue and gold bottoms. The uniform is currently being featured as the alternate home uniform. Running back Steve Slaton
sported the uniform when he attended the 2007 Playboy All-American
honoring at the Playboy Mansion
at the beginning of the preseason wearing it with white bottoms.
The major goals of spring practice were to improve the defense, find a solid backup for running back Steve Slaton
, and work out the inexperienced class of receivers. The Mountaineers also needed to replace the center position, where All-American Dan Mozes
left as a senior, and the guard position.
created some controversy when he reported to the news that he had chosen West Virginia over Alabama
. But on National Signing Day, Devine never signed his letter of intent, saying that after having a talk with mentor Deion Sanders
, he decided to wait to see his SAT
scores. He was most likely going to pursue a prep school
season, then return to the recruiting scene for 2008. Noel then received word he had passed his tests, and so signed his LOI to attend WVU. In the preseason, Devine was named one of the top 10 impact freshman for 2007. An additional recruit, LB
Pat Lazear, was signed on February 16, 2007.
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
until he announced on December 16, 2007 that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement, with Assistant Head Coach Bill Stewart
Bill Stewart (football coach)
Bill "Stew" Stewart is an American football coach. He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007. After leading the Mountaineers to a 48–28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, he was formally...
serving as interim head coach. Stewart was then named Head Coach on January 3, 2008, after leading the Mountaineers to victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia plays their home games at the Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
.
New uniforms
tWest Virginia unveiled a new gold uniform with blue stripes design for the season. The tops have been featured with both blue and gold bottoms. The uniform is currently being featured as the alternate home uniform. Running back Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
sported the uniform when he attended the 2007 Playboy All-American
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
honoring at the Playboy Mansion
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion is the home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Located in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, the mansion became famous during the 1970s through media reports of Hefner's lavish parties.-History:The house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style...
at the beginning of the preseason wearing it with white bottoms.
Spring practice
West Virginia started spring practice on March 5. Mountaineer fans got an opportunity to get a first look at the 2007 football team during the annual Gold-Blue Game, which was held at Mountaineer Field on Saturday, April 7 at 12:30 PM. The offense won the contest 58–30, with the only touchdown being a 46-yard pass from Adam Bednarik to Wes Lyons. Backup running back Eddie Davis produced the most impressive performance.The major goals of spring practice were to improve the defense, find a solid backup for running back Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, and work out the inexperienced class of receivers. The Mountaineers also needed to replace the center position, where All-American Dan Mozes
Dan Mozes
Daniel Mozes is an American football Center who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was unselected in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
left as a senior, and the guard position.
Recruiting class
The Mountaineers received 25 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 7, 2007. Florida all-purpose back Noel DevineNoel Devine
Noel Devine is an American football running back for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and was released four days later after leaving the squad. He played college football at West Virginia.He had a...
created some controversy when he reported to the news that he had chosen West Virginia over Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. But on National Signing Day, Devine never signed his letter of intent, saying that after having a talk with mentor Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
, he decided to wait to see his SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores. He was most likely going to pursue a prep school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
season, then return to the recruiting scene for 2008. Noel then received word he had passed his tests, and so signed his LOI to attend WVU. In the preseason, Devine was named one of the top 10 impact freshman for 2007. An additional recruit, LB
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Pat Lazear, was signed on February 16, 2007.
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 6 |
| Coaches | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 6 |
| Harris | Not released | 5 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | |||||
| BCS | Not released | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 9 | ||||||||