Week 4 Thursday Night Spotlight: West Virginia Vs. Colorado

Thursday September 18^th, 8:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
(21) West Virginia Mountaineers at Colorado Buffaloes

Last week, the Mountaineers and Pat White simply got it handed to them by Patrick Pinkney and the ECU Pirates, 23-3. It was a display that has come all too familiar for West Virginia football fans-their team failing to live up to their lofty preseason expectations. Their running back of a quarterback Pat White is surely one of the most overhyped players in college football. Don't get me wrong he's fun to watch run in the open field and he's ultra-elusive, but the guy simply cannot attack the football field through the air. He's a playmaker, but he will never be as good of a passer as he is a runner. West Virginia has to put passes in the playbook to try and keep defenses honest, but any good defensive coordinator with the right personnel will be able to shut White down(he only had 72 passing yards against ECU).

This Thursday night matchup should figure to be one of this weekend's most entertaining games. The biggest match-up to watch in this game will be whether or not West Virginia can run the ball against a stiff Colorado defense that has only allowed 59 yards per game over their first two contests. The Buffaloes' front seven features one of the most talented defensive linemen in college football, defensive tackle George Hypolite. He led the Buffaloes' defense last season with six sacks and I'd look for him to cause problems for Pat White and company. Look for him to get after the quarterback early and often. Another Colorado player you should watch for is linebacker Jeff Smart, who leads the team with 20 tackles this season. Defensive backs Ryan Walters and Cha'pelle Brown will roam the secondary for the Buffs. Brown led the Buffs defense in pass breakups last season.