10.11.06

UC faces tall task against Shepherd
Oct. 11, 2006

By Andrew Beckner
Charleston Daily Mail

Tony DeMeo was joking, but even in jest you can make a point.
"The only thing I see they're missing is a backup holder," DeMeo said.
Yeah, well, there's the problem when facing Shepherd, the class of the West Virginia Conference.
The Rams look well on their way toward repeating as league champions, heading into their game against DeMeo's University of Charleston Eagles at 1 p.m. Saturday at UC Stadium.

"This is definitely the biggest game of the season," said UC senior tailback Blake Burr. "This is our championship, right now."

Shepherd was a Division II playoff team a year ago and is ranked No. 7 in the country. In the Northeast Region, the Rams are No. 1.

That's why it's a little silly to be asking the UC football team if this is the most important game of the league year.

But they answer anyway.
"Yeah, there's no question this is a big game for us," said Golden Eagle senior quarterback Corey Isner. "Anytime you are playing the No. 1 team in your conference, it's a big deal."

Looking for a key to this game? It might be Isner, the former Ripley standout.
He's had some ups and downs during UC's 4-3 season (3-1 WVC), but he's hitting his stride.
Case in point? He torched Concord last week on the road, passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles won that pivotal game, 28-18, and Isner shared the WVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week award with West Virginia State's Reginald Robinson.

Of course, that was last week and the Rams are a whole different animal.
That's going past the literal. Ask what Isner and senior tailback Blake Burr see in Shepherd and they're quick to point out that the Rams flirt with perfection.

"They are real disciplined," Isner said. "They don't make a lot of mistakes out there. It just doesn't happen."
And if you make errors yourself? Shepherd capitalizes.
"Most of the games they won they capitalized off the other team's turnovers," Burr said.
He has done his homework. Shepherd is No. 1 in the league in turnover margin, part of the reason the Rams are holding their opponents to 2.6 points per game.

That's not a typo. Shepherd has given up 13 points in a 5-0 (2-0 WVC) start.
That brings us back to Isner. He was incredibly efficient during UC's golden turnaround from a year ago, but he has thrown some uncharacteristic interceptions this year. He has been picked off six times, compared to nine touchdown passes.

That won't fly in the face of Shepherd's Dan Peters, an All-American candidate at cornerback who led Division II with 12 interceptions last season and has five this year.

UC ranks near the bottom of the league in turnover margin, giving it up 17 times this season.
"You have to know where he is all the time," Isner said. "It makes for a good challenge."
Burr has spent his fair share of time watching Shepherd film and has noticed the Rams are adept at controlling the ebb and flow of a game. Forcing turnovers is obviously a key part of that.

"They score a lot off those turnovers," Burr said, "and that gives them momentum and they take it and run with it."
Interesting choice of words there. Because another challenge for Burr is matching the production of Shepherd's star running back, junior Dervon Wallace. He's the cream of the league crop when it comes to rushing yards and touchdowns, turning out 130 yards per game while scoring nine rushing touchdowns.

Still, Burr thinks he and freshman tailback Josh Culbertson - former Nitro High star match up well, especially considering UC's playing surface.

Shepherd plays on natural grass and during UC's 27-0 loss up there a year ago, Burr said the field was in bad shape after recent rains. Put both teams on UC's turf and Burr thinks the Golden Eagles can match speed for speed.

"We're nowhere near being intimated," Burr said. "We go into the game feeling we have the upper hand. We can't wait to get it on."