Thursday Five Keys: USF at West Virginia

The Five Keys are back this week as we get ready for our Big East road opener Thursday night against West Virginia. 

1. Stop Noel Devine. I think that I can put this in all Five Keys and you all would nod in agreement. We all now how dangerous of a runner he is. We have had tremendous success in stopping him his first three years in Morgantown, and to have any shot in this game we need to contain him again. We need Craig Marshall, Terrell McClain, and the rest of our front four to get some penetration and stop the play before it has a chance to develop. Sam Barrington and DeDe Lattimore will be spying Devine most of the night, so its up to them to stop number 7. Since we are talking about Devine, let's throw up his North Fort Myers highlight film.

(via sauld420)

Yeah that scared me too. Let's move on.

2. Dominate the time of possession battle. As we discussed in our Monday Night Five podcast, West Virginia's 3-3-5 stack defense is vulnerable to a good power running game. I hope that Skip modifies the Florida gameplan and we take it straight at the Mountaineer front six. Mo Plancher, Demetris Murray if healthy, Bradley Battles, and our offensive line all need to have a great game for us to pull off the upset in Morgantown. I wouldn't mind even seeing Richard Kelly get a carry or two as well.

3. Win the special teams battle. Our special teams have been a strong point for the team this year, and that has to continue tonight. Justin Brockhaus-Kann needs to have another solid game by keeping WVU pinned deep. Maikon Bonani has to make his kicks when called upon, this season is one where we can not take any points away from a missed kick. Our kickoff and punt coverage teams need to stop Tayvon Austin and Jock Sanders from making a big play, and finally either Lindsey Lamar or Terrance Mitchell needs to have a huge return to quiet the crowd, which gets me to my next key.

4. Keep the crowd out of the game. I don't think that anyone will disagree with the fact that Milan-Puskar stadium is the most intimidating place to play in the Big East. Get a big play or two early, keep their offense from making a big play, and lull the crowd to sleep.

5. Keep Erin Andrews away from the game. Wait, Jenn Brown is going to be there? Perfect!