Doubt and skepticism from naysayers can be used as motivation to do what some believe you can’t possibly pull off. There may be no greater satisfaction in life than achieving something, surviving and persevering through adversity, all with a smile on your face because only you who knew what you were capable of.
WVU running back Noel Devine fits the aforementioned scenario quite well. He’s overcome more obstacles on and off the field than most ever have to endure. And he has done so, in most instances, with a smile on his face.
“It’s good starting as the underdog," Devine said, "and hopefully finishing at the top."
This year, WVU, along with the seven other Big East football schools, have more than their share of critics. Not a single Big East team is ranked in the preseason top 25 polls. The conference has lost its long-time ties with both the Gator and Sun bowls, not to mention is being called out by some to seize its auto-bid to a BCS bowl.
Those facts, however, don’t put any pressure on at least one Mountaineer.
“There’s no pressure on us,” Devine said. “I think we like it because once you’re at the top, everybody is aiming to beat you.”
The last time WVU was unranked in both major preseason polls was in 2005. By the end of the year, perceptions about the Mountaineers had completely turned around. That year, WVU went on to win the Big East championship, captured a program-changing Sugar Bowl win over favored SEC champion Georgia, finished the season 11-1 and earned a No. 5/6 final ranking in the AP and USA Today/Coaches polls.
A word of to the wise who are ready to point fingers at WVU, the Big East or even Devine – when asked if where experts and analysts have ranked the Mountaineers is a motivational tool, Devine, charismatically smiling, confirmed it was.
“A lot, a lot. Got to be the underdog," he said.
It still remains to be seen how explosive WVU’s offense can be. It still remains to be seen how stifling the veteran defense can be. However, it may be risky to press the buttons of a running back who has totaled more than 2,700 offensive yards and 10 touchdowns in just two seasons.
“We’ve got one of the better backs in the country,” offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen said of Devine, who often draws comparisons to NFL legend Barry Sanders.
It is well-known what WVU did to overwhelmingly-favored Oklahoma in the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, but to jog the memory of those who may have forgotten, the Mountaineers drubbed the Sooners, 48-28, when Bill Stewart still had the interim coach tag attached to the beginning of his title. In that win, one where 84 percent of America voted against WVU in an ESPN pregame poll, Devine stepped up when all-American running back Steve Slaton went down with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
Then a freshman, Devine exposed the OU defense, gashing the Sooners for 108 yards and two touchdowns, from just 13 carries, and had a thrilling 65-yard rushing score where he blew by half of the OU pursuers in the fourth quarter.
But Devine isn’t the only underdog on WVU’s roster.
Quarterback Jarrett Brown fits the underdog role as well. He waited while Patrick White broke more records than I can count on both hands and in 2009, it’s Brown’s turn to shine.
He became known to Mountaineers fans for his role against Rutgers, back in 2006. RU was just a win away from capturing their first-ever Big East title and BCS bowl birth. White was unable to go and Brown was thrust into the starting lineup just before kickoff.
“We did not know until we came out [that] Patrick couldn’t go,” said Stewart, who was at that time a quarterbacks coach. Stewart went over to Brown and told him, “Big fella, you’re going.”
“That’s probably the hardest game I ever coached in my life.”
Brown made the most of his opportunity and performed admirably in front of the national TV spotlight. He posted 284 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, helping WVU sneak out a 41-39 triple overtime thrilling win.
Brown has made his career at WVU on doing the unexpected – he even played a season for Bob Huggins’ basketball team.
Flash forward to this season. “We might sneak up on you,” Brown said. “I think we’re underrated.”
Only one starter returns on WVU’s offensive line, which has been a part of the team that’s being targeted as a major question going into the season. Fittingly, Devine said the line is progressing well and should be fine. If that proves to be true, they may turn some heads this season, along with the rest of the team.
“They are my boys,” Devine said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be part of who I am.”
Odd years have been good to the Mountaineers. The team won the Big East championship in 1993, 2003, 2004 (only even instance), 2005 and 2007. Time will only tell if the there is something to the trend. Like Stewart, an underdog coach in his own right, so often says, this team will let its pads do the talking.
Devine voiced a similar opinion.
“We’re going to go out and show people what we are capable of doing.”