[superjames1992]

Jim Sorgi's Four Picks Sink Badgers

MORGANTOWN, WV - Jim Sorgi threw four interceptions, two of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Wisconsin Badgers (0-1) fell on the road to the West Virginia Mountaineers (1-0) this evening in both teams' season-openers, 17-7.

Sorgi passed for just 67 yards to go along with his four interceptions, and completed just four of his 22 pass attempts. His 7.4 QB rating certainly provides ample evidence this is a game he'd like to forget.

The No. 25-ranked Badgers did have a lot more success on the ground with Anthony Davis, who rushed for 112 yards on 19 carries, but the Wisconsin passing attack was ultimately too inept for it to matter much as Wisconsin only punched the ball into the end zone once all game.

Rasheed Marshall was effective for West Virginia, completing 12/19 passes for 179 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, both of which came in the first half. He also added 49 rushing yards on 10 carries. The Mountaineers used a platoon of running backs as starter Quincy Wilson rushed for 57 yards on 18 carries and Kay Jay Harris added 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

Aaron Neal caught Rasheed Marshall's only touchdown pass and caught four passes for 61 yards.

West Virginia got on the board first with a score from seven yards out in the first quarter as Marshall hooked up with Neal for the game's first score. Wisconsin knotted it up at 7 apiece with 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter in what would ultimately prove to be the final score of the half.

West Virginia finally took the lead for good with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter as Kay Jay Harris rumbled into the end zone from a yard out to push WVU up 14-7 and Brad Cooper added a field goal in the waning seconds as an insurance policy to make it 17-7. Cooper had missed a chip shot a few minutes earlier in the quarter after Rasheed Marshall missed a wide open Tory Johnson in the back of the end zone that would've put the Mountaineers up by 14.

West Virginia outgained Wisconsin 359-222 and won the turnover battle 4-2.

"I was disappointed with how we played offensively," remarked West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez. "We moved the ball well enough, but we had trouble converting our offensive production into points. You have to give credit to Wisconsin's defense for stepping up in the clutch situations, but we have to do better.

"Defensively, we played really well. Our rush defense was a little soft at times, but I can't say enough about the way our secondary played.

"In any case, winning a big game like this under the lights and the pressure of a national TV audience is something to be commended, so I'm really happy with the way the guys played tonight."

Lance Frazier intercepted two passes for the Mountaineers, and Brian King and Adam "Pacman" Jones each notched one of their own this evening.

Next Week, West Virginia travels to Greenville, NC to take on the East Carolina Pirates. Next week's game could be a dangerous trap game for the Mountaineers if they aren't careful coming off the high of tonight's season-opening victory over a top 25 team.

West Virginia 17, #25 Wisconsin 7

WIS - 07 / 00 / 00 / 00
WVU - 07 / 00 / 07 / 03

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter:
(3:05) WVU: 7 yard pass from Marshall to Neal (7-0 WVU)
(0:32) WIS: 3 yard run by FB #45 (7-7)

2nd Quarter:
(No Scoring)

3rd Quarter:
(3:04) WVU: 1 yard run by Harris (14-7 WVU)

4th Quarter:
(0:28) WVU: 32 yard field goal by Cooper (17-7 WVU)

Wisconsin Badgers

QB #19: 4/22, 67 Yds, 4 Int
HB #28: 1/1, 25 Yds, 19 Car, 112 Yds
FB #45: 6 Car, 29 Yds, TD
WR #9: 2 Rec, 32 Yds

MLB #46: 9 Tkl, 2 TFL
CB #21: 7 Tkl, TFL
DT 77: 6 Tkl, 2 TFL
ROLB: 6 Tkl, 2 TFL
LOLB #12: 3 Tkl, Int
SS #7: 3 Tkl, Int

K #97: 0/0 FG, N/A Long, 1/1 PAT
P #31: 2 Punts, 92 Yds, 46.0 Avg, 0 Inside 20

West Virginia Mountaineers
R. Marshall: 12/19, 179 Yds, TD, 2 Int, 10 Car, 49 Yds
Q. Wilson: 18 Car, 57 Yds
K. Harris: 10 Car, 40 Yds
M. Fofana: 6 Car, 20 Yds
A. Neal: 4 Rec, 61 Yds, TD
S. Beresford: 2 Rec, 53 Yds

B. King: 5 Tkl, Int
A. Lennortt: 5 Tkl
A. Jones: 3 Tkl, Int
A. Wright: 3 Tkl, TFL
L. Frazier: 2 Int

B. Cooper: 1/2 FG, Long 32, 2/2 PAT
T. James: 2 Punts, 71 Yds, 35.5 Avg, 1 Inside 20