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Wake-Up Call: Bulls' Washington keeps a Devine connection

The Associated Press

The Bulls' defense will have more than their inboxes full when West Virginia RB Noel Devine returns to Florida.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 28, 2009

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

University of South Florida cornerback Quenton Washington noticed the first text message on Sunday night.

You better be ready.

Washington quickly fired back a response.

We're always ready when you come to town.

Washington is accustomed to the give-and-take with West Virginia junior running back Noel Devine, his old teammate from North Fort Myers High School. But this week's exchange has increased urgency for both sides.

The USF Bulls (5-2, 1-2 Big East) desperately need a victory after two straight losses. Specifically, the defense needs to right its ship after surrendering a combined 75 points and 887 total yards in defeats against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Devine, a 5-foot-8, 176-pounder, is now the nation's third-leading per-game rusher (912 yards, 6.7-yard average, 10 touchdowns). He wants to put on a show in his home state while maintaining momentum for the No. 20-ranked Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0).

When West Virginia visits USF for Friday night's ESPN2 game at Raymond James Stadium, Devine figures to be on center stage. That's nothing new.

Devine's name is creeping onto Heisman Trophy lists now. When he left North Fort Myers, that sort of recognition was predicted for a player who became a high-school legend and a YouTube highlight-clip sensation. He rushed for 6,846 career yards and 88 touchdowns at North Fort Myers, including 2,140 yards and 30 TDs as a senior.

"The stuff we saw him do, some of it you wouldn't believe,'' Washington said.

And the stuff he's doing at West Virginia?

That's pretty impressive, too.

"He's small, but he's mighty,'' Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart said.

Devine rushed for 171 of his game-high 178 yards in the second half of Saturday's 28-24 win against Connecticut, including a 56-yard touchdown scamper in the final minutes.

After Devine rushed for 220 yards in a 35-24 win against Colorado, Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins was succinct in his post-game analysis.

"I hope I never see that guy again,'' Hawkins said.

Devine's performance is even more impressive when considering his gradual transformation from herky-jerky improvisational high-school runner to a poised, dynamic college runner.

"He used to go in a million directions,'' Stewart said. "He's not doing all that back and forth, back and forth stuff, like a PlayStation game. Sometimes, I wouldn't know where he was going. He didn't know where he was going, either.

"He has added patience. He's a leader on our team, a trusted member of our football community. If people don't know about him, want to watch him or realize what he's doing, shame on them. They're living in a cave somewhere.''

Stewart said Devine's finest moment this season didn't occur on the field.

It was at halftime against Colorado, when the Mountaineers were tentatively clinging to a 14-10 lead.

"I was getting upset behind closed doors,'' Stewart said. "Noel came up to me, grabbed me by the arm and said, 'Coach, everybody knows we're goofing up. You keep cool. We know what to do here. Just give me the ball.'

"I just looked him and said, 'OK, little buddy, when the time is right, you're getting the ball.' He can take over a game. People look at the way he's playing this season and just say, 'Man, he's on a mission.' He has matured and grown up in his third season at West Virginia. I'm fortunate to be his coach.''

Last season, Syracuse coach Doug Marrone was in the NFL, working as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. Even when Devine put up a relatively pedestrian afternoon (22 carries, 91 yards) against the Orange, Marrone was impressed enough for a lofty comparison.

Marrone thought Devine's style was similar to that of Saints running back Reggie Bush, the former Heisman Trophy winner from USC.

"From a standpoint of starting and stopping, I don't think I've seen anyone ever, except for maybe Reggie, who could do what he did,'' Marrone said. "He got the ball on 4-yard line and they run a power scheme. He goes right, left, then right, left, nobody touches him and he gets a 4-yard touchdown.

"This type of player … he keeps a lot of defenses up late at night.''

Including the defense at USF.

"We've got to wrap him up and get him on the ground,'' Washington said. "If you don't play your assignments, stay at home and stay disciplined, it can create a lot of problems with Noel.

"One little move, and he'll be gone. He's a challenge.''

World Series: Tampa Bay memories

New York Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland (Zephyrhills) serves as the local connection when the World Series between the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies begins tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Eiland, who was 12-27 with a 5.74 ERA in big-league stints with the Yankees, Padres and Rays over parts of 10 seasons, is in his second season on Manager Joe Girardi's staff. He played at the University of Florida, then finished at USF, playing for Coach Eddie Cardieri.

Eiland has proven adept at handling a star-studded New York pitching staff, which includes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. Eiland purposely keeps a low profile, but if the Yankees win the World Series, the Zephyrhills faithful will no doubt be bursting with pride.

It won't be the first time.

Tampa Bay area players and managers have nurtured a long, distinguished history with the World Series. Here are a few selected highlights:

• Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez (Jefferson) gets the Game 7-winning walk-off single to defeat the Yankees in 2001.

• Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim "Mudcat'' Grant (Lacoochee) went 2-1 in the 1965 World Series with a pair of complete-game victories, outdueling Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen.

• Toronto Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders (Lake Wales) being selected Most Valuable Player of the 1992 World Series after batting .450 in a six-game win against the Atlanta Braves.

• Yankees third baseman Wade Boggs (Plant), delighted with finally winning a World Series championship, hops aboard a policeman's horse – even though he says he's afraid of horses – and gets the clip-clop tour of Yankee Stadium's outfield area as he waves to fans.

• St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa (Jefferson), after winning the 2006 World Series, becoming just the sixth manager to win world championships with National League and American League clubs (La Russa's Oakland Athletics won in 1989).

• Cincinnati Reds manager Lou Piniella (Jesuit) goes wire-to-wire in the NL West and captures the 1990 World Series in a stunning 4-0 sweep over La Russa's heavily favored Oakland team.

• Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez (Jefferson) had two very memorable World Series home runs. His Game 1 grand slam against the San Diego Padres in 1998 jump-started a Yankee sweep. In 2001, with the Yankees about to go down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, Martinez represented the final opportunity with a two-run deficit and a runner on. Martinez smacked a game-tying two-run homer off Arizona reliever Byung-Hyung Kim.

• Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey (Chamberlain) batted .417 in the 1981 World Series six-game victory against the Yankees. Garvey played in 28 World Series games overall, batting .319.

• Braves first baseman Fred McGriff (Jefferson) had a .605 slugging percentage in his 12 World Series games – two doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs.

• Florida Marlins outfielder Gary Sheffield (Hillsborough) batted .292 in the 1997 World Series. Sheffield was 3-for-5 with five RBIs in the Game 3 victory.

Wuerffel (and Heisman) stops in Jacksonville

Former University of Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel – and his 1996 Heisman Trophy – will make a stop in Jacksonville on Saturday, prior to the annual Florida-Georgia football game. It's part of the Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour, celebrating the award's 75th anniversary, which will be visiting 10 marquee college-football games this season.

Wuerffel will appear from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., participating in a chalk-talk and autograph session. Former Georgia player David Greene, who won more games than any other quarterback in Division I-A history, appears from 1-2:30 p.m.

The event is free and held at the Championship Dreams Festival, located outside of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium's south end zone.

Tuskers at the Trop today

The United Football League's Florida Tuskers (3-0) have scheduled a practice today at Tropicana Field, the site of Friday night's game against the Las Vegas Locomotives. The Tuskers feature several ex-Bucs on the roster, including place-kicker Matt Bryant, safety Dexter Jackson, running back Michael Pittman and offensive lineman Dan Buenning.

Bucs ranked 31st in NFL

The Bucs are ranked 31st (out of 32 teams) in The Sporting News Today's weekly NFL power rankings.

"Look at their schedule, and look at their team. A winless season is quite possible,'' Clifton Brown writes.

The 32nd-ranked team, the winless St. Louis Rams, plays at Detroit on Sunday.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Bucs wide receiver Mark Carrier, who had an 86-catch season in 1989 and finished with 321 receptions for a franchise-record 5,018 yards in six years with Tampa Bay. Today, Carrier turns 44.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Tuesday's trivia question:

Sandi Patton was Chris Catanach's predecessor as University of Tampa volleyball coach.

Wednesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

West Virginia junior running back Noel Devine is the latest standout football player to emerge from North Fort Myers High School. Which two former North Fort Myers football players have been selected for the NFL's Pro Bowl?

Check for the answer in Thursday's Wake-Up Call.

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