Ray Rice darted for over 2,000 yards one year ago, including 528 yards in his first four games.
On the contrary, this year's Scarlet Knights' ground attack has yet to find their groove.
Despite rushing for four touchdowns, the combination of sophomore Mason Robinson and redshirt freshmen Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek combined for just 2.4 yards per carry in the victory over Morgan State.
"You always have to look at [per carry average],"
head coach Greg Schiano said, "Because it is all about what you do opportunity-wise. We really, as a staff, look at efficient runs. And efficient runs are more of a coaching statistic than a statistic you'll find on the stat sheet."
With redshirt sophomore Kordell Young still nursing the knee injury that has hampered him since Fresno State, Brooks has been responsible for shouldering most of the load.
He has shown a keen nose for crossing the goal line, but like the rest of the young backs, failed to consistently bust solid runs.
"I think that we're all still young and we're all doing our best,"
Brooks said. "We just try to go out there and do the best that we can."
The second coming of Barry Sanders has arrived, and he happens to wear a number seven blue and white jersey for West Virginia. At least, that's how Schiano sees it.
"Noel Devine reminds me of a guy that I had the opportunity to coach against in the NFL, and that's Barry Sanders,"
he said. "He stops and starts with that kind of quickness and he makes people miss."
Comparing the shifty sophomore running back to arguably the greatest rusher in football history is a tall assessment, but Devine's moves on the field drew high praise from many Scarlet Knights.
"It's going to be a challenge,"
senior safety Courtney Greene said of lining up against Devine on Saturday when Rutgers travels to Morgantown. "He's a great back who has great vision. He's little, but he's strong. He can bowl you over if he needs to, but as soon as he's out of the gate he's gone."
Though the Mountaineers have gone through the same sort of rough stretch that plagued RU early this season, Devine has been a consistent bright spot on an offense that has struggled to put points on the board.
He has found the end zone just one time in 2008, Devine averages 6.5 yards per carry and rushes for a shade under 100 yards per game.
After playing multiple positions on the offensive line against Morgan State, sophomore Howard Barbieri may have found his niche for the season as the Knights' all-purpose reserve lineman.
Barbieri started the game at left guard in place of junior Kevin Haslam, who shifted to left tackle to fill the void of the suspended Anthony Davis, then switched to right tackle for a few plays when senior Mike Gilmartin went down with a minor injury.
"When Mike [Gilmartin] first got hurt I was a little nervous to go outside,"
Barbieri said. "Inside, at guard, you have people that you can push the defensive player to if you need it. At tackle, you're kind of on an island. It's kind of nerve-racking I guess."
The suspensions are over for both Davis and junior receiver Kenny Britt, who resumed practice this week and are slated to start against West Virginia.
Britt has had considerable success in Morgantown in the past, hauling in 10 catches as a freshman when the Knights nearly upset the Mountaineers in double overtime in 2006.
"They were ready to go,"
Schiano said. "That hurt them a great deal to miss that game [against Morgan State]."
