At W. Virginia, Writing Is on the Wall

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Inside the apartment shared by West Virginia football players Eric Wicks and Vaughn Rivers, the living room walls are bare except for the sheet of paper that reads: 109. When curious guests inquire, Rivers is not eager to explain the unusual decoration.

"I just say, 'Uh, that is just something we did last year. It is not something we are proud about. Don't worry about that,' " Rivers said.

The number hanging on the wall is designed to motivate, not to impress.

For months, all West Virginia defensive backs have heard from coaches is that they finished last season ranked 109th in the country in pass defense.

All they have heard from outsiders is that on a talented team featuring two Heisman Trophy hopefuls, quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slaton, the secondary represents a weak link.

"How would you feel?" cornerback Antonio Lewis said. "It bothers us bad. We are practicing against two Heisman candidates, so there is no way we should be 109."

While most fans focus on the dynamic play of White and Slaton, the quest for West Virginia's secondary is a singular one: Erase a triple-digit label that signifies a dubious distinction. The defensive backs know West Virginia, which lost two games last season, has the makings of a national champion if -- if-- they can make significant improvement.

The perception "kind of hurt us a little bit, but I think it will help us this year," said Wicks, a three-year starter at safety who was all-Big East last season. "We realize you just can't get your name from the offense doing well. The defense has to win games as well."

The number 109 is never far from conversation. Coaches affixed statistical sheets to walls in two areas of the football complex. Lewis, a senior from Waldorf, said Wicks and Rivers directed him to attach the statistical sheet to the wall of his apartment as well.

"It eats at our coaches, too, so they keep it fresh on our minds," said Rivers, a senior cornerback. "That's the worst thing: To know you have a great team and to know that someone is looking at you as the weak link. We're doing everything possible not to be that weak link and to be the strength."

That West Virginia ranked 13th defensively against the run often is overlooked.

When asked which game bothered Wicks the most, he said, "If you ask me, I say all of them."