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Thursday, November 22, 2001

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

They say it isn't bragging if you can back it up on the field.

	More on Pitt: Notebook Tailback enters course for offense

So when the trash-talking, hard-hitting members of West Virginia's secondary talk, people listen.

Take for instance cornerback Richard Bryant, who will likely find himself covering Pitt All-American receiver Antonio Bryant at some point Saturday when the Mountaineers (3-7, 1-5 in Big East) play host to the Panthers (4-5, 3-3).

Bryant, a loquacious senior from South Florida, leads the Mountaineers' defense with four interceptions and 11 passes defended. He's talented, he's brash and he's never met a microphone he didn't like. This week, he showed up for player interviews sporting a T-shirt with Osama bin Laden's face in the center of a target.

'So Richard, what are your thoughts on Antonio Bryant?'

"I don't know anything about that guy," said Bryant. "I'll have to wait until I watch some films and get back to you. All I know is, I'll be the best guy named Bryant on the field on Saturday. Most definitely."

'But Richard, didn't you play in last year's game when Antonio torched the Mountaineers' secondary for six catches, 148 yards and a touchdown?'

"I was there, but I don't remember him doing much," said Bryant. "I just remember getting a couple of picks off that quarterback [David Priestley]. You know, he and I were roommates back in 1997 at Ohio State passing camp, and every day before we'd hit the field, I'd tell him, 'yo, just remember -- throw me the ball.' I guess he never forgot that because he kept throwing it to me last year. This year, I'll look for him before the game and remind him again to throw me the ball."

'One last thing Richard, what's up with the T-shirt?'

"Well, I'm looking for [bin Laden], also. I hear you get money if you bring him in."

Needless to say, confidence is not a problem for Bryant or for that matter, senior safeties Shawn Hackett and Rick Sherrod. All three have developed quite a reputation for being big hitters as well as being chatty, both on and off the field.

But week after week, while most of the rest of the team has faltered, they've been the foundation to a pass defense which is ranked No. 1 in the country. The Mountaineers have allowed only 122.2 yards passing per game and held its opponent to less than 100 yards passing five times this year.

Sherrod averages a nation-best 17 tackles per game and has a season total of 146. Hackett led the team in tackles last year and has 94 this year. He also has returned both a fumble and an interception for touchdowns.

Bryant said the key to West Virginia's success against the pass has been a combination of the chemistry in the secondary and the team's ability to make big plays. He also said that trash talk is a big part of their game.

"We never start the talking, but all receivers talk, and that gets us going," said Bryant. "That makes our two safeties want to come up and knock the mess out of someone. That's the way we play. We get receivers to start thinking about where we are, and then they are coming off the line with their heads up. That's when one of us can get a knockout shot on them. So we're always talking."

"But we have a lot of confidence and we just go out there and have a lot of fun."

Statistics don't lie, but they sometimes don't tell the whole story.

It is true that West Virginia's pass defense hasn't allowed a lot of yards, but that may be partly because the run defense has often resembled a sieve. The Mountaineers are allowing 216.7 yards per game on the ground. Opponents have averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

"People think we are a poor team only defending the option," said West Virginia defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian. "That's not true. We are a terrible team defending the power run. We just can't stop the pounding. If there wasn't padding on the goal post, opposing running backs would get knocked out. Most defenses face a 60 percent pass, 40 percent run mix. We're the opposite, we've faced 70 percent run, 30 percent pass. That's bad."

Hackett, however, doesn't think the numbers are that bad.

"Look, we've shut down the best. Nobody has had a free hand against us," he said. "Nobody is going to run 7-on-7 drills against us."

Stopping Pitt's passing attack should be a challenge for the Mountaineers' secondary.

The Panthers feature the top receiving combination in the Big East in Antonio Bryant (30 catches, 467 yards) and R.J. English (37 catches, 653 yards). The Panthers are averaging 220 yards passing per game and have been playing their best football in recent weeks.

Pitt Coach Walt Harris said he knows all about the Mountaineers' secondary and is hopeful his team will rise to the occasion.

"I love their safeties, Hackett and Sherrod," said Harris. "They are outstanding football players. We'll have our hands full with them. And [Richard] Bryant has always been very tough on us."

Of course, Bryant's been tough on everyone.

Just ask him.