I think this year's Mountaineer defensive line is going to be as good as last year's...

The Charleston Gazette Wrote:Old man Liebig making a big impact on line
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
August 15, 2008

MORGANTOWN - When Pat Liebig practiced for the first time as a fully eligible member of West Virginia's 2008 football team Wednesday, he did so in a green jersey designed to alert others not to hit him.

"That was my Brett Favre jersey,'' Liebig said.

There was more than just a little bit of symbolism there.

Like Favre, not only was Liebig hands-off for fear of injury - in Liebig's case it was a mild concussion - but the 25-year-old sixth-year senior is also ancient in relation to many of his teammates.

"I'm 25 and you never realize how young everybody really is,'' Liebig said Thursday. "You look around and think they must be 22 or 23 and then you realize that even a lot of the sophomores who have been here for a while are only 19 years old.''

Far from being over the hill, though, Liebig is expected to make a huge difference in West Virginia's defensive line this season now that the NCAA has officially granted him the opportunity to complete his eligibility. On a line that returns only one significant contributor from last season, the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder adds a little bit of everything - from experience to the versatility to play end, tackle and nose guard.

So exactly where does Liebig fit in?

"You want to know exactly what I told them?'' line coach Bill Kirelawich asked. "I said, 'From now on Liebig's the starter and the rest of you humps are all second team.' ''

At every spot along the defensive line?

"At every spot,'' Kirelawich said. "Pat can play every position and that's exactly what he'll do.''

Liebig's saga is well known by now, but the Reader's Digest version is that he arrived as a freshman way back in 2003, played parts of three seasons, redshirted another and then left school after the 2006 season with a year of eligibility remaining to return home and help run his family's businesses while his father was sick. He remained at home in Florida for 18 months, missed all last season and then successfully petitioned the NCAA - after initially being denied - for a chance to finish his career.

He received word Tuesday afternoon that he could play. He has worked out with the team all summer and has practiced since preseason camp began with an NCAA waiver to do so, so there's not much catching up to do.

"There are a few rough edges, but by and large he's kept himself in good shape and he's the kind of kid who will keep himself in good shape,'' Kirelawich said. "He's always been smart and because of that he just melted right back in with everything.''

The only issue now is where to play a guy who was once a 280-pounder, lost 40 of that while he was away from the game and is now 270 pounds. That's not the typical size for a nose guard, the position he mainly played before.

That weight is of little concern to Kirelawich.

"We started him as a 248-pound freshman against Pitt when Pitt was ranked No. 9 in the country and we beat them here on a Thursday night,'' Kirelawich said. "Pat's been a starter in the past and I don't doubt that he'll be a starter again.''

Actually, Liebig has started just two games at West Virginia, but good things tend to happen when he does take the field first. Kirelawich's recollection of Liebig's first start was close. Pitt was actually ranked No. 16 and the game was on a Saturday night in 2003, Liebig's true-freshman season, and the unranked Mountaineers blasted the Panthers 52-31.

His only other start came three years later - Liebig hurt his knee in that Pitt game and had surgery, missing all of 2004 and much of 2005 - when he replaced Ernest Hunter at nose guard for one of the most pivotal games in school history, the three-overtime win over Louisville that launched the careers of Steve Slaton and Pat White.

There is no question that having Liebig is a plus. West Virginia's defensive line is young and Kirelawich is just trying to find able bodies who know what to do.

"We had four last year, four guys that I felt good about,'' Kirelawich said. "I'd say this year we might have five with Pat. The problem is I'm not clear in my mind who the other three or four are.''

Kirelawich agreed that the four he trusts right now are nose guard Chris Neild, tackle Scooter Berry, end Zac Cooper and Liebig, who can step in at any of the three spots. As for a fifth dependable player, Kirelawich wouldn't speculate, although veteran Doug Slavonic and junior college transfer Larry Ford seem like potential candidates to play. He did say he expected freshman Uriah Grant to redshirt.

"I don't know,'' Kirelawich said on where the rest of the depth might be. "That's why people come to the games, to figure that out when they get there.''

As for Liebig, he's just happy to have the ordeal over. He said during the opening weekend of camp that he was "stressed out" waiting for word from the NCAA, and then it took another 10 days before a decision was reached. But during that time the NCAA had asked for additional information on his father's illness and was told that it would be at least five days before the appeals board would finish looking at those.

"I knew I wasn't going to hear anything for the next five days, so I didn't stress out at all,'' Liebig said. "Then when it was time for them to make a decision and I still had to wait a few days, the whole stress concept came back.''

That the NCAA kept asking for more information didn't bother him because he understands the way the system works and how people often try to get around it.

"It's not because of me,'' Liebig said. "It's because I guess a lot of people do - I don't know, what would you say? - lie about it. They want to make sure everything is [legitimate].''

Having been legitimized, now the only stressful things Liebig has to deal with are Kirelawich's famous outbursts, which Liebig said he actually kind of missed during his hiatus.

"Can you imagine anyone missing my yelling?'' Kirelawich asked. "Liebig's lying.''

Reach Dave Hickman at (304) 348-1734 or dphickman1@aol.com.

Now if we can just avoid injuries...