Lehnortt, Lynch not looking past Temple

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000099" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" ><B>Oil City High School football</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >  </FONT> |   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oil City High School football"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id313.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blue Bombers waive Lynch"><U><B>Blue Bombers waive Lynch</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id312.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ben Lynch to play for Winnipeg"><U><B>Ben Lynch to play for Winnipeg</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id309.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lynch, Lehnortt play waiting game"><U><B>Lynch, Lehnortt play waiting game</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id307.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lynch, Lehnortt will get shot at pros"><U><B>Lynch, Lehnortt will get shot at pros</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lehnortt, Lynch await their shot at the "><U><B>Lehnortt, Lynch await their shot at the pros</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lehnortt, Lynch prepping for 2004 season"><U><B>Lehnortt, Lynch prepping for 2004 season</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WVU spring update (OC connection)"><U><B>WVU spring update (OC connection)</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lehnortt, Lynch receive awards at WVU fe"><U><B>Lehnortt, Lynch receive awards at WVU fete</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id125.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A QA session with Lynch, Lehnortt"><U><B>A Q&A session with Lynch, Lehnortt</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Lehnortt, Lynch not looking past Temple</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lehnortt named to Big East academic alls"><U><B>Lehnortt named to Big East academic all-stars</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lehnortt, Lynch figure in WVUs bright fu"><U><B>Lehnortt, Lynch figure in WVU's bright future</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lehnortt makes key stop in WVU upset "><U><B>Lehnortt makes key stop in WVU upset </B></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="04658020.png" border=0 width="600" height="2" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Lehnortt, Lynch not looking past Temple</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="264" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 21 WIDTH="258"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="21" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="258" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="332" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 3093 WIDTH="326"><div> <B>By CRAIG PHILLIPS</B></div> <div> <B>Derrick sports writer</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Oil City graduates Ben Lynch and Adam Lehnortt and the West Virginia University football team are going bowling - they just don't know where, when or against whom.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez, who has led the Mountaineers to six straight wins after a 1-4 start, would just as soon have it </B></div> <div> <B>that way. He prefers the team's focus is on its final regular season game at 1 p.m. Nov. 29  when Temple visits Mountaineer Field.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Rather than talk about the team's bowl destination, both Lynch and Lehnortt - redshirt juniors and starters on the WVU defense - are concentrating on winning the </B></div> <div> <B>Mountaineers' first conference championship since 1993.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“Being Big East champions is always the goal,” Lynch said. “We came back and put ourselves in position to do it.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“If we win Saturday, we will be Big East champs,” Lehnortt said. “This is the biggest game this program has been involved in the last 10 years.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>West Virginia (7-4, 5-1 Big East) will share the title with a victory. The winner of the Pitt-Miami, Fla., game also will share the crown with one conference loss.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>However, it is highly probable the Big East's automatic Orange Bowl berth will go to either 10th-ranked Miami or the No. 20 Panththers. It is unlikely No. 24 WVU could climb high enough in the Bowl Championship Series rankings to unseat the winners, which is </B></div> <div> <B>one of the conference's criteria.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>There is, though, an opening in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>But, Lynch, Lehnortt and especially Rodriguez, would rather see the team concentrate on what goes on Saturday at Mountaineer Field and not what will take place more than one month from now in Jacksonville, Fla.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“If we win and Pitt wins, we have to be within five spots of them (in the BCS),” Lynch said. “Right now, I think we're within six of </B></div> <div> <B>them. But, it doesn't seem likely for </B></div> <div> <B>that to happen since there are teams </B></div> <div> <B>who have finished their schedules.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“We know we're going to a bowl,” Lehnortt said. “Our coaches are more worried about the conference championship. We're hungry </B></div> <div> <B>for this last win. Plus, it's going to be senior day. We're going to send these 19 seniors out with a win.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>It all seemed unlikely after the 1-</B></div> <div> <B>4 start, but Lehnortt, a middle linebacker, says the team gained momentum after a heartbreaking 22-20 loss at Miami on Oct. 2.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“We started playing games one play at a time,” he said. “We really didn't look forward or behind. These seniors brought us together. </B></div> <div> <B>We believed in the team and the system, we just had to do what we were coached to do.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The six consecutive wins - including a 52-31 victory over Pitt - followed.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“Some people are calling us the hottest team in the Big East and others say we're the hottest team in the country,” Lehnortt said.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lynch, who says the atmosphere on campus is electric, was quoted in an Associated Press story as saying, “I live with three or four guys that have nothing to do with football. </B></div> <div> <B>And that's all they want to know is, </B></div> <div> <B>`where are we going, when are we </B></div> <div> <B>going and where can I get the hotel </B></div> <div> <B>rooms at?'”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Both Lynch and Lehnortt are wary of Temple (1-10, 0-6 Big East) due to quarterback Walter Washington. It will be their job to stop the Owl.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“Temple's a lot better than they have been,” Lynch said. “They have a shifty quarterback who's played the last couple of games and has accounted for about 600 yards. I'm </B></div> <div> <B>not worried about them, I'm worried about us. We just need to play our game and see what happens.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lynch, who has played both nose guard and defensive end since a rash of injuries hit the West Virginia defensive line, was hurt in the </B></div> <div> <B>Mountaineers' 34-23 win Saturday over Syracuse, but missed only one play.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“I was playing end, tackled the quarterback and was hit when somebody dove into the pile,” he said. “It was one of those freak </B></div> <div> <B>things.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The play resulted in a sprained neck, but he has been receiving treatment and will play Saturday.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“I wouldn't miss this game for the world,” he said. “I pretty much stay on the field as much as I can.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Mountaineers have noticed Temple's improved play the past two weeks in an overtime loss to Virginia Tech and 30-16 defeat at the hands of Pitt.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“Their quarterback is pretty </B></div> <div> <B>much their whole offense and we </B></div> <div> <B>have to shut him down.” Lehnortt </B></div> <div> <B>said.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lehnortt has been busy the past </B></div> <div> <B>two weeks and shared the team's </B></div> <div> <B>weekly defensive award with senior </B></div> <div> <B>linebacker Grant Wiley after the </B></div> <div> <B>win over Pitt. He had 12 tackles, </B></div> <div> <B>two tackles for losses, two quarterback hurries and two broken passes </B></div> <div> <B>in the win.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He followed up with 10 tackles, </B></div> <div> <B>two tackles for losses and two hurries against Syracuse.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>And now, the Owls are in the </B></div> <div> <B>sights of the two former Oilers.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Unfortunately for local fans, the </B></div> <div> <B>game is one of the few which will </B></div> <div> <B>not be televised this season.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>During their win streak, the </B></div> <div> <B>Mountaineers have become favorites of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, </B></div> <div> <B>ESPN-Plus, Fox Sports and so on.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>“Coach Rodriguez says, `they </B></div> <div> <B>(non-televised games) are better, because you don't have to wait for all </B></div> <div> <B>the TV timeouts,'” Lehnortt said.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>And that's fine with Lynch and </B></div> <div> <B>Lehnortt, who hardly can wait to </B></div> <div> <B>become Big East champions.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(Posted 11.26.03)</B></div> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>Features</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="College players"><U><B>College players</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="School records"><U><B>School records</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Yearbyyear records"><U><B>Year-by-year records</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rivalries"><U><B>Rivalries</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="VC/St. Joe"><U><B>VC/St. Joe</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archives"><U><B>Archives</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NFR"><U><B>NFR</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><U><B>Related Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guest book"><U><B>Guest book</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>2006 Season</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id365.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2008 Preview"><U><B>2008 Preview</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Game recaps"><U><B>Game recaps</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2008 Roster"><U><B>2008 Roster</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id368.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oilers statistics"><U><B>Oilers statistics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Coaching staff"><U><B>Coaching staff</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id326.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other D10 team stats"><U><B>Other D-10 team stats</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="District 10/9 standings/scores"><U><B>District 10/9 standings/scores</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bill Born Power ratings"><U><B>Bill Born Power ratings</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2007 Playoffs"><U><B>2007 Playoffs</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jayvee recaps"><U><B>Jayvee recaps</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Junior High recaps"><U><B>Junior High recaps</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>