It might be a danger to get caught up in statistics, but sometimes the statistics tell the story.

As we go into the Keystone Rugby Conference playoffs, with Pitt visiting St. Joseph's and Temple going to West Virginia, one stat jumps out - 21. That's the number of points West Virginia has allowed in its four league games. Of those, 14 were scored by Pitt, the #2 team in the Keystone West.

And while WVU's Chris Mackenrodt leads the Keystone in points with 60, and Ryan Blythe leads the conference in tries with eight, it's that other stats that may well matter over the course of the semis and final.

"We spend a lot of time one our defense," said WVU Head Coach Richard Glover. "We've got a system tat we believe works, and it took a long time to nail it down. But the guys take pride in their defense. They take pride in shutting a team out. When they gave up their first try, against Millersville, it hurt. They were upset."

With an nice ensemble cast of players who have developed over time, the Mountaineers are playing well together, especially when they don't have the ball. Blythe, the captain and a force in the lineout, does pretty well with the ball, as well. Scrumhalf Kristofer Wilson keeps the team going through the phases. Flanker Derek Antonucci is a defensive leader, while Mackenrodt keeps the scoreboard moving. Luke Ellis is an exciting player on the wing, while players such as Brendane Kammerdeiner, who walked on for football but found a home as prop on the rugby team, and center Austin Hoover is a leader and a skillful midfield presence.

Look out also for freshman prop Amir Furman, who is just 18 but playing older than that.

"We have guys with high school experience, and good athletes who understand what we need to do," said Glover.

And what they need to do, is play defense.

Going into this weekend, WVU has to be favored against Temple. But the same isn't necessarily true of Pitt against St. Joseph's. Led by Jimmy Wolfer, St. Joe's is a strong team, and are unbeaten in conference play. And, sure, they beat Pitt earlier in the season. But that game was a month ago, and was a close contest. Pitt has improved since then and could shock their Philadelphia rivals.

For those four, there's still plenty to play for.