Welcome to the Friday Feedback. Say, Bob Huggins has a great way to start your day.

But he made it known the practice facility is kind of a sore subject with him.

“I’m out getting money for the practice facility and the way I count, we’re at about $22 and a half million,” he said, noting that $25 million is the high end.

“None of the people making these decisions ever goes out and raises any money,” he stated. “But still no earth has turned.

“The reality is, we’ve done an unbelievably wonderful job with football, and they deserve everything they’ve gotten. But the Coliseum hasn’t changed since 1970. It’s the same as it was when I went in there (as a player) in 1975,” he said, although noting that the locker rooms were renovated under John Beilein.

“We’re not very fan friendly,” he added.

“We don’t move very damn fast. To get something done, it’s always painstaking. But we’re going to get it done. I promise you that. We’re going to make it fun. And the most fun will come in watching us beat those people who have beaten us all these years.”

Speaking of innovations at the football stadium, note to the guy who runs the video replay board: It’s wise not to give the opponent a second and third look at a play it wasn’t going to challenge before getting the second and third look. Late in the first quarter against Cincinnati, the Bearcats were driving to the end zone and a 17-0 lead when Mardy Gilyard caught and fumbled a pass. WVU recovered and seemed to have dodged a big-time scare.

Well, that is until the replay board showed the play twice and from an in-tight view. It was obvious Gilyard never had the ball and Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly was several yards off the sideline on the field getting a good look. Convinced he could overturn the play, he begged the officials to review it. The pass was ruled incomplete and the Bearcats kicked a field goal a few moments later for a 13-0 lead.

Meanwhile, WVU’s offense could have hurried onto the field a whole lot little quicker and simply run a play rather than standing around and looking to the sideline and giving Kelley plenty of time to see the replay.

Hindsight is 20-20 … but so, too, is that video board.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, keep your head on a swivel (My bad, I spent a little too much time on special teams solutions this week).

thacker said:

16 seconds. Can a team drop below 119th in kick return coverage? It is one damn sure way to get your offense onto the field.

Technically, yes. Western Kentucky is a provisional Division I-A member, meaning it’s making the move from Division I-AA. As such, it can’t count as a Division I-A member in statistics. However, the Hilltoppers are playing five Sun Belt Conference games this season and become full-time members next season, when they’ll be the 120th team. Right now, they’re No. 94 in kickoff return defense.

 X-Rayted said:

We’re all sounding like a bunch of broken records. Yet, at the same time, it’s completely justified. This has gone passed the point of ridiculous and comical to the point of pure sadness. I was quickly on record as saying that Bill Stewart was a total knee-jerk hire that would ultimately lead us down the Larry Coker highway. We just totally bypassed the success part. If Stewart can somehow salvage what has been one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory then that’s all fine and good. Mullen has to be sent packing immediately. I know he’s a hell of a nice guy, but a message needs to be sent that we are not going to return to mediocrity. When the play-calling all of a sudden becomes vintage high-powered Mountaineer football, I’m convinced that they have turned off Mullen’s headset. He has totally neutered what was the ncaa equivalent of the greatest show on turf. I don’t care how nice Stewart is, give this guy a pink slip with his coffee monday morning, and let’s get this thing rolling again. Maybe Casteel can coach the offense too.

Yikes. Just a reminder assistant coaches are on unprecedented two-year contracts. And say what you will about Mullen — and I’m sure that’s a lot — but he’s been 100-percent accountable and remarkably detailed about explaining, defending, justifying or even agreeing with the problems. Maybe it’s therapeutic. And I’ll say it again: If three years ago you would have told me Jeff Casteel would one day be the cream of the coaching crop, I would have goozled you out of the conversation. I always thought he was a pretty good coach and would one day find his niche, but I never expected he’d be this popular. I mention this because the same could one day be true of Mullen.

Shannon said:

This should give you an idea of the game from my house in Kentucky.

My girlfriend and I were watching our first WVU game together. Halfway through the game she turns to me and this is the dialogue:

Girlfriend: How long has your coach been the head coach?
Me: This is his first season.
Girlfriend: You need a new coach.

The defense just sucked air during the overtime and can we not make a tackle on special teams … ever. This team does not have the winners mentality to win the close games and that worries me with Louisville, Pitt, and South Florida still on tap.

Yeah, I just wonder how many times these guys can go from low — and I mean really low — to high. I don’t question their resiliency. We’ve witnessed it far too many times now. But just how many times can a team do it? We’ll see.

Karl said:

At the season’s start, I didn’t believe WVU was a legit national title contender team, but I did feel anything less than 9-3 would have to be considered a failed season (I figured we’d split between Colorado and Auburn and lose one or two in conference play). After the Colorado loss, I posted on this blog that I thought we’d finish 6-6. Today, either of those records are possible.

I’m too tired of all this to come on here and criticize the coaches any more. It’s sinking in that we’re about to embark on a very different era of WVU athletics, one where football becomes a secondary fan attraction to hoops.

Anyone who hopes Stew gets fired or resigns at the end of the season is dreaming. He’s not going anywhere. We’re contractually locked in with this guy for another, what, five years with a big buyout clause? West Virginia University is not the kind of program that has the money to just throw away a couple of million to get rid of someone. Even if he wins three games per season, I can’t imagine any scenario in which he’s axed any time earlier than the conclusion of the 2010 season.

We’re still in the hunt for the Big East title. I hope we do it. It may be another long while before we get there again.

“Fire Stewart” stuff is just irrational and the program would suffer more with another coaching change. I’m not sure national title contender dreams were that far-fetched. Given where WVU started and the (now inexcusable) Colorado loss and Cincinnati loss were more or less a direct result of short-yardage failures, you could make an argument an 8-1 team with a seven-game winning streak is way up there. National title race? No, not this season, but at least deserving of the preseason hype. The Stewart hire was big for continuity and the pursuit of the ultimate goal — winning and winning at the highest level. I don’t think it’s a coincidence the defense, led by the linebackers and defensive line, is the team’s strong point and Casteel and Bill Kirelawich were holdovers on the staff. The offensive staff is new and offense is the weak link. That part of the puzzle just never fit this season and inconsistency has cost them dearly.

overtheSEC said:

You know how defensive play calling tends to get too conservative when trying to protect a lead? Our offensive playcalling has a similar problem. It is only gets good when we’re behind!
Think about how much better the playcalling was for the last TD in regulation. I realize that Cincy was playing softer and the personal foul helped a heap, but we spread the ball around well with more coverage in the secondary. Yet OT comes and it’s four Devine rushes in a row followed by a Pat White sack with a lot more defenders in the box.
Our execution issues only compounded a poorly called game.

Here’s where I become the bad guy. Villanova is a Division I-AA team. Marshall is not as good as WVU. Rutgers then was not Rutgers now. Syracuse was coached with such incompetence it hurt to watch. Auburn plays in the SEC, but isn’t very good. UConn’s quarterback couldn’t throw the ball to the right team. Those are WVU’s victories and you can’t say WVU’s offense was the decisive element in any of those games except for Villanova, which we can agree was fool’s gold, and maybe Auburn, though WVU’s defense was dynamic that night. Conversely, you can directly blame the offense for losses to Colorado and Cincinnati. It’s not supposed to be that way at WVU and it’s not supposed to happen two months apart.

Michael said:

I said I would not post till basketball season… and technically, we played an exhibition game at the concrete mushroom today, so I am free to opine…

Re: Leadership and Embracing success…

Coach Stew has said all week that he “did not want to hear about his team being ranked “until after the season.

Contrast that with a brief discussion I had w Huggins at the Auburn tailgate a few weeks ago…

After the game, I spoke w Coach Huggins and commented that he must be pleased that he can ride “under the radar” being ranked 9th in the pre season BE poll and can use the snub as motivation. He quickly corrected me and said it was BS and he wants to be ranked No. 1 every year in BE polls in the preseason and, at the finish.

BTW, what happened in the second half? I quit watching after the 1st offensive series in the 3rd quarter when we ran two consecutive 2nd -1 and 3rd – 1 dive plays against nine, then ten, defenders in the box.

Mountaineer Basketball… Where Hope Lives!

Nothing wrong with the Huggins attitude. I’ll never understand why teams don’t strive for that mindset. It almost seems as if teams that don’t want to acknowledge rankings don’t believe they deserve them. If you earn it, own it.

Rob W. said:

I surrender. The game was bad enough, but the postgame press conference was a mini series of everything that drives me out of my mind about Bill Stewart as the head football coach at my alma mater.

I have gone to games since 1974 when I was seven years old. I live in Cincinnati and drive week after week to games. I will continue to do that, because I love West Virginia football and I still want to support the players. However as long as Bill Stewart continues to lead this program I will no longer make an emotional investment. A withdrawl of my financial investment may follow.

I can’t believe that I WOULD EVER SAY THIS about WVU football, but I’m largely done. For anyone who knows me, they understand what a strong statement that is from me.

Rob, perhaps you can help some other people here. What’s the tax on the early withdrawal of an emotional investment?

JP said:

Oh boy. Stew better be careful when talking about his players to the press. Jalloh “should worry about receiving” – how about getting him the ball? We _should_ put more starters on special teams. Heck, James Harrison – who, for those that don’t follow the Steelers, is a bad man and starting linebacker with 63 tackles and 11 sacks so far – covers punts and kickoffs and he often makes plays on special teams. If Jalloh wants to contribute and he can do so, why not? Our special teams are killing us right now. Maybe Stew should worry more about putting players in a position to succeed and less about them talking out of turn.

For the record, that miscommunication was clarified … and little birdies tell me there may be some familiar faces on the kickoff coverage team. And are we in agreement not that Jalloh needs X touches per game?

overtheSEC said:

Hey Mike, maybe Jalloh will let you borrow the burnt orange suit of his for next year’s NSSA awards.
Thanks for the Louisville game update. At least last time we played there a special teams return didn’t cost us the game–oh, wait…

You know, I’ve heard Jalloh and I are good friends, so I’m sure he’d do it. There’s no way it’d fit me, but I’d still wear it.

Mack said:

I just wonder what will happen with our team in future years when there isn’t as much talent. Yes, I think in future years we will not have a Pat White, Noel Devine, senior-laden offensive line, and a very good defense. Sure, we’ll have some of those, but certainly not all.

Why do we wait until the end of the game to start throwing to Dorrell Jalloh? Excuse me if I’m wrong, but isn’t he the only player on the team who has shown that he will A) catch the ball if you put it in his hands and B) run after the catch?

Why do we throw button hooks that have no chance of getting yards after the catch (which is funny considering we invariably run them a yard or two short of the first down line), yet are very risky b/c a DB can step in front of one and take it for a Touchdown After INT?

Hehe, I got that.

Sam Wilkinson said:

Ultimately, you have to get the yards, and clearly, the coaches are stuck in the same mindset that has plagued Mountaineer football for as long as I’ve been alive. It works like this.

1. The coach calls a play, and it fails.
2. The coach calls the same play again, and it fails again.
3. The coach calls the same play again, and again, and again, and it fails again, and again, and again.
4. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, when faced with similar conditions as in all the previous plays, the coach continues to believe that, despite the fact it has failed every single time before, that this is the time that the play will work.
5. The coach calls the same play, and it fails.

Literally, I’ve spent 28 years of my life watching this series of events occur in every single Mountaineers loss. Saturday was no different. Creative coaches find something else that will work if everything else isn’t; Mountaineer coaches continue to believe that the impossible will occur, while opposing coaches call the for the same defensive strategy and laugh all the way to a victory.

(Incidentally, Saturday’s loss was just like last year’s to USF and Pitt. I hope nobody thinks Rodriguez would have done better.)

Even better was Brian Kelly saying his team studied and borrowed from USF and Pitt’s performances against WVU. I can’t mention this enough because somewhere along the line you’d think WVU would study and learn from those performances as well.

Grumpy said:

It blows my mind that on 3rd and short with the speed Devine has why you dont do a toss sweep. With the way its packed in tight…I’m pretty sure he can get that one yard if you run to long side of the field. Get him in space he can make a move but that would be thinking out of the box for Mullen. Lets face it…ran two toss sweeps against Okl. last year 2 TD’s if you recall.

Good idea, but you’re relying on Devine to stick with the play. Without a fullback in front of him to wipe out that first defender, Devine often relies on his eyes and his feet to make another play.

oklahoma mountaineer said:

Does this lack of coverage, coupled with the dramatic comeback, help or hurt with the recruiting that Stew described (paraphrase) as “critical” to the 2009 class? I’m thinking that as a recruit I’d be excited, but I also have a nagging feeling of why did they have to catch up to begin with.

As a WR, I’m thinking if I have speed, height, and good hands I’m playing next year. Particularly if I graduate and enroll for the Winter semester.

I have no idea what to make of the game and the impact on recruiting. The boos returned to jeer the play-calling. There were maybe 30,000 people in the stadium way, way before the comeback began. It was cold and lifeless in the stadium. That said, when McAfee’s kick went through the uprights, the place seemed as if it was packed and the celebration had to have been contagious. Final impressions matter, right? As for receivers, bingo. Logan Heastie, if he doesn’t swoon over visits to UNC, will enroll in January and he’ll probably start. Others will have a chance to play right away.

B0ne de plume said:

I must give props to “those whose name shall not be spoken” this is a pretty amazing get after having these kids watch our anemic offense.

He speaks of Geno Smith and Stedman Bailey, quarterback and receiver from Miramar (Fla.) High, who committed Monday. 

Erinn said:

“We Can Fix This!” (from Smith Bailey and Associates)

Should replace

“Leave No Doubt Tonight!”

No, that’s my idea and second in my line of WVU T-shirts. I just need someone to help me print T-shirts.  

oklahoma mountaineer said:

Is it just me, or does the whole mess with PRod make John Belien’s departure seem so much more classy, although I was very upset at the time. Even the story on the front page of the Daily Mail summarizing Belein’s game from last night told me that I must not be the only one who feels this way.

I found myself watching and cheering for the boys from Ann Arbor….which after the first 10 football games I never thought possible. With that being said, this week I’m a Northwestern football fan as they play the hated Wolverines….GO WILDCATS!!!!

They’ll put just about anything in the paper. As for Beilein, the Product was the best thing to happen to Beilein as he relates to WVU. Beilein’s depature was bitter, but if you look back at it now, it’s easier to digest. He wasn’t as brutal or hurtful as was P-Rod and went out of his way to keep things private and between only those involved. Most importantly, Beilein’s drama revealed some issues within the athletic department people didn’t know existed. Those people couldn’t understand how those issues might contribute to a coach’s exit. No longer is that the case.

thacker said:

From the linked ESPN Big East blog:

• Lack of interest in expansion.Ideally, the Big East would add a ninth football-playing member to give each team a balanced schedule of eight league games. But Marinatto agrees with Tranghese that there is no viable team out there to add.

Either, Navy or ECU come to mind for that ninth ball club.

The trouble with any expansion to appease football is it affects basketball. A ninth football team creates a 17th basketball team, unless a school, like ECU, says, ‘Hey, it’s cool if you become a Big East team in football, but remain in Conference USA for basketball … and all other sports.’ I just can’t see a school agreeing to do that. Find a football independent? Notre Dame, Army and Navy. Notre Dame isn’t joining and Army and Navy are members of the Patriot League in other sports. Navy or Army, and likely in that order, are the realistic hopes. Unlike ECU, one of those two would be giving its main revenue team an affiliation and all the rewards. 

Mack said:

For what it’s worth, I went to the WVU game at East Carolina. Although the gameday experience was as good as anywhere, the stadium appears to be old and is in serious need of updating if it were to be comparable to any of the Big East stadia (excluding Nippert, but it does have an “athletic village). Given those facts, I’m guessing there isn’t nearly as much money going into the ECU program as the Big East programs and thus it wouldn’t make much sense to add ECU.

Also, add the fact that ECU has been awful for about a decade until this year… where they have moved up to being mediocre. And you know Skip Holtz will be gone soon.

I agree that there aren’t any schools worth considering to add. I’d rather have a free spot to play Colorado, Auburn, Michigan State, Florida State, or LSU than to be forced to play Memphis, Navy, Marshall, East Carolina, or Western Kentucky every year.

I don’t think the Skip Holtz ship will sail this offseason. As for income, ECU would generate and receive a lot more money as a member of the the Big East than CUSA. The football schedule would be better, the revenue shared would be greater and the need to improve facilities would be impossible to ignore.

Karl said:

One worry I have about ECU is that not even the larger, better-monied North Carolina schools (NC St. and UNC) ever seem to do anything on the football field (this year’s Tarheels being an exception). If they’re always stuck in place, I have my doubts about the growth potential for another BCS school in that state.

The South Florida analogy is true, but the two situations aren’t entirely comparable. You can bump into three NCAA-caliber recruits browsing in a 7-Eleven aisle in that state. A football factory like Florida could probably even sustain another D-1 program with ease. For that reason, I’d be inclined to invite Central Florida first. (of course we’re assuming PSU, ND or any other BCS schools are out of the question)

I would also welcome one or both of the regional service academies (Army & Navy). True, they aren’t football powers, but people generally don’t give you grief for playing them. They have national fan bases because of who they are and they manage to get on TV pretty regularly on their own. One is in NY state and the other is in Maryland, so they’re a great geographic fit. I think their presence would definitely add something to the league.

UCF is a fine idea, but again the conference affiliation with other sports is a hurdle. I’d look forward to the conference meetings and the chance George O’Leary comes across anyone from Notre Dame, though. I’d also be open to any of the Florida Internationals or Florida Atlantics of the state for the reasons you listed.

glibglub said:

If I ever write a novel in the southern gothic genre, I will name a character Dalton Pepper. Probably he’ll be a dissolute congressman.  

Do it. Also, as I edit this, Deniz Kilicli’s letter of intent arrived at WVU.

Mack said:

The Notre Dame home court advantage has to stop because there is no reason for it to exist in the first place.  

Agreed. It’s not an intimidating place, but they just don’t lose there.  

Matt said:

So Cam is a go for the season? I thought there was a worry over the offseason that knee injuries might have stopped his career? I agree he should be a tough force inside…although Huggins didn’t bring him in, he fits the Huggy mold.

As far as I know, he should be ready. He has a lower back injury unrelated to the once-chronic knee problem. He had offseason surgery on the knee and it’s supposed to prevent any future dislocations. He’s not a top-of-the-rotation guy, but he’s great in practice and gives you energy in a game when needed. Do not discount the fact everyone likes him, too.

glibglub said:

I was just in Durham on Monday and Tuesday, and was on the Duke campus Tuesday morning. Sadly, I did not have a Cam Thoroughman jersey to wear.

You realize WVU continues to torment Tobacco Road, right? Mike Gansey riddles Wake Forest and now Joe Mazzulla and Cam haunt Duke.

glibglub said:

By the way, while on the Duke campus and void of the Cam Thoroughman jersey, were you at least able to walk around as Ronald McDonald?

Thacker, I wish I’d thought of it. Walking around, pointing at random students and declaring them All-Americans merely because they attend Duke . . .

Enjoy the weekend!