There have been some moments spent covering WVU’s football team in which serious and not so serious people spent serious time pontificating upon WVU’s kickoff coverage struggles. I actually grabbed a rule book one evening to check on penalties for “accidentally” putting extra people on the field or “accidentally” having players get a head start. Turns out there’s a penalty and a re-kick, so it wouldn’t work. Stew can thank Bret Bielema for that.

True, I was basically going for satire in a later piece, but this problem required weird and extra attention and, if necessary, weird and extra fixes because it couldn’t get any worse.

Or just kick the thing out of bounds. Really. Pat McAfee has kicked off 43 times this season and, including sky kicks and kicks into the wind, averages putting the ball on about the 6-yard line. WVU’s nation’s-worst average on returns allowed is just over 31 yards. That means that if you follow those averages the opponent gets the ball at the 37-yard line.

Kick it out of bounds and they get it at the 40 without all the emotional wreckage.

Insane! Wait … that makes sense.

And so it is I share with you a letter I received from a WVU fan abroad. *

Dear Coach Stewart,

I’m vacationing in Europe and was taking in a soccer match in Sicily when I witnessed brilliance on the pitch. If it worked for one futbol team, why not another? It’s a deceptive ploy that will distract your opponent by keeping some eyes off the kick and other eyes from seeing it. Meantime, your lads get down the field to make the play. I’ve enclosed a photo of the play as I saw it.

Blessings,
(Name withheld)

It really happened, and yet it’s still the beautiful game. Thing is, it really did factor into the play.

* Total lie