Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which is feeling a little deja vu and might warn the Florida Gators to be prepared for the Sugar Bowl lest they be 48-28’d.

I hate to see what’s happening at Cincinnati happen at Cincinnati … or anywhere, for that matter. I don’t mean the coaching change. That happens and I don’t even question the move. It looks like a great match. However, Brian Kelly was pretty darn popular there and nowhere was his buzz greater than in the U.C. locker room. Not anymore, and that’s sad.

In some ways, his hands were tied as to how to handle his exit — there is no right way; there are wrong ways — and he couldn’t possibly control or predict reactions like those of Ben Guidugli and talkative Mardy Gilyard. Could Kelly have handled his exit better? I suppose, but I’d argue it would have been worse to make the announcement before the banquet, an occasion that meant a great deal to him and the entire program.

So now there exists a perception Kelly is a bad guy. We’ll see — he owes the school $1 million for taking another job. Lawsuit, anyone?

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, eat your bread. 

Sam said:

I’m starting to think Stewart’s going to create a genuine fissure between fans with a realistic view of the West Virginia football program and fans who have confused ours with Florida or Texas. These people demanding Stew’s head after two pretty good seasons are absolutely insane.

I never know/knew how to react to the people who say Stewart needs to go. It’d be a disastrous decision to push him out and I kind of thought even discussing it added credibility the idea didn’t deserve. Now that you see the coach punching back, surely to those who don’t like him in his position, it’s open to discussion. And it’s still an awful idea. I do, however, think it’s fair to be critical and ask questions, which Stewart experienced plenty of in his two seasons, as well as expect something big next season. Pitt loses Stull and a lot on defense, Cincinnati is without Kelly and WVU, presumably, has the most talent coming back. This is the third year. The young guys he inherited are entrenched. Guys he recruited are emerging. If you were to ask me in December about next season, I’d say things line up pretty well.

Jeff said:

There are many things that go into the overall performance of a coach. Stew’s in game decisions can be puzzling at times, but the recruiting seems to be going well and his players represent the university with class (most of the time). I think QB, WR and O-line play will all be improved next year.

Stewart has the program on solid footing. I’ll take him over Rodriguez any day.

The recruiting is going well, but they need to keep those kids committed and I believe they’ll face considerable obstacles along the way to signing day. I’m not saying it can’t be done. I’m saying it won’t be easy. I agree the line will be better, but I’m not yet sold on quarterback and receivers. JB, obviously, is better suited physically and mentally for quarterback than Eu. Perhaps you mean Eu is capable of playing at a higher level than JB played the final six games. I was never really sold on the receivers before this season and Arnett and Lyons graduate. You get Starks, Sanders and Austin back, but do we know what to expect of Heastie and Woods, who couldn’t get on the field this year? Big offseason coming up for them.

Jeff in Akron said:

Since Oll Stew brought it up, we had more than four bad quarters this year. The fact it only cost us two games is an achievement. Off the top of my head, I count at least one quarter in every game, until Cincy, and Pitt. The Marshall game deserves an asterick.

WVU is 9-3, certainly a record that Stewart and Co. can be proud of. Should we win the bowl, it’s a 10 win season. I believe Stewart deserves credit for rallying the team the last two weeks, and for the entire year. Although, there were moments…

By the time we play in the Billy Bobby Bowl, we should know if we are losing any of the staff to other programs. I would be very surprised if any of the coaches were to take positions at other schools.

Holliday is the Assoc. Head Coach, I read that as Head Coach in waiting. This is just my opinion, but I think there is a finite number of years that Oll Stew is going to coach at WVU. Doc is going to replace Stewart when he retires. Stewart is currently signed through January 2nd, 2014. Holliday signed a five year contract when he was hired. I’m not sure he would make more money as the H/C of Marshall, than he does currently. By the way, Oll Stew earned a $25,000 bonus for victory number 9 today.

Casteel has the players coming in, and his system is in place. I believe he may work to get a better contract, in money and length. Which, to me, he deserves. Unless a school offers Casteel a head coaching position, I don’t think he wants to leave. He had the chance to go to Michigan two years ago, and didn’t. Why would he leave now? Unless there’s something behind the scenes, he’ll be back.

The first paragraph is the story of the season, I believe. In Stewart’s opinion, there are no bad quarters in a win. If you win, you played four good quarters. I’d take a different approach, but the difference is relative to our professions. Fact is, WVU was fortunate a few times this season to win when playing poorly. The other fact is a 10-win season is on the horizon and you’re not lucky if you win 10 games. It’s an accomplishment. Staff continuity is your story of the offseason … though Holliday will not be at Marshall.

Foul Shot said:

Yes, Oll Stew has cemented his place as Head Coach for now.
The last two games meant a lot.
Beating Pitt was great.
Rutgers is not a very good team and we really needed to beat them.
The concern was playing not to lose down the stretch which came a bit close to us losing. Face it, the Rutgers QB was not reminding anyone of Tom Brady.
For sure, we will have Oll Stew in there for the forseeable future as he has earned it.
Just hope we are not headed back to average.
It sure would be nice to make a push back to a shot at the National Title in the next 3 years.
Not to celebrate 9 wins and the Gator Bowl. Been there, done that.
But, overall we have to be satisfied with this year. 

Hey, 9-3 didn’t look possible five weeks ago and the Gator Bowl wasn’t even considered. This isn’t a bad finish, I must admit, and if we’re going to talk about weaknesses and negatives, we must also acknowledge the flaws are those of a 9-3 team. You bring up a good point — playing not to lose. That could be interpreted as trusting the defense and the kicking game and that was something the team was not doing earlier in the year.

Dave said:

If Stewart wants to “punch back,” then let’s solve the kickoff coverage, ball security issues, treat USF like the punching bag it is for the other top BE teams, and as he alluded, play a good four quarters of football more often than not once over the course of the entire season.

There’s a lot about Stewart to like, but if we could just solve one of these issues a year, we’re in the BCS on a regular basis. How much different is the UC game if they get the ball at the 30 instead of the 50 on almost every kick return? We would have been better off kicking it out of bounds. How different is the Rutgers game without a kick returned for a TD, etc.

I used to never think much about the kickoff returns … I figured it was going to end up somewhere between the 20 and 35. But the past two years, it’s almost like a weapon against us. I get more nervous than watching a long bomb float down the field.

Ah, the counter punch. It’s fair game now and it creates a lot to live up to. The continued and consistent struggle to cover kickoffs is a problem that cannot persist. It can’t. It affects games and a game should be decided by the offense or defense, which is on the field for 60 or so snaps, rather than the kickoff team, which has four, five, six plays a game. That Rutgers game shouldn’t have been as close as it was and it was close because of the return touchdown. If WVU loses that game, it’s because of the return.

The 25314 said:

“I didn’t throw that kid under the bus.”

Sounds like he just threw that kid under the bus…

Stewart doesn’t throw a lot of guys under the bus.

overtheSEC said:

The biggest improvement in my mind is that last year we were 1-3 in games decided by 4 points or less. This year we were 3-1, with the only loss being to the #3 team in the nation in their building. So true to Mike’s ‘microcosm of our season in that Rutgers game’ we didn’t blow them out, but held on/found a way to win. I’m not scolding you, Mike. But write that. Write the truth.

The truth.

JL said:

I don’t like defensive Bill Stewart. It’s defensive Bill Stewart that continuously goes for it on 4th down because he “plays to win,” just so he can come into the presser and tell everybody that he “plays to win.”

Also, as the head coach of the football team, stop pointing to the Cincinnati loss like it was a good thing. It was a loss. They played better than they had in the weeks leading up to it, but it was a loss nonetheless. Cincinnati is a good team, to be sure, but they’re not that freaking good. WVU’s beaten better teams in the past 5 or 6 years.

Agreed, but Stewart’s point wasn’t that it was a good thing, but rather that it wasn’t another loss by WVU in which it did a number of things to cost itself the game. At least that’s how I took it … and I admit I was scribbling feverishly in my notepad, as you might imagine. The team played pretty well that night and maybe even deserved to win. The team lost. The team will not apologize.

Gordo said:

Mostly, I wish that Stew would refrain from these type of rants, but I can’t blame him either. It seems to me that a good portion of the fan base never gave him a fair shot from the start. I understand the criticisms and agree with a lot of them, but mostly I think he gets blamed for things that are out of his control and doesn’t get credit when it’s due him.

I guess this is a good point to address this. A lot of people have asked what it was like to be on the receiving end of that rant. I don’t know how to answer that. Was I the catalyst? The target? Would any question have triggered that response? (I say yes. Mine was the second question. The first asked for an explanation about squibs when the answer was pretty clear and I sensed Bill was not happy) Was this brewing? Was it earned? In truth, I don’t know. I do know it was a pretty good reply and something he quite clearly had on his chest for a while. So good for him. At least it was civil. And so it is I will answer thusly: It was awesome. 

rekterx said:

The Punch Bowl
Stewed Juices
Stewed Punch

I’m sure someone will come up with better than I have. But I have spoken with some football people who say that the average Mountaineer fan has a greatly exaggerated view of the talent on this team, especially on both lines. They have convinced me. And so has Stew. He’s right. There are a lot of teams (good teams even … thinking UCONN off of the top of my head) that would like to be 9-3 and going to the Gator Bowl.

Oh, they had some names, all right.

glibglub said:

Stew’s Beef

SheikYbuti said:

The ClemHire Strikes Back?

Erinn said:

how bout the “I really just want to punch Mike in the face” rant?

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

“Come after me! I’m a man! I’m 57! And we’re 9 and 3! In the Gator Bowl!”

glibglub said:

Oll Scold

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

In the spirit of the TBA, it could be called the BST (Bill Stewart Tirade)

The Artist Formerly Known as EER96 said:

Since Bill listens to Beyonce, he should have had “I Can`t Take No More” playing in the background when he spoke or he could have gone with “Why Don`t You Love Me?” just food for thought!

I just pulled these song titles off of Google as I am not as hip as Oll Stewart and do not have Beyonce on my walkman, err..I-pod.

Jeff Halladay said:

Want to give it a name? Work with one of Stewart’s mentors.

“A battle won is a battle which we will not acknowledge to be lost. ”
-Ferdinand Foch

Call the tirade the ‘Foch You Very Much.’ FYVM speech…probably a bit too nasty.

Couldn’t pass it up…

So many good options and the contribution from Mr. Halladay was a strong one, but I’ll borrow from glibglub and call this Oll Scolding.

Homer said:

What disqualifies Stewart from winning big isn’t his emotional demeanor or his lack of cursing … it’s his roll out the ball mentality, his lack of discipline and attention to detail, his thin skin to criticism and his poor judgment in crucial situations driven by a total lack of awareness of what’s happening as the game develops.

That’s what should define the merit of a coach, not his personality.

rekterx said:

Folks, it ain’t like Rod was winning 11 games every year. Sheesh!

The truth, despite questionable coaching calls (which virtually every coach has if you look closely), is that despite having both a suspect offensive line and suspect defensive line, this team is in the Gator Bowl.

Write the truth!

roopoo said:

Tony Dungy is by all accounts a great guy and a great coach. If you have ever read his book you know of his character and all you have to do is look at his record to see that he is a good coach.

+1

Country Roads said:

I think Mack Brown fits the mold, and he’s done pretty well. How about Jim Tressel?

My question is: why is it automatically assumed that Stew can’t win 11 (or 12) games? He’s won 9, and may win 10. We were awfully close to doing that this year, and from the looks of things, our talent is only going to improve. Sure, there have been questionable coaching decisions, but when are there not?

I’ll grant that Stew hasn’t proven he can win 11 yet, because he hasn’t done it. But I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that he has proven he can’t win 11. I’ll give him 2 more years before I’m willing to concede that point.

+2 … and that’s what bothered me about this admittedly provocative question. There are seemingly good guys who win and yet some sort of a barrier is placed between Stewart and 11 wins because he’s nice. I have no clue why it’s like this. That’s not fair to him and I really believe he’d rather be judged on how he coaches and not how he interacts.

Jeff in Akron said:

Bill Stewart chose the Rutgers post game press conference to punch back. Let’s not forget that the invitation to the Gator Bowl had just been presented, and the representatives were still in the room. His boss, Pastilong, was there too. I was shocked Stewart chose that moment, after all the other opportunities he had, to voice his displeasure. It seemed completely out of character.

Looking back it showed a fire that Stewart doesn’t show publicly very often. I still question the stage he chose, but it was nice to see. I believe he would be better served showing more of it on the sidelines, than in the post game press conferences.

The coach WVU will face in the Gator Bowl has done a pretty good job of being a gentleman, and winning a national title or two. The possibilty exists, as does the working model. Whether Bill Stewart can duplicate it, is still in doubt. He’s certainly been given the stage to start. I said it before, there is symmetry to this matchup with FSU.

There is a fire, and a drive inside Stewart. How hot, and how deep they run is yet to be determined. Beating Bobby Bowden’s FSU team to go to 10 wins would do a lot for Stewart’s persona.

At the very least, Bill Stewart cannot be judged by his cover. There is more to the man than just his down home exterior. How much more remains to be seen. Apparently, all you have to do is ask. He’ll tell you, without scolding.

Sorry, but it wasn’t surprising. And Stewart, as you mention, isn’t a bland or boring guy. He’s a passionate and effective speaker who chooses his moments to show it in public. That’s one of his strengths.

overtheSEC said:

Listen up, Maize and Blue backers: Would you rather be winning 4 games on average with Rich Rodriguez, or maintaining your dignity and winning 9.4 games a season with Lloyd Carr

I’d love to see that debate today.

Sam said:

I’ll never understand how players are allowed this sort of thing (which they earned for how they played) but they can’t earn anything else for how they play.

Bowl swag, an annual example of NCAA hypocrisy. Not that this’ll make you feel better, but the gift packages must be valued at no more than X amount of dollars. Oversight and such.

overtheSEC said:

I’m with Sam. “Hey let’s give kids free Ipod touches and $150 headphones, just make sure they don’t play overseas for a team that includes a player who’s being financially compensated.”

Example No. 2,143.

Sam said:

Where can we discuss Kevin Jones being our team’s best player? Where can we discuss Casey Mitchell being completely overrated?

This’ll do. I’ll defend Mitchell for a moment. His right knee — small meniscus tear in September, no surgery — is bothering him and Wellington Smith had an oddly intriguing explanation of how it’s affecting Mitchell’s shot. Just look at his release and lack of follow-through. It made sense to me. He’s also obviously pressing and wants to get out of this funk because he knows exactly what everyone is thinking about him when he knows he’s a very different player. I thought Huggins made a good call bringing Mitchell off the bench. Minimize pressure and let the kid work his way out of it. Better now than later. I think he’s been above average defensively, too, but he does need to start making shots — or at least believing he’s capable. As for Jones, yikes. What an improvement. The most concise way to explain his surge and his skill is this: Huggins said Jones never does anything wrong. He’s always early, he always tries, he never has bad effort days, he listens, he doesn’t argue, he doesn’t sulk. He’s willing himself wherever it is he goes. With the way WVU uses its offense, he’s a matchup nightmare.

JL said:

I wasn’t sold on the lofty ranking before the season, and I’m still not. I just can’t get it out of my head how they struggled to score at times last year, and I’m not sure how they’re going to avoid that at times this year with mostly the same players.

I think, like Huggins says, it all comes down to making shots. Not that that’s any big revelation to anyone, but with the way they defend, if they are making shots there aren’t many teams that can compete.

And Casey Mitchell, to this point, has not been much help. Watching him and his body language, he doesn’t seem to be comfortable in his role yet. He’s gone from being “The Guy” in JC and chucking it whenever and however he wants, to being, at best, the fourth option. And I can’t stand his follow through (or lack thereof).

We can agree Mitchell is a big, big X-factor this year, but I think WVU can score and get to 70 without relying on him — provided the team stays together. The team did not stay together in the second half Wednesday. Also, Smith is shooting it OK, Flowers can make a 3 and score inside, Butler is Butler, Ebanks should come around, Truck is efficient and we haven’t even seen Kilicli. They have some options. I don’t think points will be a problem. Offense is so much easier, though, when you play great defense.

latin hillbilly said:

I watched the UConn v. Kentucky game after I got home from the Coliseum, and I gotta tell ya, we simply don’t (not yet anyway) look anywhere near as dynamic as those two teams did at MSG last night. I think we will out-athlete a lot of teams, but if we play like we did last night against that UConn squad, I’m nervous. Kemba and Dyson are really really good. Wall is on another level. To date, tbd on whether we deserve to be top ten, but if I had to answer, I would say we’re not there. A couple more games under the belt and hopefully we shake off the frustrating tendancy to come off track.

On a side note, our fanbase if definitely NOT worthy of a no. 7 ranking. You’d think more fans would show up for the game with that much exposure and stature in the rankings, especially since our last real home game was 25 days ago.

To be fair, UConn and Kentucky have played a couple big games this season and essentially have to be better at this point. I think the level of competition for WVU has mattered and, maybe it’s just me, but I suspect the players expected more from Duquesne and were deflated a little when it didn’t materialize. As for the fans, I think the students can stop complaining about the seating now.

Dave said:

One nice thing is to read that some of the players are sticking to Huggins’ expectations. Butler seems to be supporting the effort … guys can celebrate when they win a title, they can enjoy what they achieved after they achieve it. What Huggins wants is to not be satisfied with beating Duquense by 30, but by using a game like this to work on the nuances that will come to fruition in March/April. Yeah, a dunk is a fun thing to do, but it does not get you much later in the year when you have to sprint back on defense to avoid one coming down your own throat. And a win against whomever today is not going to prepare you for North Carolina, Kansas or whomever you will meet after the Big East conference playoff is over.

Bingo. Had the offense just strung together a few possessions a few times in the second half — really run the offense, cut hard, get good shots — instead of passing and holding and improvising, I sense the feeling would have been a lot different afterward. You don’t want to waste time early in the season because such occasions don’t come around often in conference play.

Chris in DC said:

It’s way too early to tell. I don’t think you can judge this team by how it plays in second halfs of blow outs. It’s hard for any team, college or pro, to keep the intensity up when you have a comfortable lead. I think a better sample (at least I hope) is the 76 Classic where everyone stepped up at key moments.

Butler and Jones are the stars right now. The player I’m concerned about is Ebanks. His suspension and spots where he seems to take off aren’t what you would expect to see from a guy who is supposed to be a lottery pick this summer…

True, the team has picked its moments and hasn’t given a lead or a game away. That’s encouraging. For the record, Ebanks wasn’t suspended. He’s got a lot of work to do to be where he wants to be, but he’s got talent. If he had two good hands, we might see more.

SheikYbuit said:

The past few seasons I had grown used to saying (without the utmost conviction) that, on any given night, WVU could beat anyone or lose to anyone in the country. I now believe that we truly can beat anyone we step on the floor with, but I’m also confident that we can play badly and beat a lot of teams. To me, this is an improvement and perhaps an indication of a top-10 team. Perhaps I’m unsophisticated in my evaluative skills, but, so far, I haven’t seen much not to like. There have been small tell-tale signs to which others have referred, most notably Ebanks’s slow start and Mitchell’s propensity to blow hot and cold, but I have great confidence in Huggins to work these things out before crunchtime. The thing that strikes me most about this WVU team is its incredible depth, and I have to believe that given that much material, Huggins will find a way to develop the needed chemistry and make it work.

The situation should only improve after Caligula (or however one pronounces his name) serves his 20 games.

What stands out tome among this discussion is we have an idea of what a top 10 team is supposed to look like and we’ve had a close look at one a few years ago, but it’d grown to that position with great success and a clearly defined style. So early in this season with so little to go on against an undistinguished list of opponents, it’s hard to believe WVU is worthy of its spot, but it’s easy to see there’s a lot to like. To the point here, though, one of WVU’s best assets this season will be its ability to win on off nights and rely on depth when a key player doesn’t have it.

Ben said:

Mike – Any update on our recruiting? I am hearing grumblings that a couple of committments (RB & CB) are going to take official visits elsewhere. I know it’s a long way til February but…

I never know what to think, but I know this: I talked to “someone” this week who’s in the middle of this kind of stuff and someone told me WVU was going to have to battle for a few kids and for a few of its coaches. It’s a good and bad thing it’s a long way to February. It’s important to remember kids are allowed to take five official visits and this is when teams who made late rallies get kids to come to campus. Also, kids live to travel and love the attention. Can’t underestimate that, either.

Birch said:

“First I’d like to thank Marshal f****** University and that sum***** Mike Hamrick for allowing me these spec-*******-tacular oppurtunity to be the new g**d*** football coach at this f******* University. It’s great to be back in West F****** Virginia. “

Rick Trickett, everyone.

SheikYbuti said:

Is there any truth to the rumor that when AD Hamrick rose from his chair to leave the room before the interview was over, Trickett’s agent and the rest of his entourage remained in their chairs staring down at the table while Coach Rick completed the pitch?

The freeze pitch!

Homer said:

14 players on first-team defense – Stewart says as long as the refs don’t catch it, that’s a good approach

And if they do catch it, just do it again next year.

drlove said:

I understand Tevita Finau made honorable mention.

I bet I know where you read that.

overtheSEC said:

You can’t spell Seconday Violations without S-E-C

Auburn – http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/sec/2009-12-04-auburn-violations_N.htm

Bama – http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2007-07-06/alabama-self-reports-secondary-violations

Florida – http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_uf/2009/06/florida-football-commits-2-secondary-ncaa-violations.html

Ole Miss – http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4201673

Miss State – http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=10222601

South Carolina – http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/853931.html

Georgia – http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/070909/foo_461264325.shtml

SheikYbuti said:

And some days, you just can’t spell “secondary violations” period!

overtheSEC said:

Sheik, had I checked closer I could have “self-reported.” That’s apparently the trendy thing to do.

SheikYbuti said:

Well-played, over (I feel like I’m trapped inside a running “Airplane” gag). Because you self-reported, you lose none of next year’s posting allocation, but your official visits to Surber’s blog will be curtailed (not sure that’s a bad thing).

Enjoy the weekend!