A few emails found their way to my inbox last week that conveyed a little confusion about Texts from Game Day. Understood, I suppose, since there are bound to be new eyes on the blog.

One gentleman wondered how I could watch the game closely and objectively while sending out all these texts — no, seriously — and two others, while admitting they thought it was perhaps funny, wondered about the purpose.

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like a newspaper and the airwaves are the proper places to use the traditional means to review and rehash a game … and I have no problem with that, since, you know, I work for one of those newspapers. I also recognize that sort of information is out there, some of it crafted by me, and one might not necessarily come here to get that, but to get something different. I kind of like that responsibility.

Think there’s an immeasurable value to in-the-moment reactions and observations. Collect those, organize them and present the package and you’ve got a pretty thorough and telling way to review a game. Add the, uh, colorful commentary games like Friday’s can produce and you can see why Texts from Game Day works.

Never before has the stream of incoming texts been more reflective of the collective thoughts and emotions, fears and hopes, observations and evaluations, praise and criticism been as clearly and convinvingly conveyed as it was Friday night. And this wasn’t as much about one game as it was about 28. Two-plus seasons seemed very much on the line.

Maybe it’s been a long time since a WVU win produced as empty a feeling. Maybe this, weeks from now, is something the team has learned from. Maybe this is something, again, weeks from now, that is looked back at as when things started to go wrong. For now, it is what it was: an overtime victory on the road where nothing went right until the very end as a quarterback grabbed his team by the right arm and dragged it down the field. Twice.

Time will be spent asking serious questions and examining issues both good and bad. For now, behold the joy — and the purpose — of texts.

(7:09 PM): Players harder to replace than Sands: Noel, Neild, Tavon, Geno (maybe)

(7:09 PM): Has John Holliday killed Colin Dunlap yet?

(7:13 PM): Will there ever be a game in this series where we get a decent start?

 (7:14 PM): ACK! That Robert Sands injury made me throw up in my mouth a little

(7:14 PM): Well anyone who’s watched 5 min of WVU football knows that play will be open all day. 8-12 in the middle of the field

(7:20 PM): Geno’s doing his Peyton Manning impression tonight with all those at the line changes…here’s hoping he doesn’t go full Manning and throw crippling INTs

(7:21 PM): Never seen a defensive lineman cheer so much when giving up a first down–just glad they didn’t give up the HR to Devine

 (7:27 PM): Jock Sanders did make the trip right?

 (7:42 PM): Get the freaking play in!!

(7:42 PM): Get the f ing play in

(7:44 PM): Tavon is shifty!

(7:50 PM): O line is clearly the weakness of this team

(7:52 PM): Love the 4th-and-1 call. Bad result <> bad decision.

(7:52 PM): Hey, Stew…or Mullen…I knew Owen Schmitt, I saw Owen Schmitt play, and Ryan Clarke (no matter how much I personally like him) is NO Owen Schmitt. Take

(7:52 PM): the points early, damnit!

(7:53 PM): Maybe we should have run it to the right.

(7:55 PM): Aaron Dobson…is…uhh….god just kill me now

(7:55 PM): Does he get fired if they lose? For real.

(7:56 PM): Yep; the 1996 defense can sleep securely tonight

(7:56 PM): Tandy got toasted, sure, but Anderson had ages to throw a deep ball to a man who’d run a double move.

(7:57 PM):14 pt swing. You know how you said its one thing to know the play, its another to do it? Tackle Ryan Clarke then beat Tandy deep

(7:58 PM): That pass never happens if Robert Sands was still alive

(7:59 PM): Let go of ball 2 feet before end zone

(8:02 PM): Left side of OL: no es bueno.

(8:02 PM): I’m glad I’m not somewhere that I could get my hands on some whiskey right now…I’d already be in the floor after this mess

(8:03 PM): Hey…O-Line…it’s ok to hit those guys straight across from you in the green jersey

(8:03 PM): Geno just got sacked. Twice. BY Marshall. This game is over.

(8:03 PM): Two sacks on 3 man and 4 man rushes

(8:05 PM): Somewhere LSU’s D-Linemen are watching this game and already taking bets among themselves about who sets the single game sack record

(8:09 PM): What? They’re playing 2 hand touch tonight or something??? How else do you explain that flag on Garvin???

(8:10 PM): TV guys just explained the penalty on Garvin…and it still pisses me off. Let’s turn all games into 2 hand touch and call it a day already

(8:13 PM): In the understatement of the year the announcers said “Everything going the way of the Marshall Thundering Herd”

 (8:14 PM): The High School Football promo that just ran on ESPN 2 made me want to throw my remote at the TV. Don’t promote HSFB if you’re gonna butcher it with all

(8:14 PM): these damn Friday night games.

(8:16 PM): If Pat White were QB he would have just shrugged to the press box for not having a play in before 10 sec to go on the play clock

(8:17 PM): I take back my earlier comment about Ryan Clarke

(8:19 PM): Bill Stewart is a really good coach.

(8:19 PM): The silver lining is if Marshall wins, half the team will be suspended next week because they’ll be out pistol whipping people in a bar or robbing people

(8:19 PM): or whatever the team does to celebrate.

(8:21 PM): Issues with timely play-calling. Wunderbar.

(8:22 PM): Geno on the phone to Mullen: “You’d better be recruiting some offensive linemen!!”

(8:23 PM): Somehow Geno has ok numbers (11/14 110+) at this point…amazing considering there’s no blocking at all in front of him

(8:25 PM): It’s halftime…I’ll be in the garage with the car running if anybody needs me

(8:28 PM): Halftime. It can’t get any worse for at least another 15 minutes.

(8:28 PM): Ok. So Geno’s playing lights out. Noel’s been between the tackles way too much. We’re just one big play from being right back in this ourselves.

(8:49 PM): I called the fumble an hour ago espn

(8:50 PM): So the fact that wasnt a [legitimate Aaron Dobson] td really chaps my [posterior]. I [sincerely] hate this game.

(8:51 PM): Here comes the bourbon, we can’t recover without a score in the next 5 min

(8:56 PM): Staying an extra year to improve draft stock becomes difficult when you fumble whenever tackled against Big South and Conference USA opponents

(9:01 PM): Coach stew is like the girl on snl with his hands in his armpits

(9:06 PM): Marshalls goal post are crooked on last field goal left side higher than right

(9:07 PM):  You can tell the goalposts are crooked. No way you can get a legit look at a high kick. And I just jinxed us

(9:11 PM): It’s 10 after 9 and I just flipped my fitted hat inside out. Too soon?

(9:13 PM): Never been happier to see the bubble

(9:19 PM): Pugnetti has a barbed wire tattoo? On that arm? Brahsome

(9:24 PM): December 1, 2007

(9:25 PM): Im crying

(9:28 PM): Good ol fashioned [butt] kicking in every facet of the game

(9:28 PM): This is [truly] pathetic…i may not watch another game this seasn

(9:34 PM): Think Doc would leave marshall after one year? Otherwise, who else would be interested?

(9:34 PM): WTF, it’s over

(9:35 PM): Nice tackling. It’s bourbon time.

(9:35 PM): Let’s take that 4 mil surplus and give saban 6 and be done with it

(9:35 PM): Ballgame

(9:36 PM): Ohh so THAT’S how a WR screen is supposed to work

(9:36 PM): Who cares about football, when does bball tip off

(9:37 PM): They have to pull together the comeback of the century now, and I don’t think stew has it in him.

 (9:37 PM): Does he do anything but clap his f-ing hands?

(9:37 PM): OK, down 15. Let’s see who can drop the ball next

(9:42 PM): The beginning of the end of the Stewart regime, I’m afraid. If a team’s performance reflects the coaching staff’s preparation and demeanor, then this di

(9:42 PM): splay has been piss poor indeed.

(9:44 PM): How many times does Stew tout our undefeated home record this week?

(9:44 PM): And the defense officially has a $.44 cent stamp on their collective foreheads.

(9:45 PM): ESPN has twice ID’d Gayle Manchin as Mary Jane Holley. 1st Lady IS in head-to-toe green.

(9:48 PM): Tell me something, does the o line look as bad in person as on tv

(9:51 PM): And that’s the ballgame…congrats Marshall, you’re 1-9.

(9:54 PM): And the 5 remaining people on the Bill Stewart fan-wagon just jumped off…a few ankles may have been broken….

(9:55 PM): Yah. A break goes WVU’s way….and yet they’re pinned…again…3 and out here we come

(9:56 PM): So you’re saying there’s a chance?

(9:56 PM): Anybody who says this isn’t at least on par with The Night That Never Happened is kidding themselves

(9:57 PM): Athough, I must say, I mostly feel numb. Just blankly staring at my screen, occasional shaking my head. I call it my Bill Stewart impression

(10:02 PM): Vinny Curry….I…hate you

(10:03 PM): This stupid [man] will kick it away.

(10:06 PM): I might have thrown in the towel a bit early…probably not, but maybe…

(10:07 PM): WvU better not have any award winners for this game except maybe scout team champions

(10:09 PM): Just heard luck and Mike Leach are friendly. Book it.

(10:10 PM): Bruce irvin on the play!

(10:11 PM): You play to win the game!

(10:16 PM): Never seen so many shoestring tackles

(10:17 PM): Right side O-Line. SERIOUSLY?

(10:22 PM): At least if MU wins, we haven’t given them the pleasure of a comforting heartburn-free win. Thats familiar territory for WVU fans

(10:31 PM): YES!!!!we took MARSHALL to overtime!

(10:31 PM): Openly sobbing uncontrollably in chic n bones

(10:43 PM): HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 (10:44 PM): And the game comes down to a missed Marshall field goal. We are so AWESOME!

(10:44 PM): Lsu’s going to blast us put I really don’t care right now.

(10:44 PM): Geno Smith. A Legend is Born. We are all Witnesses

(10:44 PM): Too much for me. Geno looked good

(10:45 PM): How much time was left when pat white led the comeback against louisville? Similar to tonight.

(10:46 PM): It’s the beginning of the Golden Age of the Stewart regime.

(10:52 PM): Watch film. Towels changed this if you didn’t already know. Watch the film. 8:10 left in 4^th

(11:04 PM): I danced on a table. And i just did the electric slide like im in 8th grade. [Celebrate] me.

(11:25 PM): Just rewatched The Drive–sorry Elway–could the [donkey] who ran on the field before crucial 3rd and 3 be Marshall’s version of “Bartman”?

(12:04 AM): Jock-ay? Was he on 227?