Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which is in a hurry today. It’s a beautiful day in Morgantown. Precisely the type of day to knock a few back and go canal swimming. Let’s dive right in, yes?

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, happy holiday to you, lowercase jeff.

 The 25314 said:

“There are times we’ve got to score a bunch -”

And yet, in those games we don’t score a bunch, either. Our offense looks the same whether Florida State is scoring 33 or South Florida is scoring 6. Loads of potential, fast starts, no results.

Indeed, though I wonder if this isn’t an admision to such a reality. Maybe the offense is just better at doing this and the team is more likely to win this way. I also wonder if this is something WVU will really pursue or if it’s just a talking point, like increasing the regularity of a two-minute offense tempo. Either way, the dynamic as been defined and established now. It’ll be fun to follow.

Eers fan in bmroe:

Seems like there’s a lot of Kool-aide being dispensed in house at WVU. I don’t blame the players for towing the company line (it’d be even worse if they didn’t), but this “strategic” mindset is going to (has already?)cost us chances for the big wins, the wins that matter (i.e. LSU).

Perhaps, or maybe LSU was better at the very same game.

ccteam:

The LSU loss had nothing to do with play calling. A fumble, a punt return, and the Tiger defensive line overpowering WV’s offensive line cost the Mountaineers that game. Sure, I’d like to see WV score half a hundred a game, but conservative play calling on offense when your defense is good is a legitimate strategy. I won’t knock the coaches for it.

You’ve got to keep that promise when WVU loses 21-20, OK?

Eers fan in bmroe said:

I think 5-1 is a good record. Last time I checked though, 6-0 is better.

The “conservative” approach got us into trouble just as much as the punt return and fumble at LSU. The play calls for WVU’s last two posessions at LSU when the game is 20-14 per ESPN:

WVU gets the ball on the 7 yard line with 8:49 to go. 3 rush plays, four yards gained using up 2:06 (there was a 5 yard penalty against LSU on 3rd down).

WVU gets ball on the 9 yard line with 3:57 to go. 1 rush (Noel Devine who was injured at that point) for a loss of 1 and 2 incomplete passes using up 1:02.

Based on those two possessions, I’m very suspect of an offensive strategy that relies heavily on the defense to get the job done. Shucks, I guess all I really am complaining about is one bad quarter of football.

Those two possessions were troubling, but I think that was an isolated case of something different and not really a reflection of the overall strategy. WVU needed a scoring possession there, so I think the thinking had to change. Whatever the case, yeah, that was just not very good for the Mountaineers.

glibglub said:

Three Big East offenses are showing noticable signs of life: Bearcats, Cards and recently even the hapless Panthers. I will be very interested to see how the defense handles those three. Their quarterbacks will in many ways present greater challenges than did Jefferson and Daniels.

But what about UConn’s guy? You know, what’s-his-name. And does anyone else think Pitt is 8-3 entering the Brawl and the game decides the Big East?

NCMountaineer said:

Have any of you ever been angry or unhappy with the play-calling in the “score zone” AKA Beatty time? Beatty’s like the back-up QB. He’s everybody’s favorite.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Beatty and think he’s a great coach, but remember he’s running the show the next time we stall inside the red zone.

Yeah, goood point. And have you seen WVU’s red zone numbers these past three years? Not bad, but not mind-blowing, either. (I have to assume the score zone is different, maybe the 30-yard line and in, where the team can expext to call plays assuming it can score a touchdown with the right play(s), but also get a field goal even if it gains no more yards.)

hershy112 said:

Does anyone else think it’s funny that Beatty said all that time that it won’t work, and it hasn’t, then he finally says it will work, and it does? Hmmm, pretty sharp fellow if you ask me, maybe OC material.

NCMountaineer,

I’m not sure that he meant Beatty was calling the plays inside the red zone, but maybe so. Maybe Mike can clear that up.

Mullen has a pretty exhaustive call sheet for every game. There are plays for field position, down and distance, game sitaution, players, on and on. Beatty is charged with helping asssemble a part of it — the score zone. He’sprobably asked for plays his slot receivers and running backs are good at, too. And kudos to Beatty for dusting the h-and-l off at the right time … but I’d have to assume he’s suggested plays that didn’t work, either.

ccteam said:

I doubt that Beatty will tell why he thought it would work, but it would cool to know. As for credit, it should be shared. Beatty thinking it would work, and Mullen for taking the ultimate responsibility for calling it. Good work by the coaching staff and players for implementing it. Johnson had a nice block at the end that opened Noel’s path to the end zone. Jock and Noel handled the ball flawlessly. The line gave EU time, and he put it on the money.

I’d say WVU practiced it for quite some time and did so consistently without errors. That trust is the key. Also, USF’s defense sped to the ball. Everyone. The goal was to take away the space created for WVU’s players — witness Jock’s 10 catches for 31 yards. WVU knew it could spring a trap, though. Throw the familiar short pass, USF reacts and rallies, WVU pulls the rug and unloads the ball from Jock in tight space to Noel in open space.

ffejboc said:

Tandy has to lead the nation in tipped INTs. How many does he have, three? Four?

There’s no such category, but I’m going to say Tandy leads. Try and follow me here:  Tandy is tied for No. 2 nationally in interceptions. He has four. The national leader has five. All of Tandy’s interceptions have been on tips. I’ll wager national No. 1 Donovan Fletcher, of Ohio, is not 5-for-5.

Karl said:

Keith “Handsy” Tandy

H.R. is all over this.

Drew said:

I hereby dub thee “Tip Drill” Tandy

And if he scores this week, or sometime soon, is it just TD Tandy?

Alli said:

“…wants some Olympic sports facilities enhanced.”

Okay, I will go there…A new track?

Rennovations to the Natatorium. Sorry.

lowercase jeff said:

style of play and national standing definitely have a lot to do with the empty seats. a lot of our “fans” need a trophy program (similar to a trophy wife). i think thats lame. if you can only fully support a team when its scoring 40 and leading off sportscenter, well, stay home. hopefully the true fans have lots and lots of kids. we’ll fill that stadium soon enough.

im a mountaineer. not a 2006-2008 mountaineer and not a “when highly ranked” mountaineer.

im not saying i dont like those types of fans, im just saying that they stink and that i am better than them and that i dont like them.

Trophy comment there. Well done.

NotSoFastMyFriend said:

“Casteel, in his ninth season as the defensive coordinator at West Virginia, isn’t part of the new-guard of college football coordinators. He doesn’t want the network television cameras to zoom in on him, he doesn’t need the announcers to talk about the wonderful job he does. He isn’t angling for a promotion, the limelight or bushels of praise.”

Could that possibly be a jab with every networks’ obsession of Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster? If you can stomach it, watch a VT game and tell me how many times the camera zooms in on him or his name is mentioned. That is the sole reason I came up with the VT Drinking Game

Now that you mention it, that does happen a lot. And I’d like to see the rules for this game you’ve concocted.

Aaron said:

My question is this: does West need a scholarship? Can’t he simply pay his way and perform like a walk-on?

Well, one was available. West has paid his dues, so to speak. I know his dad is rich and all that, but I really doubt Huggins is into just giving these things out for sentiment. It’s not easy doing what Jonnie did the previous four years.  And he’s a valuable addition in ways not related to practice/performance.

jtmountaineer said:

Glad to have him back. A light-hearted, seasoned veteran is certainly welcome on the bench and in the locker room. Very glad as well to see that point guard commit to next fall’s freshman class. I have a feeling this year’s team will take some time to come together, not unlike last year’s team, as we figure out who will score reliably. But if they can figure out enough offense, and Deniz and Noah and Truck and Casey can figure out their defense, the talent should be something to behold. These are the five months I’ve been waiting for.

Bingo. WVU is going to miss Da’Sean and Wellington, at least early on, and how goofy they were and how fun they made things. Remember, that devil may care attitude carried the Mountaineers in March. West was in the middle of it all. You need guys like that.

BigJimSlade said:

I’m guessing West didn’t accept any money from the autographs sessions at the mall(s) after last season?

Guess not.

Homer said:

Just make sure he gets a couple practices in before he puts on pads.

Ouch!

Sam said:

Mike,

Who is the team looking toward to replace Mitchell’s 1-7 shooting and 3 turnovers in only 6 minutes of court time performances?

It’s irreplaceable! And Mitchell will be back.

 wvu304 said:

Both Hinds and Boatright are lightning quick guards. Remind me former Syracuse point Jonny Flynn (we can only hope either comes close to being the player Flynn is). Either can be a one man press breaker. If Huggs succeeds in teaching these kids to play D, we’re going to be scary.

I’ve seen Hinds play, have only seen clips of Boatright, but I was impressed in person with Hinds. He has a real point guard presence to him and made good decisions, which isn’t necessarily the case in AAU events. And yes, this is a pretty interesting assembly by the staff. Six players: Two points, three SFs and a big. The guards are legit and that’s your style-of-the-future. Run and get easy baskets, but also have guys who can feed the post and facilitate athletic wings.

ffejboc said:

If WVU gets Mike Shaw or Michael Chandler or Keaton Miles to finish off the verbals for 2011, this will be a top 15-20 type of class. Good stuff.

WVU got Keaton Miles, we know, and that pushed the ESPN Scouts Inc. rank to No. 10.

fffejboc said:

mazzula, west, thoroughman, flowers, mitchell = 5
unfilled scholarship = 1
if Jones leaves = 1
if Cottrill doesn’t stick = 1

There are at the least 6 and possibly 8 scholarships available for 2011.

Correct. The unfilled will come open when the NCAA approves Darrious Curry’s medical hardship waiver. And, please, let’s stay away from the Cottrill stuff.

latin hillbilly said:

Mike: any thoughts on parallels between the brunnetti/j. johnson and boatright/j. hinds recruit coups? Do you think Huggy has a better shot at making that dynamic work? Also, on a separate but similar point, does Huggy’s landing of 2 “elite” point guards portend an untimely demise to noah coatrill’s career at the woo voo?

very truly.

Not going to speculate on Cottrill, but your premise is interesting. I don’t think it has as much to do with the coaches or the players as much as it does with the games. You can play two point guards in basketball, simultaneously even. You’d rather play just one quarterback. Every year you see schools recruit quarterbacks and ultimately lose them. It produces the highest turnover ratio — players at the position-to-players who leave — and it’s because the playing time just isn’t there. You can play four cornerbacks and three running backs and five receivers. Not the same at quarterback. Look at the best Division II teams. Many have Division I transfers at quarterback. In basketball, you need depth in the backcourt and on an ordinary night the backup will play 12-15 minutes. The way WVU plays, the point guard and the shooting guard in the motion offense do the same things. There’s no reason you can’t play both at once … and you’ll see that this season with Truck and Joe. I also think this is the way Huggins wants to look, as mentioned above. Guards who can get easy buckets, but also make half-court offense easier, too.

rekterx said: 

Lavin will have those guys rockin’ soon. Then we will be going head-to-head and toe-to-toe for some of those NY recruits.

Absolutely. They’ve got a good and potential-filled roster already. And since it’s public knowledge now, Rick Pitino voted for the Red Storm.

Karl said:

Wow, the Johnnies have 10 seniors on their squad. Ten! From what I’ve been reading in the NY papers, Lavin seems to be getting that program back on the right track. Good recruits are looking at Queens again. And again, the guy can sign 10 (!) players in this class.

What if St. John’s became a power again? I get a little excited thinking about it.

Wayne said:

Mike,

Isn’t true that WVU has finisher higher in the Big East than their preseason rank for the past 5 years?

WVU has finished at or above the preseason prediction the previous eight years. The Mountaineers matched the predition last season and were above it the seven years before that.

JutYourJaw said:

Someone emailed me this piece of trash story.
A piece of trash for a few reasons.

http://www.wvmetronews.com/sports.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=40355&type=Chip

1. Didn’t we go over this Finau is at Utah issue on this blog like a month ago?
2. Who is his Chip Fontanzza windbag and why should I ever care what some nobody like him has to say. Honestly, I have never heard of this clown.

Mike I assume these are the type of “experts” you refer to when you say they hand out a media pass to anybody over there at Ye Olde Mountaineer Field.

This really took off this week, didn’t it? I had it emailed and texted to me, too. In response to your questions: 1) Yes, a week earlier. 2) Chip works in a fluid capacity for Metro News. I’d call it “content provider,” I guess. And yes, there are a lot of these sorts who get credentialed — sometimes multiple passes for one outlet — and carry cameras and recorder and increase crowds. I don’t much mind as long as they don’t interfere with my work. When I see someone come from the stands and go into a press conference, when someone starts asking about a player’s favorite TV show or the first concert he attended and I need to ask about a play or a game or an injury, I get a little irritated.

Eric said:

Hi my name is Chip. I have this great idea I’m working on for my next blog entry. It’s about a guy named Sun Stew. Can’t wait to tell you all about him.

Don’t you dare. Also, I did a radio thing for Western New York yesterday. A few minutes in, “Mike, tell us about Sun Stew.”

The 25314 said:

I’m reminded of what the great pirate captain mike leach once said, “there are a whole lot of good plays, the secret is deciding which ones you want to be good at.”

In other words, you need to swing your sword the right way. I learned this watching”Friday Night Lights” with my jaw on the floor a while back. Surreal cameo. 

glibglub said:

Comic books for kids implies a substantially delayed payoff in terms of boosting attendance. If they want more students in the stands in the here and now, maybe they should consider one of those edgy “graphic novel” thingies.

… and instead of a ticket voucher, it’s Camel points. No?

The 25314 said:

Matt Wells – if you’re out there – Jersey Shore Night.

I’m bringing this up when I see him tomorrow. Vanessa House hits a 3 — It’s T-shirt time! Rutgers calls a timeout — fist pumps! To beat WVU, you have to GTL — go through Liz !

SheikYbuti said:

I like the idea of a graphic novel. I must say that I’m intrigued by the thought of the women’s team fighting crime and corruption on and off the basketball court dressed as an army of Silk Spectres.

I don’t know what to say to that … except next year’s grant is in the bag.

The 25314 said:

Women’s basketball is writing comic books, Da’Sean is tweeting children’s stories, Sun Stew quotes Wetzel County playwrites and French generals….quite the literary renaissance in the WVU athletic department.

Enjoy the weekend!