Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which won’t be coming to you a day later than planned. As for WVU v. Marshall and the sixth annual — do you believe that? — Friends of Coal Bowl, what was once a standard Saturday kickoff is no more.

Multiple sources report as a done deal what was speculated as likely to happen in this space back on April 6.

Sept. 4 is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The Coal Bowl will have a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN, and an announcement from the network is expected as early as today.

It’s the third time in six years the game has drawn a national cable slot, the two previous times at Edwards Stadium. The game had been listed on the Big East master schedule as having the potential to move from a Saturday kickoff.

This, of course, is going to bum out a number of people who were planning their holiday weekends around this and have made and perhaps prepaid hotel reservations.  Instead of a Saturday night slumber and a Sunday trip back home, the plan must change. Unintended victims, I suppose, but I like it.

The game needs something to make it mean something. The spot at the start of the schedule helps. Getting it on national television is big for Marshall, of course, because those are not regular occasions. It’s as big for WVU and Dana Holgorsen, too. Don’t overlook the day of the week, either.

If the NFL sustains its lockout and Sundays are open, Fox, CBS, and ABC/ESPN will have to fill programming slots and I suspect the football starved can only take so much rugby or soccer or other alternatives. There are agreements between conferences and networks already in place — the SEC and CBS, the Big XII and Fox, the Big East and ESPN — and the schedules could be juggled. So is WVU v. Marshall the first game of their seasons or is it also the first time the NCAA satiates the NFL crowd?

(Kind of related and  unrelated, WVU. V Syracuse is now Friday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.)

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, seek proper help.

WVMANIAC said:

Mike,
In my time in Morgantown I was always told by prominent people that the only way WVU is going to get rid of pass-outs is by selling beer in the stadium. Could Ollie be pulling a political move here to get the pass out policy removed without beer sales?
Think about this: The columns all week have stated that beer sales have to be approved but the university doesn’t have to sell beer right a way, but the pass-out policy is something that Ollie says will be taken away no matter what. So who is to say that the BOG doesn’t pass the alcohol sales and Ollie still looks like a good guy that tried, but is still taking away pass-outs

That would be diabolical, but pretty shrewed. 

jb said:

Beer sales are only acceptable to me if they use this dispenser: http://www.youtube.com/user/BottomsUpBeer#p/a/u/0/cDcREYpQUaI
Anything else would be a shame.

And that would be special.

Karl said:

I have no idea what the Ackerman guy said, I can only imagine. But if he was dumping on Stew, and OL moved to cut him off quickly, I think it’s a great move. This could be a great year for the new and old staffs or it could be a long year. It may have been worth it for the chance to fire a shot across the bow before the season begins.

I don’t think anyone without an agenda could disagree with you. As it was put to me — and I’m paraphrasing — WVU put out a fire before it started. Forget about what capacity he was brought in at or what he was intended to do six months from now or why he was in New York or who paid for the trip — and I can’t believe the latter two were made to be issues. This was an employee who did and said things that got him fired. I trust I or you would have been treated the same had we acted the same. Isn’t that the story?

Foul Shot said:

The whole FOH situation seems to be a bad start.
Agreed, the coach in waiting wants his own people around.
This story is strange in that noone knew what this guy was doing, if anything, and that he was on the payroll of a state institution which is being supported, in part, by the taxpayers. You would think that there would be more oversight into the situation.
Hopefully this type of buddy system stuff does not continue.
If you are going to hire a new football operations guy, just do it and tell everyone that is what you are doing.
Don’t put your buddy on the payroll in some made up job that seems to be a placeholder until someone is moved out.

Can’t disagree with any of that, but I think we need to point out Shannon Dawson, Robert Gillespie and Bill Bedenbaugh were FOH and they’ve been gentlemen thus far who’ve cause no ripples in what everyone wants to see remain a sea of tranquility. And people knew the deal with Ackerman. It’s just that he was a figure on the periphery who was made by others (and by himself) to be more significant than he really is.

rekterx said:

Let me add another Texas dimension this week.

Ya’ll know that UT will come calling on Holgerson in 2-3 years, right?

I did not know that, but I don’t doubt this isn’t Joe Paterno on campus and that sooner rather than later, someone is going to make a run and probably win his services. Is this an objectionable trend: Three, four, five years at a high level and then a comparable/superior replacement?

Dann White said:

I just happened to find this interesting remark on “The Barking Carnival website for UT fans. The topic was; Who will be our new OC?.
It read: “Dana Holgorsen – Oklahoma State

Now we’re talking. He’s not the best long-term solution – he’s the best short-term solution. And that’s what we’re looking for given Mack’s timelines and our need for a quick shot of adrenaline. Holgorsen is basically Mike Leach with less Asperger’s, a stronger commitment to the running game, and a proven track record post-Texas Tech at U of H and making wine out of Welch’s at Oklahoma State.

However, Texas has vetted him and found a potential deal breaker. It’s not important you know what it is, just that it gives us pause. ”

Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to this “new” offense and the possibilities attached; and maybe I’m used to a different kind of animal at HC, (i.e. Nehlen, RR, Stewart) but the lack of history on Holgorson and his unique, no ties to home or family lifestyle have had me scratching my head.
Coach don’t get me wrong, I am not accusing or deriding, maybe it is just new for me to see such a “free spirit” landing such a lucrative position.

Interesting. It does look weird, but isn’t that because of his individuality? There aren’t many people wired quite like him — as far as I can tell this early in a relationship. I’ve talked to people who know him close and from afar and the opinions are split. No one, though, has conveyed to me he’s a time bomb. At the base, we’re all extremenly interested in the man and his path.

Michael said:

Mike- Can you bounce this to Huggins? Does he still have room in this Class?

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/16/1133204/nc-state-grants-release-to-uchebo.html

I shared this with Bob over lunch the other day. Take a guess where and what we ate. And you have no idea how hard it was to back out of my parking space. I’d tell you the story, but I don’t look back.

rekterx said:

West Texas? Like where in West Texas?

I’m serious about this. I’m retiring early. And I’m going out like Barry Sanders, not like Mike Jordan. See me in Odessa, Midland, or San Angelo.

JP said:

More unintentional humor from HCBS via Twitter:

“INTENTINESS: Stay the Course-When Thwarted try again … Harder, Smarter, Persevere, Relentless … YOUR Teammates Count on Your Leadership”

Intentiness … is that kind of like truthiness?

Kind of, yes. The idea itself is also a pretty severe contrast from Holgorsen’s, “If it works, do it again. But if you hand it off and it sucks, you probably shouldn’t do it again.”

montanaEER said:

Intentiness: the state of one’s being in a tent?

Tis.

The 25315 said:

John Adams was the only one term president of the first five.  Bill Stewart will only coach 4 years.  John Adams defended the British soldiers responsible for the Boston Massacre.   Bill Stewart worked for Rich Rodriguez for 7 years.  John Adams was Quincy tough.  Bill Stewart is Martinsville tough.  John Adams lived in the 19th century.   Bill Stewart lives in the 19th century. 

If Bud Selig’s son plays Bill Stewart in a TV mini-series, my mind might explode.

If there’s a mini-series about Stewart …

Josh24601 said:

Wait, so Blaine Quincy Stewart will be WVU’s 36th head football coach! Meantime, Daron Roberts’s wife Hilary will save the hearts of a (Mountaineer) nation when she rescues a portrait of Don Nehlen from the Puskar Center just before Mountaineer Field is set ablaze by the Virginia National Guard.

Now that I’ve read it, if this isn’t the mini-series script that plays out, I’ll be highly and truly disappointed.

glibglub said:

Speaking of historical parallels, the two coaches will develop an unexpectedly close and enduring friendship. Many years from now, Stew will whisper his last words “Dana Holgorsen survives,” not knowing that Holgs has passed on earlier that same day.

Well, Oll Stew isn’t into that Internet, so it’s still possbile.

Michael said:

It’s interesting that Oll Stew would choose to select John Adams; a stubborn, thin-skinned, single- minded Boston Brahmin who, as president, filled his cabinet with brilliant politicians, some of whom ( see VP Thomas Jefferson) were disloyal schemers as well as world class enlightenment philosophers.
He also promulgated the Alien and Sedition Act, the most egregious breach of individual rights ever foisted on an American electorate. On the other hand, he was the most devoted patriot for American independence. One might even say that Adams was the Bill Steward of the founding fathers; minus the intellect of course.

… starting to get a little  intimidated now. Was the aggressive move away from a spread offense the Quasi War?

lowercase jeff said:

he’s right on. adams ultimate strength was in his ability to be unswayed. stood between giants of american history, jefferson and hamilton, and did not let either bully him in their direction. love john adams. love bill stewart. lots of parallels between the two.

Yeah, let’s not for get the on-the-surface intent of the comparison. Stewart does make a point. There are many, many layers to it, but it exists.

EersNC said:

“We do what we want to and we ROLL with it.”

Sounds a lot like the Bob Huggins philosophy. And that’s a good thing.

That’d be a quote from Ivan McCartney, who’s got a pretty healthy swagger, and one that doesn’t match his accomplishments. I kind of like that, though. It’s like he sees into the future.  

Karl said:

In my mind, the key thing that needs to happen for this offense to be a success is for Geno to make faster decisions. The O-line took a lot of heat last season, but Geno didn’t help their case by how long he held on to the football. He sometimes asked way too much of them. I’m hopeful we can chalk it up to the fact that he was just a sophomore and Holgerson will teach him how to break that tendency.

Entirely valid point. Based on the slivers  of practce I’m allowed to watch, the ball is in his hands only long enough to get it set and let it go. The throws from Eu and Millard have been very quick. A lot of catches are made on the go. Even deep passes are fast and more or less put up for the receiver to go get.

overtheSEC said:

Mike,
I recall Stew having a paranoia of being filmed during Spring Games (didn’t he say something like “lol of cameras out there today”) and not wanting to give any insight into our offense during the last change in OCs. It doesn’t seem to me that Holgorsen (or many other coaches in the country) seem to care about that too much. How much witholding will there be in two Saturdays?

Close to no withholding. It’s another practice. They want to get as much action on film as possible.

AnxiousEER97 said:

What, none of the players miss the old offense?

Inconceivable!

Dave said:

Imagine that … the vendor towing the line that things will be better with their pockets lined.

Who would have thunk it?

I just don’t buy that things will be better, but we’re probably headed down the road to see if the signs are real or not.

Also inconceivable.

The 25314 said:

How are things so bad to begin w? It’s not like it’s a steel cage death match. There is some cursing, but that is in no way exclusive to WVU.

Wouldn’t you say WVU’s stadium behavior has improved from Randy Shannon Trash Can Hat Days? Since the elimination of The Pit? Since Linda Cohn put the fans on blast? Decorum isn’t a molehill, but it sure isn’t a mountain, either. Even I get a little flustered when the fans here are made out to be cannibals.

Straight Outts Mike Compton said:

Humans are going to drink past the point of good sense at sporting events. Doesn’t matter if it’s the WVU/Marshall fan, the British soccer hooligan or the Australian rugby fanatic. If it’s going to happen, may as well keep as good a handle on it as can be hoped. As Will Smith once said, welcome ta Earf.

Now that’s what I call an “Independence Day” reference. Somebody neest to alert my buddy, Brett. It’s his favorite movie. Don’t let him tell you otherwise.

SheikYbuti said:

About 10 years ago, a lone Pitt fan sitting among us season-ticket holders started to get exuberant and especially vociferous in the 2nd quarter, with his team doing well. About the third time he leapt from his seat, pumping his fist, turning toward the Mountaineer fans behind him to loudly exhort the Panthers, I yelled across the 15 feet or so of space between us, “Sit down, ***hole!” I had drunk nothing to that point. I was just wondering whether that lone incident makes me a bad person.

It makes you militant.

SheikYbuti said:

His response incidentally, was to exclaim “***hole??” Whereupon, he sat down and rooted less loudly. He was nowhere to be found by the 4th quarter, with his team down 3 TDs or so.

Oliver Luck spoke of the fans policing themselves because they either know or grow to know one another or because of the presence of pluralist policits in the stands. I think he was entirely aware of this specific incident.

Josh24601 said: 

Monica Zimmer, don’t pour beer on Bob Hertzel’s leg and tell him it’s raining.

Actually, just don’t spill a drink around Hertz. 

glibglub said:

I understand what he’s getting at, but honestly, when I think of vivaciousness I think not of football but, I dunno, Reese Witherspoon.

You don’t think football practice? Can we settle on Sandra Bullock then?

SheikYbuti said:

Glib: I think of Kirsten Dunst leading cheers in “Bring It On.” And also as a physical manifestation of vivaciousness.

Seriously, it’s a vastly underrated movie. Maybe not as underrated as “Road House” or “The Quick and the Dead,” but it deserves a bare mention in that category nonetheless.

Getting close to that time …

Jeff in Akron said:

The NBA is a business, if I were KJ I’d test the waters too. The irony is that if KJ stays at WVU and improves his game he may still slide farther in the draft next year due to all of the underclassmen that chose to return this year entering the draft next year. This year’s NBA draft is not that deep and a lot of teams will be “reaching” for players by the time it is over. Those players will get a decent salary and the attempt to chase a dream. So, he has to at least test the waters this year, it could be a better time for him to sell his abilities.

I would love to see KJ play for WVU next year, but, for his future this is a good decision. I also have to believe that Huggins was not only aware, he also signed off on this.

In the long run it is a smart business move. For me, I cannot fault a guy trying to improve his status. I have to believe whatever team would consider drafting KJ would realize he needs a year to work on his game. That team may also consider paying him to learn on their roster against the players on that roster. After all, the talent sitting on an NBA bench is better than the talent that KJ will face next year in college basketball.

Alexander won player of the year this past year in the d-league, how many of us would exchange our pay checks for his? Joe didn’t make millions, but I’ll bet he made more than most of us while continuing to chase his dream. There is great value in that.

Eh, I’m  not sure  this is as calculated or rooted in self-exploration as I thought before. Not with the May 8 withdrawal date coming fast. That’s the thing that seems odd, to me. He’s done his homework for quite some time now and had until Sunday to declare. He now has 16 days to do … what? The pre-draft camps i after the deadline. If I’m a WVU fan, the timeline has me curious and a little worried. If I’m KJ, I saw all those guys stay in school this month and realized, “Um, they’re going pro next year.” And let’s be honest: What’s his ceiling? And is he close?

NCMountaineers said:

KJ would have been dumb NOT to test the waters here. If he’s smart about it, he really has nothing to lose here. I think KJ had another solid year, and was definitely was not “intensely disappointing.” I don’t know about anyone else, but it’s hard for me to be too upset with a guy that played his rear off and damn near averaged a double double – all while becoming the focal point of every opposing defense for the first time in his career.

I think KJ will hear from scouts that he needs to come back – he has almost no handle, and he’ll need that to succeed in the league. But, with the all of the underclassmen that have decided to stay in school, he might have a chance to play himself into the draft. He had to do it.

KJ has been nothing but class. Selfishly, I’d like to see him back at WVU next year. Whatever happens, I wish him well.

In truth, there’s nothing he could do on campus these next 16 days that will rob him of any productivity at WVU next season. So, no, it doesn’t hurt. Something just seems odd, to me.

Foul Shot said:

In the early Product years when we could not figure out how to stop Maryland from running up and down the field against us, getting blown out in the Gator Bowl, I was not a big Casteel fan.
Now, I respect what he has done with putting together some solid defenses amidst some terrible offensive teams the last three years.
Glad to hear he is hopefully going to stick around.
The higher sum for Holgs is a retainer for the Coach in Waiting title, we understand that as I am sure the assistant coaches also do.

A friend of mine works in pro sports and is a WVU graduate. Late in the 2008 season, we had a conversation about the state of affairs and he said what I think a lot of people, if not everyone, has since come to think: “I never would have thought people would be so happy to have Casteel.” What strikes me most about Casteel is his teams get so much better during the season and typically are playing their best at the end. Quite likely the same is to be said of his career. He’s gotten and is getting better.

glibglub said:

What’s his deal? In a profession full of careerists with one eye out for the next gig, he seems to go against type. Successful, but very low profile, doesn’t seem to chase bigger jobs or pay raises. Or is he just very good at not seeming to do those things? I know he’s said he feels geographically well situated (home and family wise), but still. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking it. Just find it interesting.

The guy loves to teach. Loves it. I observe him in the spring and he looks like he’s having a whole lot of fun. Part of that is kind of a cat/canary thing because while he lost a lot of talent, he has a bunch to work with. The larger part is he lives for the instructional, building part of his job. I just hope he hasn’t negotiated into his contract a silence clause to get away from interviews. He’s asked some of the most absurd questions ever and after he’s subjected to about 10 or 15 minutes of that I’m sometimes scared to ask something because, who knows, maybe he’s just been pushed too far and has had enough and wants to smack me with his baseball cap. Yet he handles that about as smoothly as one could hope.

SkeikYbuti said:

Buy that man a $7 beer!

… wait …

Parks said:

I think he should buy us one!

Enjoy the weekend!