5:12: Believe it or not, we’re exactly three hours from kickoff. Time just can’t pass by fast enough. Just as those guys.

5:16: Once again, no Matt Lindamood. Might be about time to look into this because he’s been “banged up” for a while now. Cole Bowers is also not on the dress list.

5:20: And here’s people getting after it in the parking lot. You’re never too old to shotgun a beer. It’s there for all ages.

 

5:32: Here’s a picture of the patch coaches will be wearing today. It’s the Coach to Cure MD promotion.

5:43: LSU has won its last four true non-conference road games and WVU has won 18 straignt non-conference home games.

5:44: A little more about LSU’s recent non-conference success: 35 straight overall, 20 in September and five against ranked teams.

5:46: The last team to beat LSU and WVU in a non-conference regular-season game? Virginia Tech. Hokies Got LSU in 2002 in the season-opener in Blacksburg, 26-8, and got WVU in 2005 34-17.

5:48: WVU hasn’t lost a home game to an SEC team since 1968 — and JackBo was a freshman in Lexington who probably rushed the field for reasons he could not then and cannot now explain.

5:58: My buddy pointed this out to be about Mike Locksley, who just cannot be fired: His very terrible New Mexico team is playing a home game against the FCS’s Sam Houston State. His very terrible New Mexico team is the decided underdog. Maybe you hate that the administration hurried to hire Bill Stewart, but that haste removed any possibility WVU hired Locksley.

6:20: Josh Francis is starting at weakside linebacker today. Casey Vance will be the backup.

6:28: These people are, for some reason, in the press box today. Let’s call it the ____ box, because the word “press” is no longer valid.

6:40: Those young men are apparently members of the swim team and, as such, allowed up here an hour before kickoff.

6:42: Now this guy …

7:30: Key thing tonight is WVU’s ability to engage the crowd throughout the game. The stadium has been filling for a long, long time now, but the people remain rabid with a lot of vibrant music. That’s gonna have to happen through timeouts and lulls and halftime.

7:32: Question for the remaining 40 minutes: Suppose WVU wins…is there any way the fans don’t rush the field? I don’t think there’s anything available that will discourage them, which then makes me wonder and worry about a black eye the school and the state and the people of both neither need nor can afford. And, no, I didn’t just jinx you.

7:52: It’s bananas in here … and not just because of the predominant color.

7:57: JackBo on Landau singing the national anthem. “They better pipe it in here. The guy’s tremendous.”

7:59: This man just nailed the anthem. Very good and he punctuates is by waving one of the gold rally towels as he belts “… of the brave” and sends the crowd into an absolute and frothing frenzy. JB then chimes in, “Best thing to come out of Logan since Noah Cottrill.” And then, “That was so good it woul dmake Dana’s hair stand on end.”

8:01: I’ve only had a few minutes to think about this, but I love a good national anthem and I’m placing that one somewhere between Whitney Houston and Dennis Hastert. Enrico Palazzo thought that was good.

8:05: WVU operations people pulling out all the stops here. New beginning to the intro with the instrumental Blueprint 2 … which was kind of cool. Can’t complain about any of their work so far, but I maintain they’ve got a big job tonight.

8:12: I’d say it’s as loud here as it seems on TV. Can’t hear the PA in the press box.

8:15: Joe Madsen kills the opening possession with a personal foul after the play to set up a third-and-22 … and the subsequent punt.

8:17: Corey Smith didn’t punt well last week and he wasn’t available for interviews this week. He answers the bell by kicking one 14 yards.

8:21: Najee obliterated the fullback on the first play to let Garvin make the tackle. Those were the two players who were flagged for unnecesssary roughness last week who vowed not to change the way they played.

8:22: Stunned Tandy couldn’t get the tipped pass interception, but you have to make those plays tonight.

8:24: Cornerback Brodrick Jenkins playing safety on the SWAT, which is new … and Pat Miller gets beat for a 30 yard gain on third-and-13.

8:26: Shaky start for the defense and pat Miller in particular. Let Beckham Jr. go on the 30-yard play and let Randle get inside on the touchdown. Looks like LSU can pass it a little. He’s been better this season than ever before.

8:31: Wrinkle there with Roberts and Alston in the backfield.

8:33: Tempo not quite what WVU wanted and that delay penalty is the first pre-snap penalty of the season.

8:34: There’s Brad Starks. Loses a fumble after a 10-yard gain. Tyrann Mathieu might be the best football  player WVU sees this season. I suppose the optimist’s view is that Smith’s punt would have only gone a little longer.

8:43: Just everything you can’t do in a game like this is thus far happening for the Mountaineers … who do appear to be able to move the ball. The Tigers can, too, though and its 13-0 as Michael Ford flied through a huge hole into the end zone. I’d say the LSU offense is more effective than many imagined. Two bad snaps are the only things to go against LSU so far.

8:54: Might to be nerves, but WVU is doing things it hasn’t done at all this season. Very out of character. Emotional outbursts, the only pre-snap penalties of the season, dropped snap, missed receptions, so on and so forth.

8:59: If McCartney’s catch stands, the past 32 plays have started on WVU’s half of the field.

9:00: And the play stands. Here comes 33. You think about that.

9:01: WVU crosses midfield after 34 straight. And WVU got going too fast there because Geno missed a completely on covered Dustin Garrison. He would have walked into the end zone.

9:04: Pace! WVU is much better this way, of course. I think it just helps them to see LSU scramble and frazzled just a little bit.

9:05: And the crowd boos Josh Downs, who went down as WVU was getting into a nice rhythm. He looked to be hurt, though.

9:06: They got going some tempo and built some confidence. Not saying that has anythign to do with Morris Claiborne missing a tackle, which is kind of surprising, but it’s 13-7 now after Stedman trots into the end zone on a 20-yard pass play. Crowd very much believing.

9:10: Tavon was uncovered in the middle of the field. Would have run a long way.

9:19: Geno’s already thrown 25 passes and had flung it on 12 straight snaps before that run on third-and-four.

9:26: That’s LSU football. Run for five, run for four, run for … wait, playaction and a 52-yard touchdown. Honest question: Did you think LSU’s offense was this good?

9:33: Tavon has the first down if he doesn’t drop it, but I suspect Tavon saw the linebacker flying in, too.

9:34: Another short punt. This one goes 32 yards and WVU has the ball at the 34 while the Mountaineers may very well put the game on the line here.

9:42: Crowd cheers Tavon fielding a punt and WVU has 1:34 to do something with a first-and-10 at its own 11.

9:46: Les Miles! No gain on third-and-nine, but WVU gets called for holding and LSU takes the penalty, hoping for another iffy punt and a short field. It instead gets an interception as Mathieu read the pass, tipped it, caught it and returned it to the 1. Best player WVU will see.

9:49: Looking forward to fourth-and-goal and Les making a Les decision.

10:00: Obviously, you can’t make mistakes in a game like this against a team like that, but this is what the Mountaineers conspired to do in the first half: Three turnovers that led to 13 points, a personal foul penalty that derailed the opening drive, Tyler Rader’s holding penalty that preceded Mathieu’s interception, the first two pre-snap penalty of the season, two dropped passes, a dropped snap and a 14-yard punt that set up LSU’s first touchdown.

10:03: Equally obvious, I’m high on Mathieu. He’s a player. Others were not so easily convinced. His other offers out of high school were FIU, Hampton, Louisiana-Monroe, Miami (Ohio),SMU, Southern Miss, Tennessee and Tulane. This is his 17th career game. He’s created 13 turnovers.

10:20: There are still a lot of people in the stadium.

10:20: Geno has thrown it 38 times. School record is 57.

10:25: Hmmm. Dropped touchdown pass and a missed 30-yard field-goal attempt. That’s LSU’s first empty red zone possession since Oct. 16,  2010 — a stretch of 41 straight.

10:29: Eu and Tavon run the hot potato pass with great results. Again.

10:32: Dana is not happy at the present. I believe we can make assumptions as to why.

10:39: Momentum is bending, bending, bending … Massive possession here.

10:46: Big penalty on Ryan Nehlen.Totally changed the drive.

10:51: I have a feeling Corey Smith might not be punting next week.

10:56: The swings in yardage and field position on punts has been a major factor here. WVU can’t get a short field and you’d liek oneor two against LSU. I mean, it’s not like you can draw up 72-yard gains against this defense.

10:57: Smith throws a 72-yard pass to Tavon on his 49th attempt of the game. Big, big moment here.

10:59: Sheesh. Another false start on a receiver, but Dustin Garrison make the most of a great play and execution by WVU on the screen pass. Now comes the hard part.

11:00: And there’s a very easy touchdown run. It’s suddenly 27-21 and most of the 62,056 are losing their minds right now.

11:02: Not original, since Michigan did it all night against Notre Dame, but WVU nails the wave-the-towels-as-Seven-Nation-Army plays.

11:03: And that is a silencer. Nothing like a 99-yard touchdown to silence the crowd.

11:10: You can say this: The offense is pretty capable, but not good enough to overcome all of this. Tall task to continue to beat bad plays.

11:11: How many almost-interceptions has Geno thrown? Seems like a lot.

11:12: Not sure what the rush was there … and again, a hurried play happens when a receiver was open. No one had Starks on the right sideline.

11:16: The kickoff return was the 11th of Claiborne’s career. Not the 11th touchdown return. The 11th return. Period.

11:47: We’re done here. The kickoff return was a killer. The final score is 47-21. Story with quotes in a bit. For now, here’s the early version.