@mikecasazza Step up, Caz. https://t.co/waEILdHlCk and no Stick Draw, ‘Cover Pentagon’, @smartfootball bull%#$# rules only 5% can understand

— Fake Bob Huggins (@FakeBobHuggins) October 23, 2014

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, safe haven for the 5%ers. Things got a little weird against Baylor two weeks ago and Tony Gibson was drawing and dialing up things I’d never before seen. On one really Good play, the “5” in the 3-3-5 were all lined up on a string 10 or so yards off the line of scrimmage and Bryce Petty was perplexed and so was I, and without a good explanation I called it Cover Pentagon, and I guess it took.

Well, last week things were weird again in a Good way against Oklahoma State and the shell game Gibson was playing. I sort of thought CP was a one day, throwaway defense that could maybe work against Baylor when it ran its empty sets and there wasn’t a concern about a running back gobbling up yards and slashing through caverns in a soft box.

But then it happened again in Stillwater against that unbalanced set.

So what gives?

“We threw a couple different things at them in the second half last week that helped us coverage-wise,” Gibson said. “They were just counting numbers in the box — how many linebackers, where are the defensive backs, is it a one-high shell or a two-high shell — and making run/pass checks at the line of scrimmage. So we went five across the top and put everyone at the same depth and made him guess what we were going to spin to.“

Well then, how’s that for a spooky Halloween costume?

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, think of others.

Sammy said: 

When does Quinton Spain get his shot at returning punts?

At the current rate, Wednesday afternoon. Also: I’ve heard it’ll be Vernon “Run at the Bouncing Ball” Davis and #FreeJaylon Myers Saturday. 

Clarence Oveur said:

Cutty Sark is always my go-to for cheap liquor that I can pass off as something of substance to a “connoisseur” at a party.

Plus, it’s a helluva paint thinner.

The Miller High Life of scotch.

Down South said:

Something else I love about the Big XII. A bunch of the league’s coaches are first class a-holes. And they don’t try to hide that fact. I can’t stand Briles, but I respect the fact that he doesn’t care that a lot of people can’t stand him. Conversely, I’m really having a hard time figuring out what most annoys me about Brady Hoke this week. Can’t decide if it is (1) the fact that he used a tent stake as a motivational tool; (2) the fact that he had to be told by the media that his players had planted the stake in the opposing team’s field or (3) the fact that the called to apologize to the head coach of his in-state rival after the opposing head coach publicly declared that he ran up the score on him. I’ll take a bunch of cowboys to that kind of pacifism any day.

I’ve thought this Big 12 Coaches as Jerks thing through, and I don’t disagree. I mean, I happen to like Gary Patterson, for example, but once again, you and I are from different countries in that regard, and I can see why he might rub you the wrong way. (Seriously, check out his Twitter.) Anyhow, for your benefit I’ve narrowed down the list of Jerks, with that being an extremely flexible term, and excluded only Clint Bowen, but replaced him with Charlie Weis, because of Charlie Weis. My Jerk Power Rankings:

1. Weis 
2. Stoops
3. Briles
4. Dana
5. Kingsbury
6. Patterson
7. Gundy
8. Strong
9. Snyder
10. Rhoads

Again, this is not a reflection of my personal feelings — I liked talking with Weis, I don’t think Dana’s a jerk, I don’t see Briles’ sideline nonsense during games, so on and so forth — but rather of how I think they should be ordered based on what I feel to be the popular opinion. Weis is Weis and no one likes a guy who not only thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, but that he built the room, too. And he’s inexplicably paaaaaaaid. Stoops is The Bad Guy and seems unapologetic about it. Briles is the secretive bad sport who wants to be The Bad Guy but probably hasn’t earned that right. Dana can be a little pedantic and say things people don’t much like, but he doesn’t much care. Kingsbury is a lot of style and not much substance. Patterson is supremely confident, defensively arrogant and will try to fight another team. Gundy shamed a reporter once and is A Man. Strong doesn’t talk much, isn’t particularly warm and has kicked a bunch of guys off his team. Snyder hands out Werther’s Original for Halloween and wearing old ‘breakers. Rhoads … is just sort of there … I guess? He’s coaching where he always wanted to coach. It’s where he’s from. He’s made it a family thing. He’s so proud of his guys. But here’s my common denominator: All of those guys have made it and more or less done it their way — Stoops as the SEC baiter, Dana as the ladder-climber, Snyder as the fashion misfit, so on and so forth — and have probably developed certain edges that they are comfortable with but others find to be rough.  

Mack said:

There’s very little doubt in my mind that Boykin is overrated. He’s clearly fast (played receiver last year). If he can throw as well, then – as I always say when people claim a player can run like the wind and throw like Peyton Manning – he must be the greatest player in the history of football because virtually no one has ever been able to do both before.

In every highlight I saw of TCU/Texas Tech, he hit wide open receivers. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing to do. Just strikes me as the kind of guy who will scramble out of trouble and then hit a receiver because the DBs have given up on the play… you know, like he did against WVU two years ago. I know it was two years ago, but he threw 12 for 29 against the worst defense in the history of college football.

I’m similarly suspicious for similar reasons. It’s nothing against his skill set. I’d just like to see WVU sit and cover receivers and make Boykin pick apart the defense. If WVU does and if Boykin does it, oh well. That said, I think Boykin, his offense and his receivers are probably good enough to pick apart the defense if he’s left to his own devices. The Mountaineers will heat up Boykin and Boykin will use his legs to use his arm. There’s a balance for the offense and the defense and it’s likely the difference. I don’t see how TCU wins without Boykin leading the way.

smeer said:

will Chestnut be back?

and Shell

Yes and probably, but not definitely.

Sir2fyablyNutz said:

From day 1 HCDH has mentioned how difficult it is for any qb to understand his offense in one year. As Trickett received playing time he was more comfortable as last season went on. There was a lot of returning players on the defense from last year. I’d answer “experience” with “depth” a second place finish.

And so we begin with answers to the question “What’s THE explanation to the 6-2 record?”

glibglub said:

I’m going to credit the Towels of Obfuscation.

Either that or shoulder surgery.

Fair. Consider this: If Trickett doesn’t go under the knife, he can’t play and then he can’t hold a towel.

Brother X said:

2014 Mountaineer co-MVP (aka Biggest Riffle Stickers of All); Tony Gibson & Dr. James Andrews

Good call on the good doctor. 

I love you, Doug! said:

Gibbie!

Predictably.

The 25314 said: 

Gibson and/or Bradley. Whoever is the brains there.

I see your point.

Drew said:

I think White has been the most significant catalyst. Without a go-to receiver that defenses must either focus on or get lit up by, the other receivers would have more trouble getting open and the running game would be a lot less effective. White has also made Trickett look better than he is on several occasions. He didn’t have a great game against the pokes, but their focus on him allowed the running game to flourish.

The defense coming on as the season has progressed is #2, but it hasn’t been there the whole time and still has had some significant lapses.

Some chicken-or-the-egg there, but what if White was just a Grown Man?

Josh24601 said:

Depth on defense and at running back.

Related: Minimal injuries. But depth helps.

pknocker40 said:

The Big XII relinquishing its affiliation with the Pinstripe Bowl.

Certainly.

chocolate covered bacon said:

Somehow, out of a 4-8 season this team found itself, or it’s identity. HCDH has been a broken record and hasn’t changed his mantra from the Spring. The players seem to have the right balance of humility and arrogance. All just seem comfortable in their skin.

There was a screen shot of Holgorsen during the Baylor game that showed him with one foot on a bench looking at the crowd behind his team. He appeared to be talking with them. The next time the Mountaineers punted they didn’t have a return man. Against the number four team in the land and what many considered the best offense in college football at the time, HCDH plays to the crowd. His players then go out and make it work, and feed off of Holgorsen.

I liked HCDH before this 6-2 start, regardless of what happens in the final four, I am now a HUGE Holgorsen fan. How can you not be? He pulls himself off the proverbial hot seat and now there seems to be a growing concern the guy will bolt for Florida. He won’t, but the buzz is still there.

Holgorsen, and his team this season reminds me of this…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPH9cWTJgdU

Need to quiz the groundskeepers Sunday morning for authentication.

Clarence Oveur said:

In furtherance of chocolate covered bacon’s likening this season to Major League, I move that the following music be used in the Wednesday Walkthrough for the rest of the season:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jzZmRLXSM

Quintessential late ’80s music there. 

philip said:

quarterback play and improved/deeper running game for sure, but the defense has turned away/minimized scoring threats when needed most, allowing simmering offensive gameplans to reach full boil and the kill.

there’s less that sense of opportunity lost after an unproductive offensive series with the growing confidence that the defense will hold firm and get the ball back. the d has given the o second and third chances to get things right.

I like the point about “simmering offensive gameplans (sic).” How many times last season did we see or think that game plans misfired or changed? Perspective means a whole lot, but maybe without reliable QB play and running backs, the panic button was within reach.

Bobby Heenan said:

I’ll admit to having no clue that White would be this good. I was cracking jokes about how Bruce Irvin would be the superior #11 at WR. Man, was I wrong. He really struggled last year at making plays one-on-one and getting jump balls. He didn’t use his body or play the ball in the air well. What a turnaround.

I thought Clint would be fine this year. Improved definitely. I didn’t see this drastic of an improvement.

I was shouting about moving Joseph to strong safety and finally got my wish. Was cautiously optimistic that Henry could play free safety (as well as a true freshman FS could be).

The ONE factor though: I agree with tls62pa: 3rd down defense. A close second is Kevin White.

I’ve probably paid closer attention to White than any other player to arrive on the scene other than Bruce Irvin, and also because of Bruce Irvin. When Bruce arrived and was hailed as an X factor at defensive end, you had to look closely to find it and the watch closely to see it develop. And then you couldn’t take your eyes off of it. I had so many people whisper to me about White and his potential last year that I had to track it, so I did. You could look close and see it, but it never lingered last season and we were right to wonder about it all. But it was apparent in the spring White was totally different physically and mentally and those observations and every conversation I had with people convinced me it was going to be a Thing. And he completely validated it this season. I honestly thought he was going to be like this. I did. I can’t say the numbers were my idea, but I thought he was going to dominate.

tls62pa said:

Depalma is a great snapper, but the false start was seemingly his fault. I was a long snapper during the glory days of high school and when that holder’s hand extends, you snap the ball. When I watched the replay, that’s when the whole play should start for the holder and snapper, and it did not happen….

Yea, probably. Lambert couldn’t hear the snap count, so he’s relying on the hands. How’s this for weird: No one I talked to knew if a kicker could be called for a false start. I innocently wondered with one person, “Are we sure it’s a penalty? I feel like five officials couldn’t possibly miss that.” That person didn’t know. Then I asked some more people. Those people didn’t know. It’s also possible they know it’s a false start and didn’t want to admit it and self-incriminate.

Jackson said:

As always, a nice piece Mike. About “egregious.” Anderson made it clear that the conditions for invoking the egregious rule is that the play in question has to be (1) objective (which this was; it wasn’t an issue of judgment like holding or PI) and (2) a an affirmative error (i.e. the wrong penalty is the egregious part not the lack of a penalty, which would be a negative error).

You are correct. I guess my problem is the wording is not inclusive enough.

abpriddy said:

Great as always – this is my favorite weekly feature anyone does anywhere. As far as hitting a RB home run I think it’s no coincidence that less Dreamius equates to fewer long runs. He had the longest runs last year from what I remember and now as the longest this year on very few carries. Will we see him more? Does picking up the blitz still have him in the doghouse? I’m fascinated by the guy. He’s an insane talent, makes plays nobody else on that roster can make (like the play he made catching an ill-conceived screen pass in traffic and somehow fighting through 4 guys to get back to the line of scrimmage) ……yet on a day WVU ran the ball 50+ times he had 5 carries.

I tracked this for a while and he was frequently used with Clay or with Clay at TE and Wellman in the backfield, so that points at the pass pro question. And the word from Seider is Smith was not a particularly good practice player this season until recently. Also, I was stunned to look at the box at the end and see five carries … ESPECIALLY after how he wore on Baylor. That said, Baylor and OSU had formidable fronts, so pass pro matters, and TCU is no dropoff. I’m still happy that so many of you were camping out in the More Dreamius neighborhood.

Down South said:

So, it wasn’t my imagination. The defense did turn a corner in the second half of the Texas Tech game. Really curious as to why. Also, amazed Gibby’s shirt didn’t make it as a bad. Forget explaining the play boards, Mike. I need to know why the back of his shirt said “DAWGS”.

Safeties are the only other players I’ve seen wearing those shirts, so I believe it’s a safeties thing. But you know me too well. I’m on it.

Mack said:

Dann, I was making fun of you for saying there was no chance Gameday would come to Morgantown AFTER Gameday had already announced it was coming to Morgantown. I elected to make fun of you by making up a quote boldly predicting something else that had already happened.

Moving on, the college football playoff rankings are disappointing in that the number of losses appears to be the most important thing… just as it has been in the AP poll forever. I saw a story that pointed out that LSU has lost to the #1 and #3 teams and has beaten Ole Miss and Wisconsin yet it’s ranked behind Ohio State and two other teams with no good wins to speak of. It also mentioned that WVUA would likely be ranked #13 instead of #20 if it has played South Alabama instead of Alabama.

I get that it’s the first set of rankings but it’s still somewhat disappointing. It’s pretty crazy when you think that very few of the teams ranked ahead of WVU would have a better record than WVU does if they played the exact same schedule as WVU.

The dumbest thing about the CFP poll is the weekly revelation, though it’s a pretty brilliant move by ESPN because it’s creating a talking point. I’d much rather see the top four one time at the end, or maybe before the final two weeks of the regular season. I think we’re all smart enough to know that Ole Miss v. Auburn matters and that LSU is more qualified than Ohio Sta…wha? Regular releases call the process into question and the outcries will absolutely reach and affect the committee members and their values. 

October 22, 2003 said:

I love Staten and the way he plays. Mike, you feel comfortable saying he’s a future NBA guy?

I think he’ll have a chance, yes. 

Sir2fyablyNutz said:

Any chance WV will end up playing Marshall in a bowl game? (could this be what ESPN has in mind?)

It is not impossible. As for Cato, it was ESPN’s idea, though I’m not naive enough to think the PR firm didn’t have a hand in this. ESPN’s simply shining a light on the state and the unbeaten program down the road, as well as telling Cato’s background story. And it’s going to be on the GameDay bus. He’s sheltered. 

glibglub said:

I thought the home and home principle was so important to Marshall. But they’re sending Cato to Morgantown with no guarantee that a WVU player will set foot in Huntington for the foreseeable future?

Solid.

JC said:

WVU is undefeated when Marshall comes to town…..maybe it’s fortuitous that Cato is coming up…..

Also solid.

Mack said:

For those talking about the bowls, the Pinstripe Bowl is no longer a Big 12 bowl. Here are the Big 12 tie-ins:

College Football Playoff & “BCS” bowls
Valero Alamo Bowl
Russell Athletic Bowl
AdvoCare Texas Bowl
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Cactus Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (backup)

Also, it doesn’t appear that there is a Big 12 vs. Conference USA bowl… Thus, it does not appear that a WVU vs. Marshall bowl game can happen.

If WVU doesn’t get into a BCS bowl, then the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando against an ACC team is probably the best landing spot for fans who want to go to Florida. Otherwise, the best “game” would be the Alamo Bowl, in San Antonio, against a Pac 12 team (Rich Rod?). I seriously question whether WVU fans will still have a reputation for traveling well to bowl games if they regularly play bowl games in Texas. The Texas Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, and Alamo Bowl are all in Texas.

There’s another possibility for WVU v. Marshall. Expect a hard push for and against WVU v. Arizona.

The 25314 said:

I was hoping the guest picker would be Dave.

Enjoy the weekend!