You are looking live at the scene above Jack Trice Stadium, where, hey, “It’s up to 29 degrees.” That’s what they told me at least after I made the 22-minute walk from the parking lot to the stadium. (Hilton Coliseum is back and to the left. Back and to the left.) There’s some construction going on that re-routes you a bit to add to the walk, but I was definitely red-eared and blowing on my mittened hands by the time I showed my press pass and was told to cheer up because it’s warming up as the sun rubbed the sleep from its eyes.

Truer words have not been spoken. That sun is now lighting me up on press row. Just beating on me like Jerry Stackhouse on Jeff Hornacek. I’m wearing sunglasses and I’m sweating.

Anyhow, that scene from the north end zone ought to look a little familiar. Trice was built by the same  people who built Mountaineer Field. WVU has filled in the green space with seats and suites and the like, but those areas are yet untouched here. People still sit on blankets on the hillside to watch games. (I’d show you the south end zone, but the glare from the sun ruins any photo I’m capable of taking. It’s very much like WVU’s north end zone with seating and a scoreboard, but it’s not as modernized as WVU’s. The current project will bring things up to date rather nicely. This quickly follows the beautiful practice facility.

As for today, Clint Trickett made the trip, but he will not start. Dana Holgorsen told the radio folks and 45 minutes before kickoff no one has told the media, which is just ridiculous because everyone knows and no one’s allowed to tell us. Anyhow, I have to think Trickett made the trip for one reason that’s especially obvious as he stand s on the sideline in sweats right now. It’s not a bad idea to have him around Skyler Howard on the sideline.

Fun sidebar to Howard’s story. His coach at Riverside City College was Tom Craft, who you met on Thursday. (You did, didn’t you? Do it now. I’ll be right here.) Craft is a top offensive mind and regarded as one of the better quarterback teachers around and certainly one of the best at the junior college level. His Palomar College teams were juggernauts during his 16 years as an assistant and head coach and won three national titles. In his 11 seasons as the head coach, he had seven All-America quarterbacks. (Trivia question: Palomar’s most celebrated football player? Tom Luginbil! Or Tom Dempsey. Probably Tom Dempsey.)

Craft went from Palomar to San Diego State in 2002 and had some pretty impressive offensive teams (No. 5 in total offense in his first season) and recruiting classes (No. 1 in the Mountain West Conference in 2003), but the win-loss records didn’t match (19-29) and he was fired after the 2005 season.

He spent a year out of football before being hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at California’s Mount San Antonio College. It was there where he’d meet a safety-turned-defensive end who in 2009 would disrupt his practices and harass his quarterbacks as a matter of routine.

We’ve seen Howard run. We saw how his legs made plays against Kansas State that energized the offense. We’ve heard what he can do with draws and keeps on the zone-read.

And we know Bruce Irvin was and is an absolute terror who feasts on quarterbacks.

Tom Craft is the only person who can answer this question: Could one junior college sensation sack the one who might be the next junior college sensation?

“Hell yes he could,” Craft said. “Hell yes he could.”

Let’s not get too carried away with Howard and his legs just yet. He looked a little skittish at times against Kansas State, and this did happen, but it was Kansas State as opposed to, say, L.A. Harbor College. And his hesitancy did seem to erode the more he played and the better the offense looked.

But what’s constant, whether found in overlapping elements from conversations with Shannon Dawson in March, August and Tuesday, or in an obviously biased phone call with Craft, is that Howard is pretty good when he moves.

And Craft believes he’d have a good chance against a pursuing Irvin.

“He would, there’s no doubt,” Craft said. “Bruce was great off the edge. Just great. What a talent he was. Skyler is really good in the pocket, but he knows how to handle himself. The thing I love about him is his eyes are always down the field because of his ability to throw when he’s moving. I think he can add an intangible at that position with that ability.”

I think we can add intangibles as we proceed…