Before we get rolling here, a scheduling update: I’m traveling to Kansas City today for Big 12 media day, which is tomorrow, and then I’m heading back home Wednesday. Obviously no Tuesday Taboo, because there is no game, and Wednesday’s G&B is going to be backed up a bit, probably a full day and possibly longer, because my stupid job got in the way.

That also presumes you want it. If one viewing was enough Saturday, I understand. Plus, I don’t know how much you want me poring over Baylor’s silly trips-to-the-boundary sets — my wife was non-plussed, I think; more from her in the texts, and I dare you to guess which one is hers — and I’m somewhat certain you wouldn’t like many of my takes, which sometimes will be me shrugging and going, “I mean, Baylor…”

Up to you.

And then no chat Thursday, again because there is no game, and no F Double because at the end of this wonky week, I’ll be out on assignment.

So that’s a sketch of where we’re going, but what about where we are? Let’s pause.

I think this is an interesting stretch of road for Dana Holgorsen and for this season. WVU has an open weekend, and time is a variable some choose to manipulate and others want to see manipulated. You are, after all, reading the words of a guy who wondered last week if Saturday would be Skyler Howard’s last start, basically because there was extra time to work with and game plan for a new starter — if need be. Important caveat there.

I don’t think the need is there. Howard wasn’t the problem Saturday. He wasn’t great, but he wasn’t at the root of the defeat, and replacing him doesn’t seem like the fix or maybe even a fix. It doesn’t sound like it, either. Holgorsen really backed Howard up after the game. The timing here is maybe curious and definitely convenient, but there is such a thing as idle time, too.

I see David Sills in the game and doing things — feel free to submit the most outlandish Sills hype tweet you saw, but I promise you can’t top the one that found me — and I can’t believe Ka’Raun White isn’t going to be getting more snaps. So I wonder, assuming we’d call those optimistic developments, why you’d change quarterbacks now, too. There’s something about discretion and valor, I guess, and this isn’t a team that can flirt with sidesteps and worse.

People in the Puskar Center will grab their magnifying glasses this week, of course, and things will be addressed, but what changes and what needs to be changed might underwhelm you and will definitely upset the people who think you cross a bridge in an open week and find a box with a magic wand.

Here’s my point: It’s really hard to get a read on the state of things right now. This schedule is brutal. I still have no idea how Texas beat Oklahoma or, perhaps more precisely, how Oklahoma lost to Texas. The Sooners, who endured great travel trouble Friday, beat the hell out of Kansas State Saturday. Kansas State could and/or should have beaten TCU. Oklahoma State might feel like a bad loss, but that’s an undefeated ball club. And Baylor? I mean, Baylor…

Worst part? It’s not yet over. WVU has one more to go, and TCU’s going to enjoy all the advantages you suppose the Mountaineers will enjoy with an open weekend and extra time, and the Horned Frogs have the added edge of playing at home.

My bad. Back to the point: I just don’t know. No one has to tell anyone 62-38 and 3-3 aren’t good enough, but who knows how bad this team is, either? (Or how good they are. Question mark. Period. Again, I don’t know.) Do you? The offense is shaky — do not let “Thirty-eight points!” skew your view, because it’s 31 with an asterisk and then a kickoff return touchdown — and you’re free to submit questions and/or complaints about recruiting and developing skill players. The defense can be had, the secondary is and always was thin and the preseason hype was so inflated that it ably masked the fact these offenses are good, never mind so, so good. But if the Mountaineers had just played, Kansas, Iowa State and Kansas State in succession, would we be having the same conversations?

I don’t really know your business, been in here since I was bending Lego blocks. Now you tell the world about me, dry snitch. Tater tots on my shotgun, now I’ve got to text one at the stars. Sky’s the limit, now I’ve got to finish as the first rapper on Mars. My edits are in [brackets].

10:54:
Today’s Mountaineer Football word of the day: BOHICA, because Baylor is angry and we’re in trouble.

11:54:
Really Dana? You’re starting Skylar?

12:04:
I’m going to puke.

12:06:
Sills news is excuse to have him travel and get on field without saying he is in QB mix. Bet he is starting QB against Texas Tech if Good Skyler doesn’t

12:08:
reappear.

12:08:
Daryl Worley continues to masquerade as an All Big 12 corner.

12:08:
melted butter in Waco

12:09:
Under a minute. Wow. On pace to score 80?

12:09:
Hahahahahahaha! Yep. That’s slowin em down, Holgs.

12:09:
I feel like there’s a job for you on this staff somewhere. Are you friends with the next coach?

12:10:
Defense knows game started at 12 right?

12:10:
Check!

12:10:
Well that was fun while it lasted. What time is the TCU game next week?

12:12:
The key to a kickoff return is not stopping at the ten yard line for no reason.

12:13:
Holy crap. I retract the snark.

12:13:
and Baylor even less resistance than melted butter

12:13:
Baylor’s defense knows games started at 12 right?

12:13:
Oh this may be fun

12:14:
He almost was gonna go out of bounds, and then didn’t

12:16:
Adjustments?

12:18:
Worley of hurt.

12:19:
Well Worley is definitely coming back next season.

12:20:
Rasul Douglas please

12:21:
I think it might be snowing in Morgantown.

12:23:
melted butter 2.0

12:24:
Daryl Worley: Coleman’s [buddy].

12:25:
Worley with…the whiff (in my best Dan Patrick impression)

12:26:
Has Worley been getting tutoring from Daren Roberts?

12:28:
Perlo Worley

12:35:
butter firming up

12:38:
starting adventures in field position

12:38:
Doesn’t matter if their secondary sucks if we can’t get a pass off

12:39:
Seeing Chestnut writhing in pain on the field does nothing for my confidence.

12:45:
Big drive for Skyler here. Don’t turn it over and down take dumb sacks if you want to keep your job.

12:45:
wearing the wrong cleats on this new turf?

12:46:
The goal is NOT to type WTF all day!

12:48:
I’ve had diarrhea that runs harder than Shell

12:49:
White 2.0

12:49:
next White also a Bear killer?

12:50:
Rushel “2nd and 8” Shell

12:53:
Amended to Rushel “2nd and 12” Shell

12:53:
I am setting up a go fund me account for Dave Kearns. Could we bump him up to an XXL Polo Shirt?

12:58:
That white shirt looks good on Sills

12:58:
feat of clay!

1:00:
Oh my God, he threw it to a tight end!

1:01:
Maybe WVU should play all their backup qbs @ WR

1:01:
Just imaging how good Chuganov is at WR. Iowa State will never see it coming.

1:04:
We do a better job of developing quarterbacks into receivers then we do developing quarterbacks into quarterbacks. Ladies and gentlemen, the Dana Holgerson era!

1:05:
Butter melting again

1:06:
Let s keep letting QBs run for 40

1:08:
Wtf??? Well…there’s my first one of the game! Ugh.

1:12:
Mango. Farmer.

1:12:
Skyler’s the best punter we got

1:12:
loft

1:12:
Breaking Bad Styler returns

1:12:
I think this girl is gonna need to get a bottle of wine and write an email about this game.

1:13:
Howard about 20 minutes too late on that one

1:16:
Defense bailing out the titanic there.

1:17:
great defensive series. let’s don’t waste it.

1:17:
That ref pulled that spot out of his ass. Thankfully, so.

1:18:
Pretty sure that ref just showed us how imprecise spots are for punts out if bounds. He had NO idea where he was going to stop

1:20:
DTW

1:21:
sills?

1:21:
DTW OMG!

1:22:
Crosby, Sills and Nash.

1:24:
Was that the oopty oop formation from Varsity Blues?

1:25:
squirt!

1:26:
Why run Howard twice?

1:27:
Bosch is killing us…

1:28:
Bosch getting beat like Worley out there today

1:28:
better than nothing; not as good as six. dang.

1:30:
longish series gave d time to rest at least.

1:30:
Holg looks like he has Terrets when he is mad

1:34:
So ive seen blatant holding on Baylor’s part … Refs must not.

1:37:
bending, bending?

1:40:
ahem. bigwood.

1:40:
Gonna score too soon

1:41:
1st and goal. they got us where they wants us

1:41:
I cant wait to see G&B on that Smallwood run. Seemed like the entire Baylor defense followed Crest in motion.

1:42:
loft it in the sun

1:43:
Bosch is costing this offense big

1:43:
red zone woes #athing

1:44:
heap this on the pile of missed opportunities if we lose.

1:44:
Baylor defensive mvp: 1st and goal

1:45:
Lambert sucks this year

1:46:
Good thing he ran the qb draw to the outside to perfectly not set up the field goal in the middle of the field.

1:46:
Crazy that ur D gives up 27 pts, 350 yds in a half & u feel good about it.

1:47:
baylor dodging bullets so far. we can’t keep misfiring.

1:47:
Good thing the media stopped askin red zone questions. That was the problem. Not the offense. Clearly.

1:48:
Another huge stop for WVU’s Offense

1:54:
I really can’t stand hearing Dale Wolfley on the radio at halftime. I’d rather hear Mike Casazza.

1:55:
Here’s why Dana’s “the D wasn’t good enough” line last week is [balderdash]…

1:55:
…It HAS been good enough today but he conditioned people to think it’s trash.

1:59:
Tell Lambert I didn’t mean that.

2:06:
Baylor uniforms = unpretty.

2:10:
Oopty oop qb draw again

2:11:
I’m hoping he’s setting up a play action out of that later

2:16:
Let’s be honest. They made Mason Rudolph look like Uain Bolt last week. Of course Russell was gonna get loose.

2:17:
It would be nice to have Joseph to knock Russell on his ass on one of those son read keeps

2:18:
I wish we could make a TD from fourth down.

2:25:
Waiting for the third quarter rally

2:25:
Oh wait. We only rally when it’s too far gone to come back

2:28:
If Baylor has only actually committed one penalty, then I’m a monkey’s uncle #Big12Refs

2:29:
brush with crest

2:29:
That was tricky.

2:30:
Skyler damn near overthrew the lateral

2:30:
Can Crest do anything cleanly?

2:31:
sills!

2:32:
BURN ALL THE REDSHIRTS!!!

2:32:
qbs a-go go!

2:33:
I’m telling you, Chuganov is Jerry Rice. Poor, poor Paul Rhoads. Nah [finagle] him.

2:32:
Let’s throw another redshirt on the fire!

2:33:
burn that redshirt!

2:33:
Back in it! #Sills

2:34:
Crosby, Sills, Nash and Young.

2:35:
BOLIVIA!!!!

2:37:
I hated that play call. But it worked

2:37:
We can’t find a QB but we pull receivers out of our ass

2:38:
Sills not Crest our Boykin?

2:40:
Put Sills in at corner

2:41:
Sills can’t throw it to Sills any more tan Da’Sean couldn’t throw it to Da’Sean.

2:41:
Poor D. Worley… 🙁

2:42:
Pass rush really coming up empty today

2:42:
Cleats?

2:43:
bullet-riddled feet

2:44:
Dude, Russell looked played Harper like a pro. Never looked that way until he threw it but saw it the whole time.

2:44:
Is there oil bubbling up on the field? Why is everyone slipping?

2:46:
This game is officially over

2:47:
High and behind. Sounds like half of my high school s senior class

2:50:
[Just] [forget] [Catwoman] 57

2:50:
Worst false start I’ve ever seen

2:52:
Only Dana Holgorsen goes for a really low percentage throw on 4th down and staying in the game on the line

2:52:
That’s coach killer [stuff] there. There are smarter plays and he goes for the biggest plays.

2:53:
I hope Shane Lyons is watching the Ole Miss-Memphis game.

2:54:
Sills will start next week

2:55:
Skylar’s terrible arm got Durante hurt…yay

2:55:
Coach Fuentes, Shane Lyons on line 1…

2:55:
Is Skyler truly the best we have?

3:00:
Is it basketball season yet?

3:04:
Keep throwing it in the end zone on 4th down

3:04:
looks like i’ll be numbing my pain with a long afternoon of “dora the explorer.”

3:10:
Head down, drinking

3:10:
Just keep them under 70

3:11:
Silence of the Lambs is up next on Fox. Seems appropriate

3:22:
clock can’t move fast enough. just end it.

3:29:
For some reason Howard trying to toss the ball to the ref from 2 yards away and missing it made me laugh

3:32:
appreciate white keeps fighting.

3:37:
Wvu should just onside kick every kickoff would win every game.

3:37:
Briles maaaaaaad about that.

3:40:
Oh good Crest is [dubious] too

3:44:
Realtors all over the state will be fighting to get the listing on Holgs house. …

3:46:
a slow road to 60 in waco this year

3:47:
a valiant effort from gibby

3:58:
Briles shows sympathy after all

4:02:
Am I wrong in thinking we really aren’t that bad, our QB just sucks and Baylor is damn good?

7:36:
Just took me longer to sign into Netflix than 3 of Baylor’s scoring drives.