I have no idea of this is for real, and I suspect it’s not because it’s so extremely absurd, but Tony Gibson said it as both a matter of fact and a matter of emphasis.

“You’re going to see us do a lot more stuff. I may drop 11. Don’t be shocked if you see that.”

Um, I’ll be shocked. It’s the polar opposite of Gibson, and though it’s an exaggeration (I think), it’s also the possible representation of the realistic state of affairs.

He brings a defense to TCU that has shaky confidence, a dwindling level of success affecting the quarterback and a slim secondary. That’s a terrible recipe, but the ingredients are what they are. The All-American is gone. I believe Terrell Chestnut is going to give it a shot, but he won’t be himself, and if he’s limited or absent with Ricky Rumph away from the team, things are going to be really interesting in the back end of the defense. It looks bad, right?

But this is also where Gibson wants his team. I feel like he’s put his guys there.

I mean, he’s got nothing to do with injuries and family emergencies, and he’d rather the Mountaineers be at full strength. But WVU is far from that, and recent results aren’t a very powerful elixir. Things change, and his group is no longer the one that was leading the nation in this and that. They are still the difference in the season, but now it’s for a different reason.

And so it is that Gibson’s words paint broad strokes on a blank canvas and create the picture that his defense is, once again, the underdog. Or underdawg. Your call on that one. Either way, this idea of going nose-to-nose with adversity and circumstances and sayers of nay is not uncommon for that coach or those players.

I’m off for Fort Worth here shortly. We’ll do the chat at 11 a.m. tomorrow and then the live post during the game, though that’s going to be shaped, of course, by my deadline. No F Double. I’ll let G&B fall into its normal slot Wednesday.

While you’re here, the separate staffs in my JRL493 class have published their second round of sports stories. Check them out here and also here and do them a favor by molding their young and impressionable minds with your constructive feedback, please.