Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which has not mailed it in this week. In fact, free time one day was devoted to prepping dinner and podcasting with The Smoking Musket.

LISTEN: NEW #WVU Bye Week pod featuring @MikeCasazza, clown planes at the Morgantown Airport, and epipens. https://t.co/guRp0oHUBl

— Smoking Musket (@SmokingMusket) October 7, 2016

This veered off the road late in the half-hour. It occurs to me we here never discussed that LSU plane that was in Morgantown the day after Les Miles was fired, and I’m grateful for that. That was not my favorite moment of the season, and we haven’t even approached the point when we might have to discern such signals.

Onto the Feedback. Always, comments appear as posted. In other words, leave an impression.

SheikYbuti said:

I promise you that Youngstown State beats Kansas in Youngstown, in Lawrence, on Mars, or in any hypothetical dystopia where the two teams battle in an arena presided over by Tina Turner with the crowd chanting, “Two teams enter, one team leaves.”

This … this is the stuff we do cover here. And I would only watch this game on Mars.

Grumpy said:

Nice article. I want to see what Dana can do with the team coming back next year and Grier at QB. Skill positions will be loaded. Losing Shorts sucks, and Shell (but not a huge loss) You have to think the Defense will be pretty good next year as well. They have a chance to be pretty good next year. But as the article says, we will find out who we really are the next couple games.

I’m guilty of this miscalculation, too: The defense does have nine new starters, but on Saturday, it started nine seniors. It’s going to be a similar story next season.

I love you, Doug! said:

Are there other jobs WVU can reasonably assume Dana will be a candidate for? (Sorry for that sentence.)

Today? No. Is it 10-3 Dana or 7-6 Dana? Is it Dana who cut the cord with Lyons or Dana who Lyons cut loose? Is a school looking for a coach or is Dana looking for a job? There was always a risk with shuttering the contract negotiations in February, and I want to stress that this is only hypothetical: Say Holgorsen goes 10-2 and gets to the Sugar Bowl because Baylor made the playoff. WVU beats the SEC team that doesn’t make the playoff. He’s 11-2! Now say LSU hires Tom Herman, and Houston needs a coach. It’s paying Herman more today than WVU pays Holgorsen, and Holgorsen remembers, “I like Houston. I have a place there. I have friends and family there. Slim Thug is my guy.” Similarly, say WVU goes 8-4 and loses a bowl. WVU doesn’t extend Holgorsen, and he’s tired of this limbo. LSU hires Tom Herman and Houston hires, um, Dan Mullen. Mississippi State needs a coach, and Dana makes a leap. None of this would be unprecedented in college football.

smeer said:

the gamble

future 1

Dana goes through this stretch and wins at least 5 becomes a hot commodity in a year of many high profile openings (and even if he doesn’t get the top tier, the domino effect creates a carousel)

Lyons has to offer really big money and DH stays or offers really big money and he goes anyway for bigger money or more respect or better opportunity.

future 2

HCDH goes 4-4 to finish the season 8-4 – wins the bowl . . .

every year the team has shown steady improvement – now what?

depends on who those four wins and losses are against? and style points?

future 3

HCDH goes 3-5 down the stretch and Lyons looks like Mackstradamus

Grier and a veteran team waiting in 2017 attracts a great up and comer coach who brings his whole staff

Future 3 … again, all hypothetical, but it’s possible the potential of 2017 — the appeal you mention with the offense and Grier — influences Lyons and what he thinks about who should be controlling those variables. This is not all about Dana and the final eight games.

Down South said:

I’m on #TeamExtendDanaDuringtheByeWeek. It would probably be a little cheaper to do it now and it would give stability in what is shaping up to be a very chaotic offseason of coaching turnover. The Dabo comparison isn’t a good one to me because there are such big differences in where the programs were at the moment of that game. Part of where Dana was at that moment has to do with the fact that he put his faith in his buddy to be defensive coordinator when he clearly wasn’t up to it.

But let’s say WVU does nothing, which results in Dana walking. Either because he does well and is plucked by someone else or does poorly and is fired. Who is the next coach? Reasonably, you are looking at LSU, Texas, Auburn, USC, Oregon and others possibly being open. Those jobs being filled create opening at smaller schools. What coach do we hire that we can be certain isn’t going to come in and drive the boat into the rocks? With so much promise for next year? The offensive pieces are in place to be very good next year. I don’t think we are seeing the drop off we feared in year three with Gibby. It seems strange to me that we should bet the whole thing on a couple of mid-October dice rolls. But what the heck do I know?

Reasonably, WVU isn’t competing for the cut of coaches LSU, Texas, Auburn, USC and Oregon are. I suspect that’s not Lyons’s concern. And he shouldn’t be making a decision based on money, either. The athletic department’s finances aren’t that bad.

smeer said:

DS – I am inclined to agree, but the buy-out clause is really iffy – for either side. contracts are made to be broken.

why the love-hate for Howard? I think the same reasons HCDH is up in the air. Skyler might be 9-1 recently and is looking good this season, but that Oct 2015 gauntlet does not look good on his resume nor does the reality that those Nov wins last year were produced when his passing was down and the running game went up.

i’m rooting for the guy, but still in wait and see mode. that he did so well against a very good D in KSU in the fourth qtr is hopeful, that he regressed into breaking bad skyler in the second quarter against KSU has me concerned.

this team is 4-0 and is still an enigma.

Let’s clear up the buyout, because it’s almost mythological at this point. For starters, there is no buyout. If WVU fires Holgorsen, it owes him whatever he’s due through the 2017 season. That amount goes down every day. Say he’s canned after the Baylor game. He’s due his full 2017 salary, plus whatever remains on the 2016 salary — and that’s only a few more weeks of  pay. Say Dana leaves. He does have to buy his way out of his contract. There’s a $2 million fee there. There’s really no room for litigation there … or so I think.

pknocker40 said: 

I don’t think it makes sense for either party to move towards an extension right now. Dana already turned down an opportunity to take a cheaper offer in the offseason. He’d be crazy to cash in his chips now in a wide-open Big 12. And even though he’s 4-0 he hasn’t played the “hard” teams yet so I don’t see how a better offer is suddenly warranted. It also seems clear that Gee/Lyons don’t particularly want Dana but if he wins 8+ games they pretty much have to keep him. It’s a shame the administration either could not or would not fire him after last year.

Synopsis.

Vaughn said:

Houston has a boatload of money they could throw at Dana if Herman goes to LSU or Texas.

I’m on team #ExtendDana as well, but I will say that anything less than 9 wins at this point would be disappointing (only 5 more). Kansas and Iowa St are gimmes, so that just means Dana has to go 3-3 against the top 6 teams in the conference to get to 9. If he can’t do that this year in a down year for the league, with a pretty talented roster, I’m not sure he deserves an extension. And I say that as someone who can’t wait to see Grier run this offense with Dravon, Cajuste and others returning next season.

Another synopsis.

Down South said:

The other angle to this argument is that Lyons’ job is really on the line too. Can’t screw up the football coaching situation. Extend him too soon then watch him tank then you’ve got problems. Don’t extend him and let him walk to Baylor or Houston where he beats you for the next five years then you’ve got problems. I feel like we are going to wind up with some mediocre SEC assistant who installs the South Carolina offense next season.

I wouldn’t say Lyons is on the hot seat, but if you believe he didn’t handle the offseason properly, he better nail the next move, right? I guess seat warmth is a derivative, though. 

The 25314 said:

There is zero reason to extend him now. As Vaughn explained quite nicely, Dana has no excuse not to win 9 games this year. But he hasn’t won 9 games yet. We’ll know in less than 2 months whether he did. Why not find out first?

Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. If you weren’t willing to do it after 2015, why backtrack on that conviction and concede in the middle of 2016. If you need to see more, then see more.

Brother X said:

I don’t even want to think about not bringing back HCDH…for a few reasons.
1; The MOST attractive candidates aren’t going to sniff this way because LSU is sitting there open and there are, maybe, 4 more appealing jobs ALL things considered (Fan Base, Recruiting Base, Facilities, available money, importance nationally, salary are the things that immediately come to mind) in the entire country…so shut down those dreams about Tom Herman, folks
2. The idea that somebody out there with influence on the program will think “Hey, Art Briles is available.” Morgantown doesn’t NEED that mess….no amount of football wins is worth selling souls to the devil of that controversy.
3. When all is said and done, no “exciting” potential coordinator looking to move up is going to consider Morgantown for any number of reasons…including things like “can’t even fill the damn student section regularly”
4. Certain sections of the fan base will NEVER be happy until either Saban or Trickett is on the sidelines in Morgantown. Forget it. Never happening. The “home’ aspect pales in comparison to what those two have going for them now. And don’t even try to argue “Huggins did it.” Those are night and day arguments.

Those are the things that immediately come to mind….but, i’m also still strongly #TeamDana so my view is a little skewed I guess.

Brother X also said:

Correction to final point; I mean to say Fisher…not Trickett.

This seems, I don’t know, harsh? It’s a Power 5 job with above average finances and better facilities now than five years ago … with room and funding to develop still. I think a lot of the hot stove stuff presumes WVU can’t get a marquee name, which may be right, but it also presumes WVU would target a marquee name, and I don’t know that that’s right. What’s wrong with the P.J. Flecks or Sonny Cumbies of the game? Lane Kiffin, anyone?

avb31 said:

I’m inclined to think that you extend him. But before it can happen, both sides need to be realistic about their respective positions. Head scratching end of half decisions notwithstanding, Dana has done a good job here. He had put together a good staff and the team plays hard for him. Given the turmoil that can follow a coaching change, DH and staff is a better option than some Saban disciple.

But Dana and his agent need to realize that while he has done a solid job, he hasn’t done enough for Lyons to give him a sweetheart deal that could put the university in a bad spot.

I think it will happen, probably before the end of the season.

Another theory, because “sweetheart deal” got me thinking. Lyons has a clause in all his contracts that covers firing coaches: If WVU fires a coach, it only pays him the difference between the WVU salary (for the remainder of the contract) and the new salary, and only if new salary is lower. If the new salary is higher, WVU owes nothing. What if during discussions in February Lyons wanted Dana to take that clause, and Dana said no? 

BobbyHeenan said:

I’m firmly in the give him an extension now camp. I’m not convinced he’s the right guy, but the downside to not doing it in my mind is too big. It’s a monster mistake if we end up having a good year and he leaves because we didn’t get on board early.

We could have a great rest of year and be sitting on a nice year next year and he feels slighted and leaves for another job. On the contrary, we could fall apart this year, but there’s silver lining in that we have a lot of offensive talent back next year but would have to get a whole new system in if you fire Dana.

I just still don’t see some magic ace up the sleeve coach (like others have said, there’s no Huggs parallel waiting for that call from WVU) that’s going to be much better than Dana. I don’t want to settle for mediocrity, but I feel like we’re slowly getting better every year, he’s improving as a coach, and I just don’t feel the urgency to want to get rid of him…even if we’re 7-5 this year.

Give him a 4 year extension now and hedge your bets…if we do end up having a great year and you didn’t extend him early then you’re looking at paying him even more to keep him or he’ll just leave because he feels slighted.

Here’s where I build a bridge to the prior entry. So let’s continue with the above theory. WVU moves to 6-0. Lyons and Dana talk extension. They agree on a salary. Dana wants four years ASAP. Lyons says yes, but insists on the aforementioned clause. Each person has leverage. It’s going to take some work to reach common ground.  

Hersh said:

If anyone follows this facilities stuff more than me, they’re probably in the administration. 😉 They’ve known there was asbestos still in the Coliseum forever. You can see Oliver Luck discuss it here when this capital improvement campaign was announced 2.5 years ago. It’s just after the 10:40 mark. https://youtu.be/LIZSgDYnQAM I don’t know that Huggs was there and maybe it’s new(er) to Lyons, but most of the administration was in attendance at this press conference.

And we’ve known that this project was behind for like 3 months or more. Asbestos was only a small part of it. Structural and infrastructure related issues were the biggest issues. It’s a 46 year old building and standards and practices change. You’re increasing restrooms by 150%. You may not know when and where you’re going to encounter some of these problems because they’re encapsulated and hidden. You deal with it and keep it movin’.

I was also made aware that one of the major contractors was canned because the administration and construction project manager(Gilbane; they managed the Evansdale rejuvenation) was extremely unhappy with their performance and/or pace. That portion of the team was reopened for bid and replaced from what I understand.

So, I love Huggs, but he’s being a little dramatic. It could be for effect, sure. This project with a building this old was never going to be done in 7 months. I do find it interesting that all the football related projects over the last yesr — the new outdoor praactice facility, Mountaineer Field crown removal and turf replacement, and the stadium conciurses — all finished early or are ahead of schedule. Those are all weather sensitive projects, Not so much for the Coliseum.

Solid info, though I will say the practice field was something football begged for for a while and the crown/turf happened a year later than football wanted. 

Mack said:

(I haven’t been to a game at the Coliseum since roughly 2005, so I may be out of date with this comment but just go with it anyway).

The Coliseum needs a building built adjacent to it with an entry gate inside of it. This would allow the long line to be INDOORS. I mentioned on here a couple years ago that I visited Rupp Arena, and it has a shopping mall attached to it. I thought this was a great idea and could work for Morgantown because 1) it would provide an excuse to actually build some sort of parking deck, 2) it gives everyone a place to hang out, eat, and drink before and after the games which could prevent (at least to some degree) every car from showing up before the game and leaving after the game at the exact same time, and 3) it gives you a place INDOORS on gamedays in December, January, February, etc. to spend the time before and after the games. With people hanging out there, you’re also sure to sell some WVU merchandise.

I like a lot about the Coliseum, but it seems as though it has gone virtually un-updated as far as fan comfort for pretty much its entire existence. If you go to any newer arena, it’s a big difference.

I like the idea, but I don’t know where they put this structure without building a new or subterranean Coliseum. Lots of land up at University Towne Center, though.

Patchy said:

‘OK folks. Item #1 on the agenda is parking and access to the Coliseum for beleaguered fans. Our colleague here has submitted the brilliant idea of bulldozing the only significantly large surface lot within shouting distance of the venue and erecting a….day care facility.’

‘All in favor?’ ‘AYE!’ ‘All opposed? Anyone?’ The ayes have it. Sally Secretary’s sprog has priority over the poor soul paying through the nose for a season ticket.

Basically.

philip said:

still frustrated with this blog’s layout on mobile re the endless scrolling to get to content. plus, with mobile or computer, the link to jump or comments goes to the start of the post instead of the jump or comments. it’s inconvenient and irksome. while i’m sure you’ve been told it would be addressed, i’m sure you, too, could say, “i’ve never been confident about it.”

Choir!

smeer said:

philip – that and the game day comments that don’t have a back button since no other writer would ever get that many comments to an article

CHOIR!

JAL said:

Sometimes you need help from the opponent. 2nd game in row WVU lost a fumble inside the 10 and 2nd in row the opponent was poised to tie the game or take a lead yet failed to do so. When you out gain a team 422-286 you probably should win by more than 1.

This is something we need to highlight for the rest of the season. The Mountaineers are No. 20 in yards per game. The 19 teams above them are all better in points per game, where you’ll find WVU at No. 67. Points per game is the most important stat. Given some of the untimely turnovers and red zone field goals, WVU is perhaps fortunate to be 4-0.

rickinpa said:

Mike, is fumbling inside the 5 becoming a thing?

Eh, I’m willing to look the other way on the Orlosky/Howard bungle. I’d be more attuned to the bad timing. There are places on the field and points in the game when you just have to be more careful than that. I doubt you need to remind Rushel Shell or the center and quarterback that, but it still happened.

CC Team said:

Watched highlight of Gibson’s catch when he lost his helmet. How did the ref miss that he was tackled by having his helmet ripped from his head?

#Big12refs

PeterB said:

It probably won’t be, but until proven otherwise I’m choosing to see that game as a turning point. Like the Pistons eventually getting over the Celtics, or the Bulls eventually getting over the Pistons, this team has overcome its nemesis, and the players and coaches knew it and reveled in it.

fwiw, the last time WVU was held scoreless in the first half was 2005 against Louisville (at least I think I heard that on the radio broadcast). Just sayin’

Of course there’s another nemesis in crimson and cream coming up on the schedule…

That was the last scoreless first half at home, but the occasion certainly maintains its place in this conversation. Things happened after that game. I do think the Sooners are the bigger fish this season. Probably every season. But a win that day doesn’t mean as much without a win against K-State, and you do wonder what the Mountaineers would have thought of themselves or believed about their future if they once again couldn’t get past a K-State team they should have beaten.

Oklahoma Mountaineer said:

This game, from memory, is the only one we have won since Dana became coach that we should have lost — where we made mistakes but pulled it out anyway. That’s the sign of a good team — not the most talented, but a team that doesn’t give up and plays to the final whistle. They may not win 10 games, but I think we will remember them well regardless of the final record 

I was thinking about this. It’s fun. William & Mary in 2013 was dicey. I thought WVU played well enough to beat Maryland — the Terrapins trailed 28-6 — in 2014. The Cactus Bowl was all right. I think the only other games that could be in this discussion were the win at USF in 2011, which was all but lost on a few occasions, and the win, ahem, at Texas Tech in 2014. The Red Raiders led 34-20 with six minutes to go, but even then, WVU didn’t play all that badly. You might be right. 

Shoot4Show said:

With the losses on defense, we knew that side of the ball would be an adventure this year, particularly the back end. I still think that’s true, and when we play against a QB who can hit their receivers, it’s going to put a lot of pressure on the offense to outscore opponents. I get pressure impacts the passer, but we’ve been lucky a bunch this year.

That being said, I wasn’t impressed with how the offensive line played yesterday. I didn’t see them handle basic line stunts well, and O line is supposed to be a strength of the team. Gotta get that fixed as we face the rest of the conference who has more skill on offense than who we’ve played so far.

All the concern about the run defense, but that actually could be what the defense does best. WVU hasn’t seen a quarterback like Pat Mahomes or an offense like Texas Tech’s yet, but, at worst, the open week comes at a good time for planning and recovery.  

BobbyHeenan said:

Minor aside…

I wonder if in the off season we let Durante get looks outside again. The dude can absolutely fly and some of that speed is negated inside. white clearly blocks better and has that big frame, but I can’t help but think Durante outside is another deep threat you can’t run with.

Maybe some packages with White inside playing that Shorts role and Durante outside? Maybe not though, as it goes against the one guy one position thing Dana usually likes…but they’ll be 3rd year in the program guys that maybe can handle it.

Seems craftier than Holgorsen wants to be. He’s really invested into locking a player in one spot and letting him rep and rep and rep there. Look at the roster, too. Gibson (probably) and White are both back against next year. Shorts is not. It’d be nice to slide Durante in there in 2017. Now, could Durante run vertical routes — or even Gibson or White patterns? — from the slot? Sure. But for now, I’d be willing to bet he’s Shorts Lite.

Mack said:

Kansas State played terribly. Other than their defensive ends rushing the quarterback, they literally had nothing else that was above an old Big East level.

WVU hasn’t improved enough to avoid a drubbing at the hands of a Baylor or TCU of yesteryear … The only question is whether any of the Big 12 teams are that good.

in college football, you’re better off to have one or two players and/or plays that you lean on. WVU spreads out its plays and spreads the ball to a bunch of players … Neither works very well because I t translates out to lesser execution. Crawford and Shelton Gibson are the only homerun hitters on this team. Holgorsen says Durante is a guy who will take balls to the house …. He isn’t.

I wonder if Durante turns into a threat. I believe in his potential, but I also believe he’s tasked with learning the routes and how everything happens quicker … and, you know, catching the ball. But if he figures that out, if he gets used to the timing and the location of the defenders upon his receptions, can he turn 6-yard throws into six points? WVU’s lacked that for a while now.

Down South said:

As I was reading this post, my seven-year-old son was sitting on my lap. He was born the night of the White Out. They actually delayed taking his mom to the delivery room while we watched the end of the game, even though I asked them not to (lest that be how the night was remembered). Hard to believe it’s been almost 8 years.

Styles make fights and Kansas State’s style has given us fits. Even when we were the better team. I don’t think we should apologize for finding the way to win an ugly game against a team that has had our number. Especially with so many injuries on defense. I don’t need style points. Simply winning games is fine with me. As an aside, I told someone today that Lyons should take the bye week and extend Holgorsen. Given where we are and what we have coming back, we should try and lock up a coach who is well respected and has done a good job here.

Last thing. I was repeatedly critical of Lonnie Galloway last season. Thought the position he coached repeatedly underperformed. Thought the Louisville receivers were underwhelming all night. And the biggest play in the national title race to this point in the season involved one of his receivers running out of bounds behind the sticks on fourth down with the game in the balance. I wasn’t surprised.

Lonnie Galloway Takes! I guarantee you are not alone. They’re waiting to bust from the woodwork.

Karl said:

This game felt a lot like 2009 (I believe) vs. USF, when Selvie and Pierre Paul collapsed our line at the ends at will the entire time … except thankfully, we found a way to pull this one out. I thought we were supposed to have one of the better O lines in the country this season. They couldn’t hang with those two KSU dudes.

Remember those two? And Selvie was THE guy, not Pierre Paul. Oklahoma gave WVU fits last season, and that’s what I kept coming back to, though USF is valid. We haven’t mentioned him, but that Will Geary dude in the middle was a beast. A tree stump. And a Kansan. Idea: Recruit Kansans. They all can’t go to K-State. They might not want to go to Kansas. But tell me some of these one- and two-star kids aren’t worth the investment and don’t fit the WVU program’s profile.

Gordo said:

One thing that keeps coming up for me is our lack of any defensive lineman that can get to the QB on their own, even if its only a few times a game. I’ve said this on here before, but it seems that our defense is so much better when we can pressure the QB with our lineman. Heck we aren’t even getting home when we send in the linebackers or safeties.

It’s been probably worse than projected. But there’s one organic pass-rusher. Maybe two. Nwachukwu can get there. I think Adam Shuler will, and maybe sooner rather than later, but it’s not there yet. Christian Brown isn’t a rusher — though he’s very good at what he does. Darrien Howard isn’t, and isn’t supposed to be, a rusher. I’m really curious what they’re going with Xavier Preston. It was sort of hard to tell with all the Bear and Okie stuff they did Saturday, when he was basically a defensive end, but could he be a hand-in-the-grass rush end, a la Isaiah Bruce? Also, where the heck is Reese Donahue? I know he’s a true freshman, and it seems unfair to inquire about his whereabouts, but wasn’t he supposed to be something of a specialist?

leetsgomntnrs said:

Mike – Sprint has a text messaging app (see link below) which is supposed to use WiFi if you can’t get a signal. If you turn off data on your phone it should force it to use WiFi for texts. At least that is the way the Verizon counterpart works.

http://shop.sprint.com/mysprint/services_solutions/details.jsp?detId=messaging_plus&catId=service_messaging&catName=Messaging&detName=Messaging+Plus&specialCat=&ECID=vanity:messagingplus

I don’t remember the last time I had WiFi in a press box. I always use broadband, and my phone has 3G or LT. I’ll look into it, though.

smeer said:

mike – you press guys get wifi or internet in the press box? there are plenty of messaging apps (google phone?) that could give you a work around. heck you could even leave a laptop running at home to receive the texts from game day. you might want to experiment as a backup, and if consistent, maybe roll out as the new normal

… anybody want to take me to school here? I’m willing to listen, especially if it makes things easier for me.

Mack said:

I’ve seen a lot of inept football, but I don’t think I’ve seen three timeouts called as early as Kansas State called them. And I’m a guy who doesn’t even value timeouts much. So I don’t think it necessarily hurt K State, but they had problems on their end that I doubt Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or TCU will have.

Here’s what’s always odd to me. When WVU shows something on defense and the offenses changes, WVU (virtually) always changes its play, because Tony Gibson isn’t going to let the offense see and react and get into something favorable. If you’re an offensive coordinator — and really, aren’t we all offensive coordinators? — why don’t you see something, pretend to change the play, get the defense to change from its initial play and then run your initial play? “Yo, we’re running streaks up the rail, a drag across the middle and an angle route out of the backfield. Hmm, WVU’s blitzing. Can’t beat that. But we could get that angle route in space if they play Cover 3. That’s what they usually change to. Let’s call a dummy audible and run the damn play we want to run.”

I love you, Doug! said:

The misdirection goal-line TD handoff and the fake-WR-screen-to-wide-open-Kennedy-McCoy against Youngstown State were savant plays, right out of Coach Klein’s playbook.

Our first Coach Klein reference!

Rugger said:

I love the goal line option play primarily because I feel like I could have scored that one…..moonwalking into the end zone. The hit Ferns put on the LB was fantastic!.

You’re correct. I owe Ferns at least a Side Good. What I liked was that it wasn’t even necessary, but it was his job and he did it.

Clarence Oveur said:

I’m with Down South when it comes to being consistently impressed with offenses finding new and innovative ways to create advantages against defenses.

The stacks and the tight boundary trips WVU runs are but two examples of how to keep a defense honest. That’s why Baylor’s offense is so hard to stop, even against a sound defense. Spreading a defense out and making its personnel defend more space is going to be an issue for any defense, good or bad.

And even if you can put a scheme together that puts your players in position to make plays, they’re still college kids who will miss tackles, will blow assignments, or will simply get beat to a spot on the field.

The down side to these innovative spread offenses? The red zone, where space is limited and you have small areas to defend. K-State (and WVU to an extent) earns its keep here. Bend but don’t break can work against the Big 12’s wide open, space-oriented offenses. Caveat is that you need your defenders to be sound and consistent. Can’t miss tackles and can’t blow assignments, or your philosophy is ruined and you’re giving up touchdowns. That’s asking a lot of even the most experienced college football player.

Seeing WVU run that goal line play with the Crawford hand-off is what you expect to see from an innovative offense, and the kind of thing that a defense can’t really prepare for and (if executed properly by the offense) probably can’t stop.

Inherent advantage for the offense.. It’s a Thing.

To me, it’s even more unusual because Dana just doesn’t add things, at least not this frequently. And not only that, but the guy who maximizes practice time by minimizing what he practices? He’s adding elements for specific scenarios. It’s one thing to add a formation. That’s not simple, but he’s still running the same plays, or at least very similar plays, in the new formations. But he’s also going to the red zone chapter in the playbook and inserting formations and plays there, and he has to practice those. It’s a bit out of his comfort zone, I believe. But then again, he added all those quarterback runs and power running plays in the past, so it’s not something he’s unwilling to do. 

The 25314 said:

It would be easier for me if the “Good” or “Bad” sub-headlines went above the videos. I get confused that the subheading comes after the video. Also, it seems the WVGM IT guys did what IT guys do and just left the kinks in redesigned website and until everyone got tired of complaining about them. But they still annoy me.

I think Skyler is a great deep ball thrower. I won’t complain that he missed one.

I don’t think Skyler is very good at the WR screen pass down the line of scrimmage. Pat White was excellent at hitting the receiver with his momentum going forward. Skyler too often throws it high or behind, messing up the timing.

Throwing a pass to someone running in the same direction as you is actually pretty easy, because you don’t have to worry about leading them. You just throw it straight to them, and your momentum takes care of the rest. However, if you try to put too much mustard on the throw to split defenders, it’s easy to throw it too high and out front of the WR. The throw to Durant was right on target. A very good throw.

I don’t understand why Dana went for it on 4th and 7 at the 31 and 4th and 6 at the 20. I know Lambert missed the first one, but he is capable of making a 48 yarder. And Molina can make a 37 yarder. Take the points. 3 is better than 0.

I will take the recommendation under advisement. You’re not the first person to say this. As for Howard, he’s better at it. We bailed on tracking his deep balls against TCU last season because “[d]eep balls might be a feature of this offense and of Howard’s repertoire, but let’s not call them strengths.” Actually, that G&B is a good reference for perspective, because it shows how far everyone has come after a very bad night, so don’t get me wrong: Missing one isn’t awful. Rather, I was sort of surprised it happened. I’d agree on those quick throws, too. They’re not especially complex, and he does wiggle one every now and then. As for fourth down, I asked about it after the game, and I received a somewhat sassy answer. Maybe it’s our Thing?

The 25314 said:

It was a neat goal line play, but needing to be innovative to score from 2 feet away doesn’t thrill me.

It’s not heartwarming, but neither were those stone walls they kept running into.

Mack said:

The difference in Holgorsen’s game against Kansas State and Bill Stewart’s game against UConn. Holgorsen’s team failed 30 times and succeeded just enough to win the game. Stewart’s team probably only failed three or four times, but the way Stewart/Mullen ran things… everything had to work for them to win a game by a touchdown or less. It’s the same reason that Randy Edsall will never be a coach of a college football program that anyone cares about.

Is Wednesday too early in the week for hot takes?

I think Wednesday is too late.

pknocker40 said:

Another difference between the Kansas St. and UConn games is that while each featured a losing coach named Bill S. burning early timeouts only one of them did it to preserve the wind advantage going into the 2nd quarter.

… still the weirdest thing I’ve witnessed. It also produced the greatest TFGD entry ever. 

(8:45 PM):

Is Stew secretly Native American? He has irrational respect for The Wind.

CC Team said:

There are ways that HCDH is arguably better than Bill Stewart, but timeout and clock management is not one of them.

Let’s refresh this point: Where do we stand on Dana, his clock management and timeouting?

NotFooled:

Where does his dislike of red zone question rank in the list?

I’m starting to think it’s me. Like, am I seventh and perilously close to the top five?

ffejbboc said:

Off topic subjects: Red Zone and Kickers.

Just ignore them.

“I treat kickers everyone else. I don’t want to talk about kickers!”

Grumpy said:

Mike, you should ask him about Missed field goals in the Red Zone.

Dana’s head explodes!

Enjoy the weekend!