Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which met Josh Carraway over the summer. Nice guy. I enjoyed our conversation very much. I felt obligated to let him know I cover West Virginia and that I suspected he’d be, shall we say, identified on Oct. 22.

“I already know,” he said.

“You do? Any why’s that?”

“I think I facemasked a guy the last time I was there,” Carraway said.

I think that was one of the most hostile moments I’ve witnessed at Mountaineer Field. I haven’t seen them all, like the Syracuse melee you all reset this week, but I’ve seen many. That one was way up there. And Carraway, whose feelings on quarterbacks are simple — “I don’t really like them.” —  already knew that.

“I didn’t know I grabbed the facemask at the time,” Carraway said. “When I went back and watched the film, I saw that I did.”

I know you folks remember that. Some would argue it served as a turning point. Others would argue it served as turning points.

Let’s remember just the game. WVU was ahead 10-0 when this happened. TCU made a mess out of a sky kick following a Josh Lambert field goal, and the Mountaineers recovered at the TCU 30-yard line. Trickett runs and gains 2 yards, but there should also be a half-the-distance penalty for the personal foul. First-and-10 at the 14!

Except, no, that didn’t happen, and Lambert kicked a second field goal. TCU won 31-30. I think a 17-0 deficit would have been very hard for TCU to erase and for WVU to squander. Felt like the Mountaineers were gripping it a little tighter after two field goals.

The way that game ended cost WVU a week later when, I’m sorry, one loss turned into two at Texas — remember, we weren’t allowed to ask players about the TCU game on Tuesday of the following week. After the loss to the Longhorns, Dana Holgorsen couldn’t deny the obvious. “Whether it was a little bit of a hangover, so to speak, from last week, I don’t know, but we weren’t ready to play. I take responsibility for that.”

Clint Trickett played his final snaps a game later in a loss against Kansas State, and suddenly 6-2 WVU was 6-5 WVU, and a junior college transfer first designated for a redshirt was the starting quarterback.

What we sometimes forget about Clint Trickett is that he was having a very good season in 2014. What we easily remember is he could not finish the season. Hits accumulated on his thinning frame, and ultimately concussions ended his career early. He did play in two games after this, but there’s an argument to be made he was not the same after this play.

Trickett was 7-for-9 for 77 yards and a touchdown in the first two drives, and the Mountaineers led 10-0 against a team that was boat racing opponents in the first quarter to the tune of a 104-44 scoring advantage. The deficit was the largest of the season.

After that tackle, which is what we have to call it, Trickett went 8-for-17 for 85 yards and two interceptions. For the entire season, he was 225-for-328 for 2,840 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions before the play and 56-for-91 for 445 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions after the play.

But that, of course, ushered in Skyler Howard, who arched brows with a cameo late in the win against Kansas in the middle of the season. He played well in relief against Kansas State, went 1-1 as starter to end the schedule and is now 14-6 in charge of the offense, including 9-1 at home.

It feels boorish to put it all on Carraway, but we can agree the 2014 game was a star-crossed occasion. If that’s a penalty, and if WVU scores a touchdown to go up 17-0, maybe the Mountaineers win. If they win, maybe they’re not flat against Texas. If Trickett lasts the entire season, maybe the offense beats Kansas State. If they’re 9-3 — or 10-2? — at the end of the regular season, maybe they’re in a better bowl. If they have a nine- or 10-win season — 11 with a bowl?!?! — maybe the offseason and the preamble to 2015 is different. If the preamble is different, maybe October is, too. If 2014 enjoyed an alternate finish, maybe The Administration has a different perspective for last October or December or February.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, make sure it all fits.

Wayne said:

Let’s gig some Horned Frogs
Their Carraway, one bad seed
Plant him on the field

Nice!

Mack said:

I forgot about Holgorsen’s meltdown on the sideline when he called the timeout. That was the highlight of the game. And, I can’t explain it, but every time he chugs a Red Bull it’s electric television.

I’d pay $4.99 a month (during the season only) to get a feed of him during games. The Red Bull thing really is thrilling, and I think we’re naive to think the tantrums and the wild hair and the visor antics are unrelated. The best part about the Red Bull is how he’s made it into a theatrical act. His posture is to behold. You’ve had a significant other pull out a camera during a dinner or at a bar and say, “Hey, smile!” when you’re about to sip an IPA or a Malbec. And you always try to do something dignified. That’s Dana and the Red Bull. We’re really only two or three games away from Extended Pinky. 

Berznope said:

He doesn’t just chug it. He savors it. He lets the acrid flavor saturate for a solid three count. Like he’s at a wine tasting but there is no wine and no one else is allowed to have any.

Exactly.

Grumpy said:

On way home today (Columbus, OH) the local sports talk radio has Adam Rittenberg (Big Ten writer) on every week to talk about the Big Ten. Today they asked him about the firing of Purdue coach Darrell Hazell. They talked about replacements and the name mentioned twice…….drum roll………yep our very own DH. They mentioned couple of OSU Asst coaches and a Michigan Asst coach, and even Les Miles but he mentioned Dana two different times. He said even though WVU is doing well, their are many in the business that don’t think he will be back at WVU after this year.

I’m never going to disqualify reporters and their opinions, but this makes no sense. Join me in December when I’m at a press conference in West Lafayette, Ind.

Down South said:

I realized today, while watching his press conference, that there has never really been a time when things felt at ease here for Dana. The early success was overshadowed by the the way the Stewart era ended. The next couple years were defined by horrid defense and bad coaching hires on that side of the ball. And the last couple have seemed to have been subsumed with talk of arbitrary win totals and speculation about his renewal/firing. There has been, in my estimation, steady improvement in the program. He’s a competent coach and his players have done very little to embarrass the program off the field. The stands are full and the on-field product is always exciting, even when we lose. I hate that there hasn’t been a stronger embrace for Dana and I hate the thought of starting over. The coaching talk is only going to intensify as additional firings happen and we win more games this season. Honestly, if Dana gets out of town and doesn’t completely crater somewhere else, I will blame Lyons for not doing what he needed to do to keep him around. Luck, for the most part, did a really good job of hiring coaches while he was here. He obviously saw something in Dana. I hope we can find a way to keep Dana around.

I loved Swing Your Sword and thought Mike Leach is a fascinating guy. Dana seemed a lot like Leach in today’s presser.

Mike, two questions. Is there some rule that says Greg Hunter asks the first question? That seems to always be the case. And, who is Dana’s agent?

Good perspective. There is hardly ever one way to look at something, especially something as common and subjective as coaching changes. I think there are times and places when an athletic director makes an investment and people miss the target. You could argue that Oliver Luck didn’t invest in his program as much as he invested in his choice for head coach — remember, there was a coach-in-waiting period. It’s a process. It can take time. Dana had bad times. He’s having better times. The best learn to keep the arrow pointing up. We’ll see if he’s figured that out quite soon. As for the other questions, Hunter is just quick on the draw. I’ll politely decline to answer the second, because I’m not sure how many of my competitors know it.

BobbyHeenan said:

If we lose Dana to Perdue then Lyons deserves to be future endeavored. If we have a good year that is spoiled by our coach leaving for a lateral move it will be an all time epic AD error at WVU.

We don’t have the football version of Huggs walking through the door if Dana goes.

“future endeavored”

Foul Shot said:

Purdue is a coaching graveyard.
No one wins there.
The WVU AD has been playing some strange games with bogus extension offers and media releases to try to buy time to see how this year goes.
Well, 5-0 and 10 of their last 11.
A supposed top tier QB taking the team over next year which is a change for this program.
The WVU AD has bungled this as he has also bungled the renovation schedule at the Coliseum related to basketball season.
Just not real sure as to the AD plan and his overall planning for our programs going forward. Just not impressed with how the guy is going about it.

In his defense, a “bogus” offer was what he thought was fair. The release, I imagine, refers to stating on the radio Dana declined an extension offer, but Lyons was getting a lot of heat, and he probably sought to cool it off. Not sure much of the Coliseum setback is on his shoulders, though ultimately he is in charge, and it would appear he has work to do to please the masses.

Sammy said:

Lyons has bungled the Dana situation as well as other matters, and if we finish strong and Dana leaves it won’t be good. But the really scary part is the Big 12 is in a precarious spot, and I have no faith in Lyons’s ability to secure a safe landing spot for WVU if the Big 12 starts falling apart two, three, five or eight years from now. A good coach leaving would be bad but, as Luck realized, WVU not being in a “Power” conference would be worse.

Grumpy said:

If your are DH, you use if for leverage for sure. It might be a lateral move, but you have to take in account how your AD is treating you at this point, and you have to consider the BIG12. Is it going to be around in 5 years? Big10 is not going anywhere. If Texas or OU decides they want to move to a difference conference BIG12 is done. Its all very interesting. Point is, while Lyons might not be interested in DH, other teams are.

Well, I will concede this. There will come a time when the future of the Big 12 is a factor as coaches decide their fates. I think we’re a few exits away still.

Not Fooled said:

Why no red zone questions?

My hand to God, I was about to say, “Dana, I guess it would be fair to point out that you’re doing much better in the red zone lately. What gives?” but then the SID stepped in and said, “Thanks, Coach,” and the press conference ended at, like, 12:20 p.m. Not my fault!

Wayward Eer said:

Why are we all assuming that HCDH would want to go somewhere else. He has put a lot into developing as a head coach, building a team in a sustainable model, finally hiring a solid staff, etc… While he may not be happy that he wasn’t extended earlier, business is business and at the end of the day if the money is right coupled with the aforementioned state of the program, there is not a lot reason for him to go unless there is an offer for him to go to a signature program, which he would do regardless of contract status.
Also laying the blame for a multitude of issues on the feet of Lyons is kind of like placing the results on the field solely on the QB. These projects, hires, fires, extensions, etc… are not done in a vacuum. There are layers of folks involved in each and to blame criticize one specific person is a little narrow sighted on our parts. I am with Sid, as I just want to see how the next couple of months play out, and enjoy the ride that is Mountaineer athletics.

I don’t have much to add, and I think it’s important to say this: Dana and Lyons know the score. The fact one person acted one way during negotiations in the winter won’t preclude a deal. Not solely, at least. 

Mr Burns said:

The absurd proliferation of media sites has led to this…a desperate competition for attention and content. Experts will throw absolutely anything against the wall to see if it sticks. Purdue?????

WVU will be in a good place next year regardless.

It’s like I tell myself at the Chinese buffet: Be careful what you consume.

MattiMo said:

One thing that might make Dana want to stay is that his son is in HS here and having a great time it appears (from his twitters). Family/kids can definitely influence decisions.

Well, yes and no. Logan’s a sophomore and he’s the starting quarterback at Morgantown High. It would be cool to see that through as a father, I’m sure. Say things go in direction here and Houston offers Dana the head coaching job and WVU won’t extend Dana. I don’t think Logan is going to look at his dad and say, “Stay here, please.” I do think Dana likes it here, but I think he could sell that house he built pretty quickly if he wanted to. The guy lived in a hotel for two years.

The 25314 said:

Oliver Luck didn’t sign Holgorsen to a contract extension after the 2014 season. While it’s highly unusual for a coach to only have 2 years remaining on his contract, it’s also unusual for a coach to have just 3 years remaining. Luck wasted no time extending Dana after 2011, but the same was not true for 2014. Clearly, Luck needed to see more out of Dana. Dana went 8-5, 4-5 last year. A decent year, but not much different than the 2014 season which Luck determined didn’t warrant an extension.

No one was knocking down the door to steal Dana, so there was no reason to guarantee him more money. And honestly, there was no reason for Dana not to sign a hollow extension if it’s so important for recruiting. If he wins 10 games this year, he will have other offers and therefore leverage to renegotiate his contract whether he signed an extension last year or signs one now.

But Dana would be foolish to sign one now. If he can keep winning, he’ll be able to demand a lot more money.

Additionally, from Shane Lyons perspective, the last 2 times Dana has been ranked this late in the year, he finished 2-5 and 1-4. So why sell the farm for a guy without a positive track record?

Yeah, if were being neutral, which is sort of mandated in business dealings like this, then this is all playing out in a rather logical manner, as explained above. The only thing that I found to be unusual was publicly ending negotiations in February. That developed this story more than what was needed.

Montana Eer said:

Saw the end of TCU/Hawgs, a game TCU should’ve won but made one too many of many mistakes. Hill doesn’t seem dissimilar from Mahommes, other than TCU’s O is more structured. Arkansas ran the ball well on TCU, and this Arkansas team will finish between 3 and 6 in the SEC West, whatever that means. I think WVU will do just as well.

TCU is always one of the best-coached teams. Texas Tech never is. There’s no way Gary Patterson hasn’t used the open week to his advantage. There’s no way he refuses to run the ball. There’s no way he makes bad gambles on fourth down. There’s no way his defense is routinely out of position. What I’m saying it there’s no way WVU enjoys such a massive advantage in the coaching matchup.

Rugger said:

I’m really impressed with Dana’s emphasis on the power run game. When Big 12 teams come to town and the weather is windy/rainy/cold, we now have an advantage over most Big 12 teams. Looks like wind 15-25 mph on Saturday. Reminds me of a Bob Seger song……

Against the Frogs
We’ll be running against the Frogs
We’ve got 7,25 and 4 and we’re running against the Frogs

I keep going back and forth on this, but in home games on or after Nov. 20 since joining the Big 12, WVU has played Iowa State twice, Kansas and Kansas State, the three schools who are most likely to be used to 26505 weather. Baylor will not be used to it on Dec. 3, but Baylor runs the ball more and better than anyone else in the Big 12. But this is September and October we’re talking about, too. I think there’s maybe something there. 

Sid Brockman said:

And the thing that has made the spread so prevalent is that college-age defenders aren’t good at tackling in space. WVU’s offense is designed to take away any numbers advantage the defense shows and make someone tackle a guy in space.

Even if WVU’s offensive players are mediocre, the schematics still lead to more good plays than bad because the defenders are mediocre at what they do also. That’s why there are so many teams adopting a spread/Air raid/zone read offense.

We’re seeing an evolution of bad defense, too. Guys are so used to quick passes behind, at or barely beyond the line of scrimmage now that it seems like covering receivers and defending passes down the field has taken a gigantic step backward. You see a lot of deep balls that are completed without much resistance or with minimal defense. That, and PI calls. We’re to the point now that when a corner runs with a receiver and bats a pass down 30 yards down the field, it gets replayed seven times and Gus speaks in hushed tones.

CC Team said:

Texas Tech looked lethargic and lacking in effort, especially on defense. Not a good team.

Had a coach tell me the Red Raiders do a whole lot on defense and that it’s easier to play against them than it is to prepare for them. Wonder if Texas Tech has a hard time playing because it covers so much in preparation. The best thing to do against WVU, really, is play simple, allow for versatility/flexibility with personnel and make sure you get lined up quickly. TCU’s 4-2-5 will accomplish that.

Neil Cohen said:

Texas Tech was a good example. They were a good 10-19 on third downs, but that still meant 9 drives stopped because they faced so many third downs. Their only 2 touchdowns were on drives where they faced 3rd and 20+ and succeeded.

Exactly. “Oh, they had 19 third downs! That’s not great defense.” Well, they failed nine times. That’s not great offense. Avoiding third downs is a good thing.

hoot said:

Mike…The Williamstown Bank is advertising your checking account. You might want to correct their spelling, though. Could there be a royalty deal in the works?

Need. An. Agent. Stat.

smeer said:

all that time helping Mike pick out his studio chair and all we get is ceiling and nose hairs . . .

Next week: A collage of beard trimmers! You pick the one I purchase.

Down South said:

The sad reality is that the quality of the gameday texts is inversely correlated to the quality of WVU’s play, although that Hillary Clinton dance video made me laugh uncontrollably for reasons I can’t really explain.

You’re not wrong, but it’s inherently good for all of us. Bad texts, good game. Good texts, bad game but wonderful therapy.

I love you, Doug! said:

Who else loved Rasul Douglas’s primal scream after sacking Mahomes?
What do we know/think about McCoy’s top-end speed? What do we know about his injury?

You can hear Douglas lot on the broadcast, and he’s been pretty good, hasn’t he? He has one big play a game, and you sort of expect it to happen because he doesn’t get down after anything. He gets up, to be sure, but he’s never going to sink. McKoy can run — it’s part of the Smallwood parallels — but here’s the most surprising speed-related thing I’ve heard all season: Straight line speed, Mike Ferns can fly. He can’t turn. But he can run with receivers on a line. I didn’t get this in G&B, and I don’t know why, but I had him in on four of the six touchdowns … and two other plays. Six snaps!

JP said:

3:20-3:22. Looked like incidental helmet to helmet contact to me. It’s a shame Fleming will be out for the 1st half v TCU

I would agree it was incidental — maybe accidental, because the hit was a part of Fleming’s activity, though Fleming clearly tried to avoid — but it checked all the boxes for targeting. They will need him as a corner and as a nickel back, but Elijah Battle, out of nowhere, has filled in nicely for Fleming, Antonio Crawford and Nana Kyeremeh, who didn’t play last week. It’s not that Nana was hurt, it’s that he wasn’t healthy. But where would the cornerbacks/secondary be without Battle?

Mack said:

I thought Fleming’s hit was letter-of-the-law targeting. There is no question that his hit was not intended to be a penalty by the spirit of the law… but instant replay has completely destroyed any sort of spirit-of-the-law argument with respect to everything. I mean, no one knows what constitutes a legal sideline catch in the NFL any more.

They’ll revisit targeting soon, and I think you’re going to see variations on the penalties once they do. Maybe one classification for an automatic ejection and one for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That way you can kick guys out for flagrant hits and eject a player for two of the, I guess, lesser hits in a game — or one lesser hit and a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, just to stay consistent with the rules. I’m torn on the targeting-via-replay addition this season. I get why it’s there, and it was applied properly Saturday. The targeting on the Texas Tech player was a flag on the field. Fleming did target, and that was determined via replay. But I could have done without the review for Fleming and been fine with the outcome. What replay’s done is give every official a reason to defer, and that’s seeps into how they make decisions in other areas that they have to enforce and aren’t subject to review.

smeer said:

watching him play against KSU, I thought Mahomes had some wheels, but not so against us. and his legs should have been healthy even if his arm wasn’t he has such an incredible arm and such piss poor form. The NFL will have to work with him. Reminds me of Roethlisberger the way he flings it, but as others have shared TT O looks more like sandlot than any sense of timing patterns, etc.

Is he an NFL quarterback? Today, I would argue no. He needs to be refined and reigned in a lot, right?

West Tex said:

The TT band director expected a Tech victory. About half way through the fourth quarter the band played “Another One Bites The Dust”. That and the fake field goal were tied for the worst Tech play of the day.

Fake punt! And that was clearly a mistake by the snapper. Kliff Kingsbury made sure people knew that wasn’t his call … which made me wonder, “Why did he need to clear that up? Is he that worried about what people think?” He’s working on a shortening leash, I think. Some coaches and their schemes have to fight against perceptions, and that’s not happening at Texas Tech.

The 25314 said:

It was the first time WVU manhandled a respectable opponent since the Orange Bowl. I hope we don’t have to wait 5 years to see it again. It’s quite enjoyable.

Here’s what Texas Tech and a dreadful defense have left: Oklahoma, at TCU, Texas, at Oklahoma State, at Iowa State, Baylor. No open weekends. Are there three wins there?

smeer said:

okay – disclaimer – not bashing Howard, but . . .

TT was almost assuredly the worst D we will face all year. They made some other QBs into Heisman candidates for one game

Most assuredly.

I love you, Doug! said:

Why is everyone saying that the Big 12 is automatically going the way of the old Big East because it didn’t expand? Why is it a binary choice? The old Big East, after WVU, was a pretty crap conference — WVU was the best program by far. In terms of resource rich/heritage programs, WVU is behind Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and I’d argue Baylor. Maybe it’s the smallest of the Power 5 conferences but it’s still a good conference. Or is this just a case of, even if you’re a good conference, if you’re the smallest, you’re toast? 

A short answer to a question that deserves a longer answer that still based on supposition is you have to hang a lot on the presence of Texas and/or Oklahoma. I’m not sure they’re invested in the future. If one or both leave, that’s probably it for the Big 12. Also, a general tip for the reporting you read: The Big 12 is not doing much talking to the media. Reports have to come from somewhere. So, where? Other conferences? Television networks? What’s their slant?

Sid Brockman said:

I don’t see how deciding not to add bad teams makes the Big 12 weaker. And the TV contracts aren’t going to get bigger. The Big 12 needs to push other platforms, as I think that’s where the future lies. Do that, and the league’s going to be fine. The other leagues aren’t expanding again any time soon.

Yeah, there’s no Of Course! team out there. Is everybody still buying Houston as the next Baylor? What’s gone virtually unreported amid the breathless columns ripping the Big 12 is that there was a lot of talk about what the league needs and plans to invest in as far a technology and platforms. But the Big 12 should have helped itself and spent some time dealing those ideas.

pknocker40 said:

All I care about is whether the decision was made on the politics or the merits

Enjoy the weekend!