The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Dana Holgorsen: Bowl prep

December 18, 2014 by Mike Casazza

The opening statement is terrific, and I don’t think he was being wry.

WVU confirms Dawson exit

by Mike Casazza
image

Feet back on the ground

by Mike Casazza

So yesterday happened, and the E! True Hollywood Story about why and how I got pulled out of vacation to report the Oliver Luck exit and the Shannon Dawson departure — oh, that also went down last night, right about the time I finally sat down to eat … breakfast — is an all-timer that I’m certain you won’t believe. That said, I’m happy it happened — not that way, of course, but overall. I was really worried I’d have to come back and write about this verbal sparring between Bob Huggins and  Dan D’Antoni.

(Huggins nuked the Capital Classic on his radio show Monday night in response to some odd words from Marshall’s first-year coach, namely that he believes the series format should change to something very obtuse and that if WVU backs out of the series now, the school is scared. He then said Marshall was on the way back, which Huggins took to mean was back, which he found to be amusing.)

I wrote this last season and it wasn’t popular: WVU would be happy if the series went away. Getting the Classic out of the middle of conference play was Part I. With the Marshall game now coming in December, WVU can schedule its one non-conference opponent during conference play and use that game to get on TV (which didn’t happen this season because this schedule … never mind). Marshall just isn’t getting WVU televised. At minimum, WVU would prefer another RPI-boosting home game it’s made an art of scheduling in the past.

The Classic outside the legislative session draws thinner crowds, and that’s one more bullet for WVU to fire at the game’s legitimacy, especially when so much of the revenue is based on the gate. This back-and-forth now is just another reason for WVU to do away with it, and Huggins explained his reasoning quite succinctly.

But turn down the volume and understand this: WVU doesn’t have to play this game. Literally doesn’t have to. I’m not talking about some righteous stance. I’m talking about a contractual obligation.

Continue reading…

And vacation ends abruptly

December 17, 2014 by Mike Casazza

I’ve always loved that picture. It’s quintessential Oliver Luck. It has a little bit of everything that comprises West Virginia’s athletic director. Philanthropy, soccer, availability, competition, determination and probably even success. I’ve no doubt he was doing step-overs and Rabonas in this event.

Alas, Luck is dribbling out that door soon. Sources tell the Daily Mail he’ll be leaving his alma mater to become an executive vice president with the NCAA.

We’re at the ground level with this story. Caught me completely off guard. I’m scrambling, so let me get my breath a bit and I’ll get back here later when I return some calls and some people return mine. I haven’t heard a timetable for his exit, but most seem to believe it’ll coincide with the New Year and WVU will hope to have someone in place by July 1. An interim will fall into place in the meantime. Right now, that means nothing, but it’s an answer to a question I’m certain you have. Names? Again, it means what it means right now, but the list begins and ends with Rob Mullens. There are others, as there were in the past, but I’ve got to vet some of those before I put them in print.

Almost forgot: Good to be back.

Let this be your reminder

December 11, 2014 by Mike Casazza
hands

Kevin White is up for the Biletnikoff Award and Josh Lambert for the Groza Award at tonight’s college football awards show. It’s in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which is to say Disney World, and that explains White’s gloves for this otherwise poignant conversation with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. (h/t @duckfootball)

Everybody in the pool

December 10, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Seasons greetings. I’m out for the next several days for the first of my two remaining breaks before the end of the year. It’ll go by quickly, I promise. You can insert that Thing here about what happens when I go away, but understand this is a time when news is bound to happen.

I’ll keep an eye on things here, and the bat signal is at the ready. For now, though, how about a good old bowl pick ’em contest? My gift to you. Password: stuff(anything)

We’re going to need more swag

December 9, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Dana and Jake have a long, long way to go to match John L. Smith’s submission to the 2001 event. Look at that damn coat! Do I want one? L yes.

Thank @smartfootball for reminding me of this and subsequently making/ruining our day.

Spavital (-2.5) v. HOLGORSEN

by Mike Casazza

Aaaaaand they’re off. Not to be outdone by the Liberty Bowl’s grand reveal Sunday, West Virginia’s head coach and Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator by way of Holgorsen’s tutelage decided to have some fun in advance of the Dec. 29 game.

If you’re new to the game, there’s some pretty interesting history to Spavital and his relationship with Holgorsen.

Three make AP all-Big 12

December 8, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Kevin White, Mark Glowinski and Josh Lambert, come on down.

Big week for White and Lambert, who are both up for major awards Thursday at the college football awards show.

As for the bowl game and the playoff, have at it. I traveled last night and this morning and have been grinding since to get caught up again. I’ve just started getting into the bowl stuff, and I’m smoldering about the playoff. We’ll touch on it all, I’m sure, but I just haven’t done much with either.

Initial impressions: Fun bowl game, and there are parallels between 2012 WVU and 2014 TAMU. I have a lot of problems with the playoff. A lot. (Thought: Florida State, I felt, was rewarded for being the unbeaten defending national champion, which is beyond understandable, if not obtuse for a ranking system in place to find the best teams this season and not the past few seasons. TCU, though, was punished because of last season, when it was 4-8 and lined itself up a 2014 schedule that closed with Iowa State as opposed to a made-for-TV game like Baylor or Oklahoma. What if TCU played Kansas State Saturday and won by the same margin Baylor did? Would that have done it? As it was, the Horned Frogs were curiously penalized three places for beating the hell out of the Cyclones, which is what they were supposed to do.) I’ll let them go soon, but I continue to go back to how stupid it was to have the weekly rankings show.

Yesterday would have been unsullied if it was the first reveal. It’s a shame to all involved that it wasn’t everything it could have been and is instead undone by its own designs that preceded the last reveal.

And now we watch the carnage and what changes it creates.

Second halves suit WVU

by Mike Casazza

(Heard about a West Virginia v. Virginia basketball game the other day, but didn’t think it was this: The Mountaineers and the Cavaliers will play in the 2015 Jimmy V Classic one year from today at Madison Square Garden.)

Weird little thing about this WVU team, in case you haven’t noticed. It’s typically a totally different team, and most times a much improved team, after halftime. There have been a few better-than-decent first halves this season, but mostly the Mountaineers win (and lost) with what happens in the second half.

I think more often than not this time of year you find that ranked teams rough up teams early and coast the rest of the way. Maybe it’s the structure of the roster or that Bob Huggins plays 10 or 11 or 12 people every game and that one or the other or both delays the deployment of Peak WVU. Perhaps the focus on the press is as detrimental the the development of the offense as it is debilitating to the other team’s designs.

Whatever the trigger, the Mountaineers, still ranked and now at No. 22, sometimes struggle in that first half, and Sunday night saw another episode with a dreadful opening 20 minutes … promptly followed by 20 emphatic minutes as the team nears the end of non-conference play.

“I don’t think it’s a good thing,” Devin Williams said. “Once we get in conference play, people are going to jump out on us and we can’t be getting punched in the mouth when we get in conference play. We’ve got to do what we do and bring some of our energy into every game.”

Williams’ other quote of note? It was about his debonair head coach: “When it’s time to put it on, he knows how to put it on.”

The best postgame moment? Oscar Robertson was at the game to see Huggins and O took pictures with WVU’s players and their friends and family members after the game. Jon Holton was in awe, first telling someone from his group, “Go get a picture with that guy. That’s Oscar Robertson.” When Holton was done with his interviews, he got his shot with O. “Don’t take any pictures with anyone else. I want this to be special.”