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

You’re going bowling. Maybe. If it’s close.

April 23, 2013 by Mike Casazza

It’s probably weird to us, on this side of the fence Mississippi River Eastern Time Zone, to see the Big 12 wringing hands over travel. And in truth, a lot of this doesn’t make much sense, but it’s nevertheless interesting given what’s at stake.

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On the move

by Mike Casazza

I’m on the go today so that I can be in New York City Wednesday morning for the pre-draft media gathering and then in Radio City Music Hall for Thursday’s draft. I can’t get a grip on where your Mountaineers are going. I made calls yesterday to get a clue and was generally assured Geno will go between 4 and 34, while Tavon seems certain to go in the first round. I’m not sure any more inquiring will clear that up for you or me. But that’s why we watch or attend.

Anyhow, I’ll be riding a train (!) today and Amtrak is supposed to have Wi-Fi, but since I can’t rely on the Internet in my house or any new or old arena, I’m leery of trusting a train. I’ve ridden the rails before, but mostly in another country or for shorter distances with a city. I never needed the Internet then. So this is somewhat new, which is a fine segue this morning because Shannon Dawson is somewhat new to the players vying to be his quarterback in the fall.

Remember, Ford Childress and Paul Millard were in Jake Spavital’s room the last year and the last two years. They know a voice and a style that are not Dawson’s, while Dawson, it turns out, knows only one way.

“It’s getting to know each other on a different level,” Dawson said. “When I was the receivers coach, obviously we had a different relationship, but it was probably more in depth than you think. I was in control of more of the offense than just the receivers. But right now, it’s different obviously because we’re breaking in two new ones and competition always creates a certain amount of intensity.”

Dawson is blending his intensity into the competition. He said he is not a friend to his players. They can have relationships and those can become close relationships over time, but Dawson is consistently blunt and stern, evidenced by the way he was as upset about the indecision Millard and Childress exhibited to take so many sacks before Millard spoiled the final play.

“My approach has always been like that with quarterbacks,” Dawson said. “I think you’ve got to put them under heat to see how they respond and the best way to do that is not sitting there being buddy-buddy with them. That’s not my approach with them. They’re all going to mess up. They’re going to be bad, and when they do good, you pat them on the butt. But the only way to know how a kid is going to perform under pressure is to put them under pressure.”

Bam! Conference expansion done

April 22, 2013 by Mike Casazza

The ACC swung a hammer today and nailed down its conference for the next 15 years.

So much for Florida State and Clemson joining the Big 12 or for the Big Ten poaching Notre Dame, or pretty much anything else that involves that ACC membership — and, yes, this includes the Fighting Equality Irish.

Figuring the annual television rights package to be worth $20 million a school, a team leaving now would owe a ridiculous $300 million to do so.

It’s enormous and it may finally encourage you to get to know the conference you belong to because you might not be leaving it or adding to it any time soon.

In review, Part II

by Mike Casazza

Here’s your second common takeaway from Saturday’s game: “The defense is back on track!”

Never mind you that WVU’s defense, which was terrible last season, beat the offense, which was wonderful, in the 2012 spring game. So let’s tap the bakes on where things are and why. At WVU, and under Dana Holgorsen, the defense will often get the best of the offense in the spring.

The offense doesn’t do a whole lot and the defense is better able to absorb, adjust and prevail. And when the defense has more experience and probably even more talent, well, temper your expectations just a touch.

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In review, Part I

by Mike Casazza

There are two takeaways from Saturday’s spring game, which, by the way, ended in a 41-33 score. All that last-drive drama was probably manufactured by a manipulated scoreboard as a way to excite fans and focus players for one last memory before they all get sent off into 15 weeks of no football.

I don’t mind that, but it leads me to the first of the two takeaways — and if you were scoring at home, because most of you were apparently at home, that’s one more takeaway than the defense had Saturday:

What do you do with the spring game?

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“Defense beats offense, score debatable”

April 20, 2013 by Mike Casazza

Newniforms!

More highlights followed Saturday as the defense beat the offense, XX-XX, before an estimated crowd of about 8,000 on a fall-like afternoon at Mountaineer Field. Not certain about the score. Try and follow me here.

We saw a little suspense as the offense took the field at its own 35-yard line down 35-27 with 4:21 to go.

K.J. Dillon applied the hit of the day when he arrived with the ball as Cody Clay tried to catch a second-down pass out in the flat. A third-down run by Dreamius Smith set up a fourth-and-2, which Smith picked up seconds later.

Remember that.

WVU picked up two more first downs, but Paul Millard was sacked for a loss of seven that moved the ball back to the defense’s 39 with 33 seconds left. Millard completed a pass to Devonte Mathis for a gain of 15 before a 24-yard touchdown to Jordan Thompson with no time remaining.

This was high drama in a game we often label as meaningless. The offense called a timeout to draw up a two-point play. It was a run to the right to freshman Wendell Smallwood that was shut down quickly. Dillon made the play and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was not too happy with his quarterback.

Not that it matters, or that it would have mattered. The score was actually 39-27 when the final drive started. The game would end 39-33, we think. It wasn’t clear. As Dave Hickman summarized, “Defense beats the offense, score debatable.”

More notes …

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Friday Feedback

April 19, 2013 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which is still incredulous that it’s about to say what it’s about to say: I’m going to watch a Dana Holgorsen football game and am most interested in how his team will run the football.

It’s crazy, really. I just don’t have a lot if interest, during this particular edition of spring football, about the quarterback competition, and you should ascertain something from the battle by knowing this: I’m told Clint Trickett will be at the game on an official visit. (Apparently Bruce Feldman knows this, too. He put this out as I was F Doubling.)

If he picks WVU over USF, he’s eligible to play/start this fall. And then next fall. That must be an interesting development for William Crest, who we learned this morning committed last week to the Class of 2014. I think it’s fair to say the quarterback situation at WVU is of interest.

But WVU has three running backs it really likes and a fourth it’s getting to know. Jacky Marcellus might be a slot receiver, or he might be a running back, but he arrives in the summer. The other four players are already on campus this spring. That’s where the Mountaineers have their greatest quality and quantity of depth on offense. I didn’t see that coming.

Here’s the twist that grabs me by the ear. You have an offensive line coach hired away from Stanford, which would seem to be allergic to WVU’s offense, but Ron Crook is nevertheless meshing with the Mountaineers and making them better.

“They’re just tough and they grind you down,” Dawson said. “I think there are certain segments of the game where if you don’t have that toughness, you’re going to get beat. Short-yardage situations, when you’re running the clock out at the end of the game, you’ve just got to be able to run the ball effectively when the other team knows you’re going to run the football.”

Dawson said that’s been “one of our biggest problems for a while,” and that Crook’s addition should help fix that. If the first 13 practices were any indication, the players seem to believe the change will happen in 2013.

“Some of it is just downhill, try-and-stop-us football, like how it used to be,” junior Andrew Buie said. “I feel that’s how your running game should be. You shouldn’t have to disguise it, make it for the whole world where, ‘We may be throwing the ball, but we may run the ball.’

“It’s, ‘All right, we’re going to run the ball. Line up and stop it.’ I feel like that’s the mentality we’re starting to take on.”

But wait! Set your eyes on pass-catchers, too. Specifically, K.J. Myers, who is basically, and almost by default, WVU’s most accomplished outside receiver. He’s also the Most Interesting Mountaineer in the Locker Room.

“You know how people are judged or stereotyped often due to physicality or somebody’s ethnicity or something like that with them?” Myers said. “Growing up, I always wanted to break that. I wanted to be with this group of people and be able to do this and be with that group of friends and be able to do that. I never wanted to limit myself to anything.”

It can be a lot to juggle, but that’s fine. Myers likes to juggle. And draw. And sing. He is a curious, self-cultured sophomore with hobbies based on an array of interests and inspired by interactions with a range of people.

“I’m fairly different,” he said.

He is someone who taught himself to play chess when he was in high school because he’d heard it was hard and he wanted to test his intelligence; someone who played a drum set and carried the quads for the band at pep rallies and during basketball games when he was in middle school; someone who has an interesting adoration.

“I grew up skate boarding,” he said. “That was my passion. I just loved it. I still love it. Skate boarding is fun. It’s free. You can go out every day and just skate and free your mind.”

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. And here’s an additional reminder about this afternoon’s book signing from 4-6 p.m. at the Fishbowl in Suncrest. Buy a book ($20) get a Fishbowl draft ($0). People are already gathered outside …

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Did you know?

April 18, 2013 by Mike Casazza

Did you know I’m back on the book tour? One night only! I’ll be at the Fishbowl in Suncrest from 4-6 p.m. If you buy a $20 draft, you get a free book. I’ll even sign it, if I ask nicely.

But seriously, whether you have one or not, come on by, check out the new location, enjoy the weather and talk about whatever you want. We’ll have wings. It’ll be crazy.

And did you know that Bob Huggins represents Spalding? Did you know the soccer stadium is in line to get a video board? Did you know radio talent fees are about $3,000 each football game and about $2,200 for each men’s basketball game?

Would you like to know more? Then let’s revisit “Addendum #6” from WVU’s unnecessary original RFP and all the “confidential” information now available to the public.

Tavon kicks the PAT

by Mike Casazza

Mr. Austin reportedly scored a 7 on his Wonderlic test. That is not the news of the article, which actually delves into whether the score matters or not. And it probably doesn’t. It can raise flags and underscore concerns, but Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 50 and Vince Young’s 6 (reportedly!) don’t mean much when you compare their careers.

And truth be told, a failed drug test isn’t nearly as big of a deal as a bad 40 time, so what are we to make of the way teams interpret the test scores and all the variables that might contribute to an unusually bad or good score?

Still, people are going to point and chuckle at Tavon, if the score is accurate. But have you seen or taken the Wonderlic? Give it a whirl … 50 questions in 12 minutes. Begin!

Good luck, no Luck

by Mike Casazza

Hey! WVU has the funding framework for a new baseball stadium! The TIF passed last night because — well, I don’t know. Seems like a righteous waste of time, doesn’t it? But “quick action” yesterday sent the bill to the governor’s office.

“It’s a good day for West Virginia,” said Sen. Bob Beach, D-Monongalia. “I think the folks back home and across the state were pretty vocal. They wanted this to happen.”

Meanwhile — and this is cheeky — the magistrate pay raise bill, the one that got handcuffed to the TIF as the TIF failed, is being poked at and pulled by the House of Delegates and the pricey special session could drag on all week.

“There are some people who feel very strongly against it. I think there is a view in our caucus that we should not be giving pay raises when we’re cutting $75 million out of our budget already,” said House Minority Leader Tim Armstead.

Senate President Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, had hoped the Legislature could end the special session on Wednesday night.

“They know how they’re going to vote on the bill. What’s the point of sitting here for three more days on the taxpayer’s dollar?” Kessler said. “I hate to just see us lay here for two more days, at $100,000 a day, to keep us here.”

Meanwhile, WVU started to climb out of the mud it found itself in Monday after State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey turned a hose to the Tier 3 process.

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