…within today’s chat, which was a rousing success. There was a lot of conversation about WVU’s defense, what it will do, how it will look, who will be playing, so on and so forth.
These are not easy questions to answer. I tried. I’ve been trying. We’ve all been trying. We’ve been stonewalled by, ironically, a pretty good defense.
Here’s your link for the 11 a.m. chat. Join the fun. If not, I have two alternatives:
1) Look for a transcript later.
2) Check out Darwin Cook, who is very happy to be back in the good graces of the football program.
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Mountaineers v. Thundering Herd or Cat v. Mouse? I say both and so says defensive co-coordinator Keith Patterson. A meal has been made of Marshall and its super duper top secret offense, but strip away all the intrigue and all the stickers we’ve had fun applying and it’s still pretty simple for WVU: Play, observe, adjust and try not to screw up too many things.
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Somehow I’m going to make it happen. Nothing has cooperated as of yet, but I’m looking at a bunch of things in the 11th hour. One way or the other, we’re talking at 11 a.m. tomorrow. I’ll make sure the link, or the plan, is readily available.
(Here you go. Tell the world. I think this might work …)
Hardly anything has changed, but let’s make one alteration on our own. Erik Slaughter didn’t know Will Clarke was listed at defensive tackle and Jorge Wright was listed at defensive end. “It’s the other way,” he said. So let’s change that, OK.
Apart from that, it’s the same as what it was 10 days ago.
Scrapped title: “The statute of the three wise monkeys.” You’ll see why.
Dustin Garrison’s status and well-being remain a top topic at WVU it looks like he’ll have no part in Saturday’s game. No one’s said that, so that’s me saying that, but I’m not sure why Garrison would play this week, especially with WVU off next week.
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Something I’ve learned through the years about Josh Jenkins: He’s transparent. He’ll tell you exactly what he thinks, hears, says, so on and so forth, and it’s going to be authentic. He’s not going to go along with a story just to go along with it and will instead give you his answer to your question — and frequently that’s so, so much better.
Well, one of only a few West Virginia natives who will do something for WVU Saturday, Jenkins doesn’t see the big deal about the game, apart from it being the first of the season, and doesn’t much care that it’s the last in the series.
And there you have it. Dana Holgorsen hints on Monday that WVU knows Marshall is up to something and Joe DeForest takes the cover off it before Saturday’s lid lifter. Marshall went to Oregon and studied the offense and obviously with intent. The Mountaineers were then seemingly intent on defusing the element of surprise — and, boy, does it look like the Thundering Herd will have different designs Saturday.
“Last year we had a set offense, a huddle offense, and I got the play from (offensive coordinator Bill) Legg before every play,” Cato said. “Whatever they called I had to go with.”
This year?
“We’re fast-paced and we just go, go, go, go,” Cato said. “It feels like a new offense. We have new players, a new mindset and new goals. (The coaches) are throwing a lot at me and I’m catching on quick. I can check out of plays, I can recognize the blitz and I know what to check into and what not to check into.
“Now I’ve got the green light.”
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Not arrogant or pompous, but really ready. This is not to say WVU is definitely going to win, or that the Mountaineers could be fooled into thinking that and then lose, but the head coach is high on confidence and low on worries before Saturday’s game. I got the sense he could have played a week ago … and then he said that.
Looks like the Big 12 and the SEC, in this sudden and consistent plan to be BFFs as we enter the future of college football, are trying to make hundreds and thousands of allies this season.
Both conferences will be a little more liberal with in-house instant replay.
In the SEC, schools can show replays from the end of a play until the beginning of the next play, except when there’s a stoppage for an official review.
At that time, the stadium video board can show replays from the television network that is broadcasting the game. The network video feed can be shown between the referee’s announcement to stop a play for the review and his announcement of the review’s outcome.
“Fans in the stadium can now see many of the same views of a play seen by fans watching on television,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said.
In the Big 12, a replay can be shown up to three times.
“It includes plays that are under review, but also foul/penalties that have or haven’t been called, timing decisions at the end of game or other situations that would fall under the category of controversial play,” Big 12 associate commissioner for communications Bob Burda said.
Previously, the Big 12 and SEC allowed one real-time replay of a controversial play.
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