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… Athletic Director Oliver Luck called Bill Stewart to his office and told Stewart there would be a change atop the football program. WVU was 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big East and had just beaten Cincinnati a day earlier. WVU is 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big East and just beat Cincinnati.
Let’s not pretend things are the same. Let’s not pretend a lot hasn’t changed. I’m curious how you feel a year later. Completely open to your thought, but let’s avoid the back-and-forth in the comments. There is no right or wrong. I’m interested in what people think a year later, as opposed to what people think about what other people think a year later.
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A few things here: I was on the field with a decent-enough angle. I never saw Ea Smith and I was kind of sure Brodrick Jenkins blocked it. If not, then it was Ryan Nehlen.
Why?
Because Brodrick Jenkins was basically laying on top of the holder when the ball was kicked. If it somehow got past Jenkins, then it had to be Nehlen because he jumped about 11 feet in the air and the ball wasn’t going over him.
“The crazy thing is all week – and this is one of those things you guys might not see or other people not inside the program don’t see – we worked on that field goal block,” said defensive lineman Julian Miller, who recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in what had been the game’s key play up until the game’s final play.
“One thing we noticed early in the week was that right side was the weaker side. On that field goal, it was a perfect opportunity for us to go ahead and take advantage of it.”
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If you are WVU or a fan of WVU, here is all you need to worry yourself with the next several weeks: The number 2. You need to win your remaining two games to remain stuck on two Big East losses. You need to hope Cincinnati isn’t on the level with it’s No. 2 quarterback. You need two teams to lose again.
We’re here today because everything changed in about two seconds two days ago. Zach Collaros had a brain cramp and, perhaps empowered by a belief he could do anything on third-and-12 against WVU’s defense, wandered back around his own goal line on a play that started at the Cincinnati 15-yard line.
Bruce Irvin and Najee Goode pounced and Irvin knocked the ball loose and into the end zone, where Julian Miller recovered for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead. That was exactly what the Mountaineers needed. And when they needed it, too. On the same play, Collaros fractured his ankle and will miss the rest of the regular season, which, as sad as it is for a competitor like that who went out trying to make something happen, opens things up for WVU and for Louisville and for Rutgers and for Pitt the rest of the season.
It was a shocking day for WVU, which won and, in the eyes of some, positioned itself as a favorite again, despite 32 yards rushing on 32 attempts, five sacks, 14 penalties, bad punts, two more missed field goals and mediocre success on third down on offense. Here’s how kooky things were: WVU couldn’t run, couldn’t protect the quarterback and couldn’t stay on the field on third down and WVU had 36 minutes of possession.
It makes little sense and while the Mountaineers weren’t particularly proud of their performance, they were happy enough to win and take a week off to witness more of the unexpected. Get this: If Cincinnati loses at Rutgers Saturday and Louisville loses at UConn, WVU can beat Pitt the day after Thanksgiving (Update: 7 p.m. on ESPN) and be in first place and then playing eight days later at USF later for the BCS bid.
Where it began, I can’t begin to knowin’, but then I know it’s growin’ strong. Was in the spring, then spring became the summer. Who’da believed you’d come along ? Hands, touchin’ hands, reachin’ out, textin’ me, textin’ you. My edits are in [brackets].
10:52:
Actually pretty excited about this one today.
10:59:
Don’t get me wrong. We’re [finished]. But, for once, we have nothing to lose in a Big East game.
12:09:
Inauspicious!
12:10:
Great. The first [football] play.
12:10: Sheesh. The band wasn’t even seated before Cincinnati D requested Yackety Sacks. Nice start!
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You are looking live at the well manicured, dizzyingly striped turf at Paul Brown Stadium, where the Cincinnati Bengals just completed their walk-through before tomorrow’s home game against the Pittsburgh Who knows what today holds, but let’s just hope we all have as much fun as that cat in the middle of the field seems to be having. I don’t know if it’s smiling or growling, but I know it’s having a blast.
9:53 am: In case you’re curious, West Virginia traveled here with 64 players, which is down about 10 from the regular travel squad. And it is exactly 64. I know this because I was there when they rolled into town yesterday.
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Welcome to the Friday Feedback. You are looking live at the television map for Saturday’s game. Sorry, Florida. And Texas. And Oklahoma. And California. And — yikes, that’s like 84 percent of the country. If only there were some last-minute, cost effective way to get to the game …
pknocker40 said:
If all else fails, there should be about 15-25 empty seats on the team charter — just make sure you bring your enthusiasm and try not to mope around if Dana finishes your beer while you’re not looking or Pat Miller tells you to “Go Fish” even though you’re playing Slap-Jack. . .
Onto the Feedback and the bookend to the first week in a while that was completely free of conference [balderdash]. Man, that felt good. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, make like a tree.
Fooling the EPSN and/or local cable company servers into thinking your computer is somewhere else and not subject to their draconian blackout rules would be immoral, unethical, and downright wrong. So I repeat, DO NOT avail yourself of this option.
Yes, please don’t do that.
rekterx said:
Whatever you do, don’t do anything that Sheik tells you not to do. Or that firstrow sports thing, don’t go there either.
I am sure that I will watch the game … out of habit. But between lawsuits, being beaten by Louisville, my hatred for the BCS, and a scandal to the northeast of Morgantown, I’m not much of a college football fan right now.
But only if some subterfuge would let you watch the game …
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I have to admit, I don’t often think about what channel WVU games are on or how I’ll be able to watch them. That’s on me. However, I understand that there is some concern about catching Saturday’s game. I have DirecTV and just discovered the game isn’t listed anywhere — and do NOT tell my wife or we’ll have Comcast in here tomorrow afternoon.
I’ll beg for your help on this if you can assist, but here is what I gather thus far:
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Athletic director emeritus Ed Pastilong was involved in the WVU v. Penn State series for 20 years at various levels. The guy was saddened yesterday by the events of the past six days and how they affect the previous 61 years.
“Up until this particular incident, he was looked upon as one of the most important people associated with football,” Pastilong said. “He’s a legendary person as it relates to football. It’s unfortunate this will change how we refer to him years from now as a legendary coach. This will be a scar. It will be a part of his history.”
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Here is your link. Tell your friends, but also be warned. I was up late watching the surreality in State College and the absolute train wreck coverage … featuring one camera and reporters improbably positioned where there were no unruly students. So I’m a little foggy … and that wouldn’t be the first time this week.
I’ll be ready to discuss that and — whahey! — actual WVU football. Bring it.
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Today is the first day of college basketball’s early signing period. West Virginia has commitments from three players: guards Terry Henderson and Eron Harris and forward Elijah Macon.
Macon is understandably excited. He’s followed a quirky path to WVU, but he’s also eager to play with his new classmates.
“Terry’s cool. Real funny. He’s a guy you want to hang out with in college,” Macon said. “Eron, I haven’t really met him, but I have played against him in some tournaments. We’ve never really talked, so I don’t know much about him.
“I’ve watched highlights of both of them before on YouTube. People were talking about them and I was like, ‘Well, maybe I should look them up.’ Me watching highlights, Terry looks like a good shooter and a person who likes to go to the bucket. Eron, same thing. Good shooter and a real good scorer.”
Harris is expected to sign and send his National Letter-of-Intent today. Henderson and Macon are expected to wait, but don’t let that worry you. Henderson is to do a signing at a local YMCA later this week and Macon will sign at a ceremony at his school tomorrow. WVU will probably wait to announce the signings until it has the three NLIs. Could be Friday. Could be tomorrow.
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I have the dress lists from WVU’s games this season. Home games are different than road games. Those lists are longer, though not by much. Generally, the Mountaineers dress somewhere close to 75 players for a road game and you’ll see more for a home game because there’s no expense in letting an Arthur Johannes dress and stand on the sideline at home.
Dana Holgorsen, who is kind of fed up with players who don’t exhibit the energy and effort and enthusiasm he believes are integral to a consistent winner, who knows those qualities will be in abundance across the field Saturday when WVU plays No. 23 Cincinnati, seems “pretty serious” about taking 50 or 55 guys on the road. Maybe more, maybe less, maybe even a ploy, but certainly something he felt he had to say given what he had been seeing.
“I think there are a lot of guys that just kind of show up and expect to win,” the WVU coach said. “A lot of that is based on winning 60 games the past six years. There are a bunch of people that think that way and haven’t played a down around here. Part of it is past success and getting guys to understand regardless of the way it’s been in the past, this is what the reality is.
“What we’re facing right now is what the reality is in college football.”
Holgorsen praised the parity in the league and said the talent level isn’t dramatically different from one team to the other. The Big East is the only conference where every team has at least three wins. Every one actually has at least four overall.
He said the Mountaineers won’t be overwhelmed no matter who they play, but he said he won’t be inviting anyone to come along who isn’t fully invested in everything required to win.
“Typically the team that plays with the best effort all the time in a league with the same amount of talent is the team that wins,” he said. “It’s obviously a mentality and it’s hard and I’ve got to find ways to get guys to do it.
“My challenge this week is to get guys to play with effort and energy. Whatever I’ve got to do, I’ve got to find ways to cultivate it.”
