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

Big East statement says stuff

October 2, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Here’s what came out of the presidential meeting that ended around 3 o’clock this afternoon.

The Presidents voted unanimously to authorize the Commissioner to aggressively pursue discussions with a select number of institutions that have indicated a strong interest in joining the BIG EAST Conference.  The Presidents are also actively considering changes to the Conference’s governing bylaws to further solidify the membership of the Conference.

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WVU v. Bowling Green: Da’Sean Butler has a treat for you

October 1, 2011 by Mike Casazza

The All-American and 2,000-point scorer is in town for Homecoming weekend and served as the parade marshal in last night’s parade. This had him throwing up hook shots with handfuls of candy as the red convertible motored down High Street on a miserable evening in Morgantown. And this toss method was an adjustment from earlier on the parade. “The first time, I threw it overhanded. Messed a kid up.”

Butler, by the way, is with the San Antonio Spurs and would be playing now if the NBA was playing. The Spurs have just three small forwards on their roster — Butler veteran Richard Jefferson and draft pick Kawhai Leonard. Shooting guards? Manu Ginobili, Gary Neal and James Anderson. He’s got a real good look at it and the knee is fine. Never came up in conversation.

11:01 am: Much was made about Geno Smith’s performance against LSU, and understandably so when the final numbers are 38-for-65 for 462 yards and two touchdowns, but what if we were looking at 34-for-57 for 541 yards and three touchdowns? Believe it or not, the Mountaineers — and that includes Smith and his coaches — saw two plays he left out on the field.

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Big East’s feast or famine moment

September 30, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Open post welcoming your open minds. The Big East presidents and the conference commissioner meet Sunday at an undisclosed time and location in Washington, D.C. You better believe football is the top topic and the goal is to figure out what on Earth they’re going to do with and for one another both right now and in the future.

So I ask: What is your expectation?

Friday Feedback

by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which sighs wonders what’s the big deal. Here’s what we know, and what we’ve known: Dana Holgorsen doesn’t have a West Virginia drivers’ license. The West Virginia football coach has a Texas license because he never got an Oklahoma license, either. And he lives in a hotel. And though he’s bought land and has plans to build a house, his mailing address is the Puskar Center. Not sure any of that was news, but whatever.

Here’s what I did not know: There’s a law stating a state resident needs to apply for a license within 30 days. … And that’s about it.

I’ve vacillated on this and I still think, in principle, the story idea is fine. Sorry, it is. The head football coach at WVU, a guy making a lot of money and a guy who has wheels and insurance gifted to him as a privilege, doesn’t have a license now nine months into his stay. DMV lines aren’t that long! So I can see the significance, especially in West Virginia, where fans are a little anxious about the allegiances of their coaches. And, finally, there seems to be neither care nor consequences for this apparent violation.

At least, I don’t think there are. Never read what the A.D. or the president had to say. Never saw word from the DMV or a state government official who might be concerned with such a thing. What about the Wheels Club? I don’t even know what the penalty is, if there is one. All I saw was Holgorsen explain and then defend his position — and capably and so.  Just totally disassembled the case against him. I mean, how do you argue that a coach is busy?

It all makes me wonder if this didn’t start somewhere else. No way the story started as “Holgorsen doesn’t have a West Virginia license.” At least, I’d hope not. If he didn’t have a license, that would be different.

There’s been a little rumor he didn’t have, or couldn’t get a license. And I can attest to the fact that isn’t true. For one, he doesn’t get the job without one. I’m one of a few people who was assured he had a license — a Texas license. And Holgorsen nearly sideswiped me, my wife and my boss as he wheeled into Waterfront Place in August. It was dark, we were walking off the sidewalk as we headed to the parking garage and he never saw us. It wasn’t really close, but it was kind of funny because, you know, the guy who isn’t allowed to drive was driving an SUV. He and I had a laugh about it the next day.

Does he drive everywhere? No and that’s become an issue, even in the presence of explanations. One I don’t want to even get into because it’s 2011 and I don’t want to deal with the people who would have a problem with it. Another, he sometimes doesn’t know where he’s going when he goes somewhere — Elkins, Parkersburg, Charleston, on and on. Thirdly, car rides are like office hours for coaches. They check and send email. They visit their voicemail and make calls. They read stuff. They do things they can’t do when practicing or meeting or watching film. A lot can get done in the 80 minutes it takes someone to take him to Tennerton.

But Holgorsen could drive there if he wanted. He could pull out of the garage at his hotel or, if we wait a while longer, his new house on that large plot of land. He could motor down I-79 and make the trip himself because he has a Texas license. Not a West Virginia license, and that probably has to change. I request to ride shotgun for that trip because I’d like to write the story about how Holgorsen spends the 55-minute wait until C-37 is called at the DMV. Imagine the non-verbals there …

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, don’t press your luck.

ffejboc said:

Bruce Feldman got access because Bruce Feldman isn’t going to write some TMZ garbage piece about casinos or driver’s liceneses. It’s not paranoia if they really ARE trying to get you.

The thought occurred to me yesterday. And I wasn’t very happy to think it.

overtheSEC said:

#freemike

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Chest swipe, chest swipe, ear tug, nose tap … go!

September 29, 2011 by Mike Casazza

If you’re just watching casually and without the emotional investment, Dana Holgorsen might look like a guy with a twitch or a bug flying around his head and not a man with a plan.

And Geno Smith might look like a quarterback with a pain shooting through his hand or a helmet that doesn’t fight quite right instead of a leader with a message to spread.

Welcome to the West Virginia offense, where neither time nor motions can be wasted as Holgorsen sends a play to Smith and Smith tells his teammates what to do.

No matter when it begins, Holgorsen and Smith have a constant conversation before each play in the no-huddle offense.

“There’s a whole bunch of non-verbal communication and signals through body language and through stares,” Holgorsen said.

“A lot of hand gestures and a lot of faces being made from him to me,” Smith said.

Through it all, Holgorsen tells Smith if he wants him to hurry or to play at a normal pace. Then comes the play call, the formation and the personnel in rapid succession. Smith then shares it with his teammates.

Sometimes Holgorsen will scan the field and amend something. Smith has been taught to always look back one last time, but sometimes he needs Holgorsen to yell at him or running backs coach Robert Gillespie to run and jump around to get Smith’s attention.

“It’s not that hard,” Smith said. “That’s the key to it actually. It’s simple. He makes it simple. It’s something that’s been going on for 10 years and something that pretty much always works. It’s my job to get the right signals and make sure everyone is communicating and on the same page.”

We’re chatting at 11 am

by Mike Casazza

Same time, same place and I have a hunch we’ll have a few things to talk about this morning. Please join us here.

Here’s a terrific story by Bruce Feldman

September 28, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Mr. Feldman, of CBS Sports, has known Dana Holgorsen for many years and, as such, was granted all access last week before the LSU game.

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If only LSU came to town seven times!

by Mike Casazza

Here’s the recap from the third game with beer flowing at Mountaineer Field:

36,042 units of beer sold
$255,396 gross in beer sales
$120,469.81 net in beer sales
7,138 souvenir sodas sold
8,510 bottles of water sold
2,590 cups of frozen lemonade sold
52 designated driver sign-ups

Total Gross Concessions minus beer sales was $322,100.

Through two games, WVU sold 38,750 units. WVU sold 36,042 units for the third game. Through two games, the net profit was $132,760.83. For the third game, the net profit was $120,469.81. And how about this? After two games, the seven-game season projection for net profit was $464,442.90. After the third game, the projection is $590,871.49.

How do you fix this problem?

by Mike Casazza

Maybe I’m just so focused on Dana Holgorsen that I’m completely oblivious to my surroundings, but it occurs to me there is a motto attached to that YouTube classic. And for much, if not all, of WVU’s loss to LSU, the team played fast and played hard.

Those are the second and third elements to the motto and, as such, not the most important thing the Mountainees must do.

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And thus explains McCartney’s competence, Spain’s hindrance

by Mike Casazza

Dana Holgorsen said McCartney should have redshirted last season … and without those exact words, the ones that would serve as a confession he wasted 2010 with just one reception, he pretty much agrees. Yet McCartney is WVU’s third-leading receiver, which would make him Roy Oswalt for the Phillies or Chris Bosh for the Heat. He keeps good company, which keeps a lid on his profile.

Reason being? McCartney might not know more about this offense than he did about last year’s offense, but he’s out there running around and making plays with his ability and his energy, to say nothing of what he actually has learned. He’s been granted a chance and he’s having some fun and some success with it, which seems symbolic of Holgorsen’s regime.

“There was more tension on the team (last year). Everybody was uptight and we didn’t have fun,” said sophomore wide receiver Ivan McCartney. “That’s something coach Holgorsen has changed this year. He just told us to loosen up and go out there and have fun playing.”

Not everyone is getting it quite as quickly, but the beauty, if that is the right word, of Holgorsen’s approach is that it presents no mysteries. There is no uncertainty about where you stand with the staff. Asked why Cole Bowers, who started a bit and played a bunch last year, hasn’t been dressing, Holgorsen said Bowers isn’t good enough.

Asked about how Quinton Spain did at right tackle in what looked like a laborious stint that many have instead deemed  gloroius, Holgorsen said this: “Lazy. Much like he is in practice. He’s a big, massive guy with good feet who could be a really good player, but right now he does things on his time and not our time. We’ll keep trying to get him on our time.”