WVU wins opener in Sicily
August 10, 2011 by Mike Casazza
Not much of a contest as the Mountaineers play NAS Sigonella and win 91-39. You may or may not be interested in the starting lineup.
Just another Wednesday at WVU
by Mike CasazzaThe fifth day of preseason practice was to unfold this way for the Mountaineers:
7:00 am: Continental breakfast
8:00: Team/special teams meeting
8:30: Position meeting/walkthrough
10:00: Special teams walkthrough
10:30: Brunch
2:30 pm: Lunch
3:00: Team meeting/Speaker (Troy Vincent)
3:30: Position meeting
5:00: Runthrough
5:30: Stretch
8:00: Dinner
There’s something missing. The actual practice follows the stretch. Long day, yes? By the looks of the schedule, camp is what we thought it was. “It’s supposed to be hell,” Bruce Irvin said.
It’s not and for a variety of reasons. I see lots of meals and some time between activities, and though it is a long day, it’s with a pace everyone finds palatable.
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When you must know about the offense, ask the defense
by Mike CasazzaAfter all, that’s what the offseason has been like for WVU’s defenders, which makes them the defenders of a very good reputation. People see Bruce Irvin all the time on campus or in town and they stop him for a moment to have a conversation and to have something to tell their friends or co-workers or parents or children. Things get twisted when it comes to the topic.
“All the time,” Irvin said. “Last year it was always about the defense and how good the defense was going to be. This year, people come up and they’re all like, ‘How good is the offense? Is it really that good? You see it every day. Tell me what it’s like.’ “
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Day Four: These dummies don’t stand a chance
August 9, 2011 by Mike Casazza
The second day of pads and contact at WVU today and many Mountaineers, like Alex Burdette, a walk-on safety from South Carolina, were throwing blows. All in all, a tough day for the inanimate objects on the practice field.
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It takes one to know one
by Mike CasazzaBob Huggins and Dana Holgorsen have become friends, fishing buddies, partners in conversation and exchangers of experiences. It’s logical because coaches like to be around coaches, but Huggins really does like Holgorsen, to the point of initiating occasions to hang out, and the feeling is mutual.
Some similarities have been discovered and they do actually share a philosophy of simplicity when it comes to coaching. These are the things you find, discuss and shape when you hang out with people who do the same things you do. Same as a cooks or stylists or journalists hanging out. Yet Huggins, the person, is a little or a lot like Holgorsen the person, too.
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We have an APB
by Mike CasazzaWVU football sent out word yesterday that it’s looking for a few good arms.
The West Virginia University football program will host a workout for students interested in joining the Mountaineer football team as a walk-on. The workout will be held on August 22, 2011 at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Registration will take place from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. and the workout will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.
This was posted online and actually sent out to the student body. Sure, it’s an open invitation for walk-ons at all the positions, but this is part of the very expansive net Dana Holgorsen is casting looking for practice arms.
“We’re still calling people. We’re still asking questions,” he said. “We can put an ad in the paper. You guys could say we want a quarterback who wants t play and throw the ball. Just come up and see me and if it works out we’ll put you in there.”
Day Three: Dustin Garrison is not so small
August 8, 2011 by Mike CasazzaThe one thing about Dustin Garrison, seemingly the main, if not sole reason he wasn’t the recipient of more Division I scholarship offers, was that he was a small running back. He’s never known another way.
GARRISON STARTED playing football in seventh grade and was on the Pearland varsity team when he was a sophomore.
He could run and catch and do a lot of things to make him a good football player.
He just couldn’t grow. Garrison is 5 feet 8, 160 pounds, and realizes that, as much as anything else, cost him recognition during the recruiting process.
“I definitely think that’s what it is,” he said. “It’s always going to be about size. I’m not the biggest guy out there. I’ve learned through this experience that a lot of college coaches don’t look at numbers as much as height and weight.
“They look at those a lot and those are things I can’t change. It’s something I’m stuck with and something I had to learn to work my around.”
Well, I’ve watched Garrison go through drills for three half-hour fractions of practice now. I’ve stood a few feet away. I thought about bumping into him today, just to ease my mind. Thing is, I don’t think this guy is all too small.
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Veterans offer insight of three head coaches
by Mike CasazzaWVU likes to brag on this one achievement from the past four years. The Mountaineers, Boise State, Ohio State and Virginia Tech are the only BCS teams to win nine games every season. Somewhere further down the list is this not-so-noteworthy nugget: Only Michigan, Vanderbilt and Tennessee can match WVU’s three head coaches among BCS teams.
“It’s been an experience,” linebacker Najee Goode said.
He, and a few others, said some other things …
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A new New England Patriots player molds renewed WVU receiver
by Mike CasazzaThe quintessential Dana Holgorsen stat
by Mike CasazzaDismiss the top-ranked offenses and disregard the passing yards and attempts. Pay no attention to the exploits of Harrell and Crabtree, Cumbie and Welker, Keenum and Weeden, Blackmon and Hunter. They all matter and impress, but they’re not possible without this:
In his 18 seasons as a college assistant coach, Dana Holgorsen has never, ever lost a starting quarterback to injury.
“I think a lot of it is the scheme,” Holgorsen said. “We sort out our protections pretty good. We coach the quarterbacks to get rid of the ball. We call plays to keep the pressure off of him, so I guess it’s a lot of scheme and probably a little bit of coaching.”
I’ll give you a minute to process that, but you might need more. It’s really remarkable.
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