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May 18, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Darryl Talley, a four-year starter and 1982 consensus All-American, made the College Football Hall of Fame yesterday. He had to wait a long, long time — and he nearly made the Pro Football Hall of Fame before the college version — but what he had in his favor was something that separated himself from a Major Harris.

Talley was unquestionably one of the game’s great players and he was all over the place all of the time, but he had great timing. He was the right player in the right era of college football.

Taylor changed the position and ushered in a new type of outside linebacker. Players like Andre Tippett and Dexter Manley, and eventually Talley, were coveted because of their blend of size, speed and skill.

Yet Talley also made the most of the linebackers around him. He played two seasons with Delbert Fowler and played against Penn State’s Larry Kubin and Pitt’s Hugh Green, Rickey Jackson and Sal Sunseri. Quite often Talley was the one who had the fans talking as they left the stadium.

“Being around those guys and watching them and hanging with Hugh and Rickey and getting to know them from going up to Pitt, I got to learn different philosophies and different ways to play the game,” said Talley, who was 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds at WVU. “Everyone wanted that dominant pass-rusher that L.T. was. I had an ability to rush the passer, but also cover people.

“I could cover receivers. I was a little bit of a hybrid people hadn’t seen, but I was still mean enough and strong enough to play against linemen yet still fast enough to run with receivers. I was different.”

One more on Dalton Pepper

by Mike Casazza

As far as transfers go, Mr. Pepper’s is among the untidiest I’ve ever seen and, really, for no reason.

He’s leaving WVU. We know that for sure now after he finally called Bob Huggins Tuesday. This became somewhat frustrating as it evolved, though.

There came a certain point when probably everyone involved understood Pepper was leaving, but that’s different than knowing he was transferring. When you can only say what you know to be true,  Huggins was then put in a position to say, in essence, “I don’t know what’s going on. We haven’t been told or asked anything.” Not fun for any coach who is on top of his program — and, in this case, not his fault.

And that was the completely true company line until late Tuesday afternoon, which made the events of Monday so strange.

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As BoG pours over comments, is cup half full or half empty?

May 17, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Well, if this whole beer sales proposal were subject to a public vote the result would be to dismiss the concept … and in a rout.

Or as Ed Dicken put it in his succinct comment submitted to the BoG: “NO!”

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Dalton Pepper leaves WVU, will probably confirm to WVU soon

by Mike Casazza

Dalton Pepper is home in Levittown, Pa., and intent on playing closer to home for the remainder of his career. Pepper, two seasons in, is transferring from WVU to Temple … even if WVU wasn’t entirely and/or publicly aware of the decision up until late Monday night.

Ah, but it’s “definitely” happening according to the estimable source on such matters, @pennsburyhoops. Pepper and his high school chose to spread the word Monday night by way of the prep program’s Twitter account with messages aimed at Philadelphia and national writers. No sign of @WestVirginiaU.

There were signs of this move for a long, long time, though. Pepper was perpetually perceived to be unhappy in Morgantown, though he never did or said anything out in the open to enhance that. Instead, it was simply said and written about him. It was still something he had to carry around throughout his time with the Mountaineers. When WVU lost at Villanova this past season, Pepper was asked by one of those newspapers that knew him way back then if he was staying WVU. Some time later, we have an answer.

Interesting thing to follow here: Will Pepper pursue a hardship waiver and — this could be a reach, I admit — will there be cooperation?

Football staff taking a different shape

May 16, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Friday marked the end of an era in West Virginia’s football program. The university posted a job opening for the position of “Program Coordinator – Football Recruiting.”

Assist in the day-to-day administration of recruitment for football student-athletes. Organize the recruitment of prospective football student-athletes, liaison with the University admissions office and managing official and unofficial visits.

This is new to WVU, but isn’t a rarity in college football. You see a number of teams making a seemingly obvious decision to dedicate a full-time person to this all-important task that shapes the future of the program. At WVU, though, it ushers out the days of superhero assistant coaches like Doc Holliday, Herb Hand, Tony Gibson and Chris Beatty who were revered because they were full-time assistants and full-time recruiting bosses.

I suppose now we begin the guessing game as to who gets this gig.

Bob Huggins on line [splash]

by Mike Casazza

Perhaps you heard that when Kevin Jones withdrew from the NBA Draft last week he was able to call Keli Cunningham, the head of WVU’s compliance department, so that she could fax the NBA office with appropriate paperwork and then later fielded calls from a bevy of reporters.

Try as he might, though, he could not reach Bob Huggins and joked his coach “must be ducking my calls.”

Eh, not exactly.

Some recruitniks are putting West Virginia’s half-a-roster basketball signing class among the nation’s best 10, simply due to something Baseball Hall of Fame Manager Earl Weaver used to crow about his Baltimore Orioles.

The Mountaineers have “deep depth.”

That “deep depth” may describe where Coach Bob Huggins’ former cell phone is now, too, at the bottom of a lake near his cabin in the wilds of Ohio. He went there over Mother’s Day weekend and while fishing, somehow fumbled the cell and it went glub … glub … glub.

So there’s that and, oh, yeah, Huggins thinks things will be just fine next season.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before

by Mike Casazza

Bob Huggins was the speaker at commencement ceremonies yesterday for WVU’s School of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and he had some insightful words for the Class of 2011. I’ll let you guess which town in Ohio he referenced.

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Friday Feedback

May 13, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which is open to public comment for an infinite period of time. Today is the end of the 30-day period during which the Board of Governors solicited feedback regarding the proposed beer sales at Mountaineer Field. I think this is a lock, especially now that WVU has taken the big first step toward a no smoking campus.

There’s only one way I think this doesn’t pass: We’ve witnessed stunning subterfuge.

Bad behavior is the target and certainly the biggest contributing and controllable factor is the re-entry policy. Virtually no one allows this and even WVU has an embargo for night games … when the freaks really come out. WVU has examined this for a few years and wrestled with removing the re-entry, but, for whatever reason, has never done it. I’d imagine it would be met with significant protest, even though the re-entry is a practice at WVU and not a policy and, as such, doesn’t need any type of vote or quorum to get rid of it.

But what if — and this would be great — WVU threw up a big smoke screen with the proposed beer sales? Certainly the decision-makers knew  quite well the debate would be significant. Behind that smoke screen was the far less offensive idea to eliminate the re-entry practice, as well as smoking in the stadium, which is another thing WVU doesn’t need anyone’s permission to do.

For more than a month now we’ve seen posturing about why WVU should and should not sell beer, but hardly anyone is bent about the ban on re-entry or smoking — and if they are, it’s secondary anger or a whisper compared to the uproar. The attention has been taken totally off of it, even though this is a tailgating culture and the parties are in the parking lot.

People for and against beer sales have similarly communicated the belief (fact) the problem is not inside the stadium, but outside of it. Both sides say that can be controlled by not letting people out and then back in after they refuel. Say June 3 the BoG announces it has listened to everyone and done its homework, but will not be passing the beer proposal. Huzzah. Obviously, you take away the alcohol element in the stadium and the associated behavioral side effects are gone, too. But now, you can’t go outside, knock back a few Nesteas and then return for the third quarter, either.

Bad behavior, banished. Beer, banned. Two birds, one proposal. It’s actually quite sharp. If this happens, my head may spin off and tunnel to China.

Onto the Feedback. As always comments appear as posted. In other words, know your audience.

P.S. I’m not neglecting the fantastic and hysterical work performed in the “Time for a challenge” post. It’s just not a finished product yet. Let’s keep it going. I may or may not be up to no good on my own.

SheikYbuti said:

Perhaps Aaric can avoid the sit-out year if he can demonstrate to the NCAA’s satisfaction that he’s transferring to take care of Barry Brunetti’s sick mother.

Well done, sir.

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If WVU can’t get seven home games, where will it play?

May 12, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Deep beneath an revelation from Oliver Luck that circumstances have conspired to push back the completion date of the basketball practice facility is an admission Big East scheduling will make it hard to play seven home games every season.

There goes a $2 million payday, but here comes the possibility for another cash grab. The Mountaineers will be paid $2.25 million for their 2016 game against BYU at FedEx Field. Similar overtures are out there.

“What’s interesting to me,” the West Virginia AD said, “is that the number of proposals that have come our way recently, according to people who have been here like (Deputy AD) Mike Parsons, the number has really ratcheted up. It’s more active than it’s ever been.”

Luck mentioned that WVU has had contact from the Redskins for additional dates at FedEx, and most of the proposed foes have been from the ACC.

“The Ravens also are active in Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals (against a Big Ten or SEC opponent, perhaps?),” Luck said. “Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are a bit different dynamic because we have (Big East) brethren schools there. Charlotte (Carolina Panthers) is now more active than it’s ever been, too.

“I think part of it – in places like D.C., Baltimore and Charlotte – is a lot of respect for the Mountaineer fan base and what we can bring. Ultimately in that regard, we’ll do what’s needed to do to replace a home game, if the economics work.”

SEC/Big East Invtl: WVU vs. a team at a place on a date!

by Mike Casazza

The Mountaineers will again be a part of the SEC/Big East Invitational in 2011 and then three more times in the following five years. Next season WVU will play on the road at the opponent’s home building, which is a change from the previous neutral-site format. What no one knows is the opponent or the venue or what time or date between Dec. 1-3 the game will be played. Fun!

Nevertheless, the schedule is taking definitive shape.

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