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

Does Bill Stewart have a gem for you today?

November 20, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Update: Story with quotes. Match the mountains tonight.

 

10:05 am: A hearty good day to you from John’s Cardinal Stadium. Apropos of nothing, or everything, this is the marquee at the establishment across the street from my hotel. You think about that.

10:10 pm: Game captains today: Will Johnson, Jock Sanders, Brandon Hogan and Chris Neild. The only names missing from the dress list that you’d recognize are FB/TE Chris Snook and LB Donovan Miles.

10:13 am: Speaking of hammers, someone asked earlier in the week when Colin Dunlap would be writing about WVU basketball. To clear up a misconception, Colin does not cover WVU basketball. He does Duquesne, though will cross over when required, like the NCAA run last year. Excuse him if he’s slow on his blog today … he’s a little preoccupied.

10:22 am: Regarding today’s Illinois-Northwestern game at Wrigley Field, on one hand, there isn’t a dramatic change in the game play. The offenses will go in one direction. In the event of a punt/kickoff/turnover return, the ball-carrier won’t be throwing the ball into the end zone and thus bringing the too-close-for-comfort wall into play. It can work.

Where you’ll find a difference is with strategy, and this got a few people talking in the press box. How would Bill Stewart, he of two timeouts in the first quarter, handle the reality there is no wind advantage to be gained or lost at the quarter change or in overtime?

11:48 am: Louisville’s 117-member marching band is on the field for the national anthem and “My Old Kentucky Home,” and, I believe, we’ve witnesses a record. There are 18 minutes before the pregame clock expires … and that’s usually a few minutes before kickoff.

11:51 am: Fireworks in the pregame!

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November 19, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Friday Feedback

by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which will instead advance through the summary disposition process, which eliminates the need for a written response and a formal hearing.

Hard to figure out what inspired WVU’s NCAA update Thursday, though I’d suggest giving Jack Bogaczyk a read. There are far-reaching possibilities and you must also wonder if, or how, this affets the once or future football coach. There also seems to be an urge to reach some agreement between all parties, which would include one Rich Rodriguez and whatever associates he’s working with at Michigan.

Additionally, there will be uniformity in what WVU says will be an “agreed upon summary disposition report.” Kind of takes individuals and agendas out of it. Everyone is going to have to agree to what is written, be it good or bad on one side or both. Don’t breeze past that. Imagine how useful cooperation canbe, as opposed to the alternative. 

Other than that, not a lot of news to come of that apart from explaining that there will be no publicized submission just yet, as was previously planned. This is just a quicker way to resolve this with less paperwork and slung mud and more fluidity.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, respect the rules. 

SheikYbuti said:

Glad to see the team perform well today, especially inasmuch as I got my tix for next week’s Louisville game via FedEx yesterday. It wasn’t going to be as much fun if we didn’t have something important to play for.

Maybe now is the time to document my all-time record following the Mountaineers on football road trips:

1/2/95 (Miami) – South Carolina 24, WVU 21

11/22/97 (South Bend) – Notre Dame 21, WVU 14

12/29/97 (Miami) – Georgia Tech 35, WVU 30

12/26/98 (Tempe) – Missouri 34, WVU 31

9/4/99 – (Charlotte) – East Carolina 30, WVU 23

12/28/02 – (Charlotte) – Virginia 48, WVU 22

It’s a good thing I’m not superstitious; otherwise, I might be worried.

Why?

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Puerto Rico Tip-off semi-live blog

November 18, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Spoiler alert! The running commentary follows the jump.

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Back in business

by Mike Casazza

The Internet has been repaired and the WVU Sports Chat with Mike Casazza will go on as scheduled at 2 p.m. Be there!

WVU v. Davidson live blog: 11:30 a.m.

November 17, 2010 by Mike Casazza

11:20 AM UPDATE: Sorry, but this won’t happen today. Not live at least. Check the comments. I’m furious. Couldn’t be angrier.

Why let the Mountaineers have all the fun in the San Juan sun? Maybe you don’t get ESPNU. Perhaps you can’t watch live online at work. You’ve got me, proxy for Thursday’s first-round game of the Puerto Rico Tip-off . Never leave your wingman. See you then.

Live chat in 25 hours!

by Mike Casazza

WVU Sports Chat with Mike Casazza is tomorrow at 2 p.m. Be there … or drop your questions in the queue now … or in the comments section here. Possible talking points? Who’s playing quarterback for Louisville or right tackle for WVU?

The difference for WVU was actually WVU

by Mike Casazza

We asked a whole bunch of people a whole bunch of times and as best as we the media could gather, the biggest difference in Saturday’s victory against Cincinnati was not any addition or subtraction born out of the “total self-evaluation.”

Maybe that’s true.

Maybe the Mountaineers choose to keep the actual answer to themselves.

Or maybe, after two negligible turnovers and two penalties on the defense, the biggest difference was, in fact, the Mountaineers themselves.

“We executed and didn’t turn the ball over,” WVU quarterback Geno Smith said. “That was the only difference. I feel like we had the athletes to go out there and score points on anybody. That’s if we don’t turn the ball over. We’ve had production all season. We don’t score points when we have turnovers.”

It all sounds very convenient for the Mountaineers, but it was something they needed to fix and, for a week, it worked. Through Stewart’s two-plus years, almost all of his 11 losses have been marred by turnovers and penalties that have kept scoring low.

“We beat ourselves and it shows,” nose guard Chris Neild said. “I’m not taking anything away from any loss we’ve ever had – the teams that we’ve lost to got the best of us that day – but there are times throughout the games where we slipped up and we beat ourselves and it shows at the end.”

WVU has committed 24 turnovers and 52 penalties for 494 yards in Stewart’s 11 losses. In averaging nearly five penalties per game, WVU has committed between five and nine four times. Seven games have seen at least two turnovers, including games with six, four and three. The turnover margin in the 11 defeats is minus-13.

It sounds very convenient, but the  Mountaineers make a case that they are often their worst enemy.

Could WVU-Louisville be back?

by Mike Casazza

In Friday Feedback 86 last year, I asked the question, “What happened to WVU v. Louisville?” I got a lot of responses from Louisville fans, most of them agreeing and putting blame on indifferent players and coaching that didn’t make the most of the talent … and I think Bilal Powell’s season might justify that gripe. Those fans were sad the series had slipped because when the Cardinals joined the Big East, they did so looking forward to games like WVU v. Louisville.

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Can, or shall, Bill Stewart be decoded?

November 16, 2010 by Mike Casazza

I must admit, what started as a public service is getting a little difficult. Maybe he’s just found the strike zone, but Bill Stewart’s press conferences have been open to various adjectives lately, but they’ve mostly flowed in a logical pattern.

I say mostly, otherwise I wouldn’t have done Decoding Bill Stewart the past few weeks. Yes, yes, his minglings with the media before and after games can be a little unusual, but I really do think that comes with the territory, especially after a game when that interaction is obviously and understandably shaped by the game. Plus, it’s not my business or interest to redirect his direction. I simply like to find a point I think he’s made and then covered up and, by and large, I think it’s been a fun and informative exercise.

That said, today’s press conference, which is the forum from which I’ve pulled all the coded quotes, was … hollow? Good questions, good answers and nothing too nonsensical or fuzzy. Then again, I could be wrong. Give it a look/listen and if you have a suggestion or a question, let me know. For now, that feature is on the shelf this week, but I can always reach it if you need it.