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

Young men, there’s a need to feel down

November 16, 2010 by Mike Casazza

I noticed it after the exhibition game and didn’t think much of it, what with it being an exhibition. Then I went into Friday’s opener against Oakland with both eyes open. I was left empty and curious once more.

“What, No, Truck and Mazzulla together,” you say?

No, I’m talking about far more important things. I’m talking about RJB and, more specifically, the noticeable lack of our YMCA guy. I asked Monday and was told today via email: “Gone. Cut from games. Just like signs for pregame.”

Meanwhile, Joe with the cotton eyes survives and prospers.

Bill Stewart speaks to the media at 1 p.m.

by Mike Casazza

Follow along live, if you care, and let loose with your comments on what’s becoming a much-anticipated weekly event. Stewart’s press conferences seem to geterate as much email and blog comments as anything else these days and he rarely leaves the people wanting more.

Count yourselves lucky. He could have let a proxy do his work today.

“Here’s the deal,” Jenkins said. “If he’s 9-0 right now, then to most people he’s a god, right? Since we lost a couple of games, all of a sudden he can’t coach?

“What people don’t understand, because they don’t understand football, is that he is a good coach. And we have a good team. Yes, we lost those two games and that is on us because we were prepared and we didn’t do the job.”

He’s seen the message boards and the Parkersburg native is unimpressed.

“Really, I question if anybody sitting at a computer, probably eating doughnuts, was man enough to play the game, to come out and coach the game. They never put their name out there, so would they have the guts to put their name on the back of a jersey and play the game? You really should make sure that you know what you are talking about, you should understand the game, before you start putting stuff on message boards.”

Marlon LeBlanc’s soccer team in NCAA field, too

by Mike Casazza

A 10-7-2 record was stronger than it looked and West Virginia’s men’s team made the field of 48 (!) Monday. The Mountaineers, 9-1 at home with nine straight wins, play host to Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Xavier at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Anyone have a good Kicking Nikkis nickname for them?

Jocktradamus: 3-0

by Mike Casazza

You’ll remember how Jock Sanders said following the 20-6 win against South Florida — Aside: Isn’t USF supposed to fall apart this time of year? — that so long as WVU manages to score 21 points, WVU will win.

Well, the Mountaineers are 1-2 since then, but have scored 21 points once … and that was the win, a 37-10 demolition Saturday against Cincinnati. The losses? Syracuse 19-14 and UConn 16-13.

At a pretty late point of the season, WVU is the only FBS team that hasn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game. Sanders saw this coming.

Against Marshall, on the road Sept. 2, the Mountaineers gave up 21 points in a 24-21 overtime win. The next largest output against West Virginia was by LSU on Sept. 25 when the Tigers won, 20-14, in Baton Rouge.

Consider: LSU scored its two touchdowns on a big special teams play (a 60-yard punt return) and after being handed a short field (a 7-yard drive) after a West Virginia fumble. Other than that, West Virginia gave up two field goals to a LSU team that scored more against the likes of Florida (33), Alabama (24) and Mississippi State (29), than they did the Mountaineers.

Since then, the 19 points Syracuse scored Oct. 23 have been the most the Mountaineers’ stingy defense has given up.

After the Cincinnati win, he was reminded of what he had said a month ago about the defense.

“I told you,” Sanders said. “You thought I was lying when I said that. But I know our defense because I bonded with our team and I know all those seniors and all those guys who are on the defense. I also have to go against those guys every day.

“So, how can I not know that? I know those are a great bunch of guys over there; I know what they can do.”

Game times

November 15, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Women’s soccer: WVU at Boston College at 7 p.m. Friday in the Sweet 16.

Football: WVU at Pitt at noon on ABC the day after Thanksgiving

Keith Tandy knocks on Woods

by Mike Casazza

Had Cincinnati receiver D.J. Woods maintained his plaedge to WVU and signed with the football program in February 2008, then what he said Saturday would have been a true statement.

He was instead on the other side of the field and what he said ended up igniting an energy on defense. Why you’d anger WVU’s defense, I don’t know, but Woods did it.

Some WVU players were staring down their opponents around the middle of the field when Woods spoke.

“This is my house,” Woods said. “This is my field.”

Linebacker J.T. Thomas couldn’t maintain his stare. His eyes rolled back into his head.

“Oh, Lord,” he said. “This is all I need.”

Thomas did what might be expected of a senior captain.

“I’m probably the last person you want to do that to,” he said.

“J.T. lit a fire under the defense,” WVU cornerback Keith Tandy said.

Thomas told his teammates on his side of the ball what Woods said and made certain Tandy and fellow cornerback Brandon Hogan were completely clear about Woods’ words.

“J.T. asked for his head on a platter,” cornerback Keith Tandy said. “I tried, but I couldn’t quite get it.”

Third-and-2 in the first quarter: Zach Collaros throws a tunnel screen to the left and Tandy is seen bending, bending, bending Woods.

Stairway to Seven: 6-1

by Mike Casazza

The quest for 7-0 ended with a cruel loss for the Fighting Kramers Sunday. Down two sets to one, the volleyball team rallied in the fourth set and couldn’t recover in the fifth.

WVU ended up one game out in the standings that determine the participants in the eight-team conference tournament. I’m going to say that’s pretty good … not because I know or have any expertise, but because I can’t even remember considering a scenario before in which WVU is in the volleyball tournament.

As the volleyball team was trying to bump back UConn, the Kicking Nikkis were building a 2-1 lead against Penn State and holding off the opposition to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Mountaineers play Friday against Boston College and the site and time will be announced today. WVU has a better record, a higher ranking and the second-longest winning streak in the nation, but, for some reason, is a No. 3 seed while the Eagles are No. 2.

Oh, and as I type this, I discover WVU’s football victory earned Eu Smith the Big East Offensive Player of the Week award.

Texts from Cincinnati Game Day

November 14, 2010 by Mike Casazza

So Saturday went well, right? The most grounded and rational person could have assembled a list of needs or demands or expectations before the game and reviewed it afterward and felt pretty satisfied. Not entirely satisfied, to be sure, and there’s a chance that person could also be left wanting more with regard to some people or things.

But after consecutive losses and two weeks to stew about it, a 37-10 win with promising offense and plainly dominant defense cleanses most palates. Really, that game was hardly ever in doubt. I circled two plays. WVU took the opening kickoff and went three-and-out and I could feel the collective groan. Then Cincinnati muffed the punt, WVU scored on the next play and the rout was on for good.

If the Bearcats don’t do what they do and screw that punt up, who knows?

Later in the first half, WVU led 14-0 and Cincinnati finally realized, “Hey, we can take passes between the hashes all day long.” It was first down at the WVU 16-yard line … and Cincinnati throws a fade pass. At Keith Tandy. Interception. Cincinnati never got closer to the goal line the rest of the game.

When things go bad for a prolonged period of time, things must change slowly. It begins with one game, one seqence, one play. Saturday might have seen all three for the Mountaineers.

Onto the apropos-of-everything Texts from Game Day. I find it purely coincidental there were no profanities. Has nothing to do with the product on the field, right?

Hey, did you know that I can dance? Can we text for a while?

(11:23 AM):
All this talk about changing the offense reminded me of a song. Sing along…

(11:25 AM):
I guess the change in my pocket wasn’t enough, so I’m like, Foch you.

Continue reading…

Stairway to Seven: Round Five

November 13, 2010 by Mike Casazza

11 am: And it is officially comically ugly at WVU now. A plan is flying around Puskar Stadium towing a banner that reads: “Mr. Luck. Leave no doubt. Fire Luther.”

Luther, of course, would be Jerry Van Dyke’s character on “Coach,”  Luther Van Damme.

11:17 am: Jack Bogaczyk on the airplane: “That wasn’t very effective…there’s no one in the stands.” Someone then made a joke about clearing air space because of Geno Smith’s pass attack.

11:23 am: The first submission to Texts from Game Day is priceless. I don’t want to spoil it … but you all have a tough act to follow.

11:34 am: Look, I don’t care who wins today. I just hope this kid has an amazing day.

11:41 am: Think Butch Jones learned a thing or two at WVU? His Bearcats do the same semi-circle low-five the Mountaineers do. I’m waiting to see if someone carries a sledgehammer onto the field.

12:05 pm: Najee Goode has the sledgehammer!

12:10 pm: Trey Johnson is your starting running back. Can’t wait to hear the explanation after the game.

12:11 pm: “The Bearcats are who we thought they were.” Turnover after awful communication on a punt return.

12:23 pm: Apparently Noel is sick. This was said on the radio, not in thr press box.

12:24 pm: Third-and-eight, Eu runs for 10 and does not slide. Did he read his press clippings?

12:26 pm: Cue the “Same as a punt!” talk. Except a punt isn’t a touchdown with a better throw. And a punt can be fumbled by the return team.

12:37 pm: Cincinnati’s secondary isn’t very good. They’ve messed up several plays already and are giving WVU receivers a lot of room.

12:40 pm: WVU spreading word now that Noel Devine is sick. He told the team before the game he wasn’t feeling well.

12:42 pm: Keith Tandy just cut D.J. Woods in half. I don’t have a lot of faith in WVU’s offense, but this game feels like it’s over.

12:49 pm: Quarter ends at a good time for WVU. Cincinnati making hay in the middle of the field.

12:55 pm: Naturally, Cincinnati decides to eschew what was working and throw a fade form the 16-yard line. The ball was in the air too long and Keith Tandy had plenty of time to adjust to a so-so throw and make his first non-tipped interception of the season. Verdict: Tandy is a better baseball player than Collaros.

12:58 pm: On that carry, Noel passed Amoz Zereoue for third place on the school’s all-time rushing list. Nearby wiseacre: “Don’t worry, he’ll lose it on the next carry.”

1:12 pm: Short pass to Jock, missed tackle by two UC defenders, nice block on the perimeter and it’s a 48-yard touchdown for a 21-0 lead. Matches the longest pass play of the season for WVU.

1:16 pm: Things unraveling in a hurry for Cincinnati. Bad decision by Collaros leads to an interception and then a tackle out of bounds tacks on seven yards (personal foul, half the distance). Refs did miss Hogan throwing the ball in the air in celebration … and the celebration went on so long WVU had to burn a timeout.

1:19 pm: Six-yard touchdown pass to Jock for a 28-0 lead. And since we have some time, this is a good occasion to point out coordinators sometimes get too much blame/credit. The first touchdown to Jock was a short route and he made the play with his legs. Looks great for Mullen, though. Ditto the second touchdown. Eu had nothing and was about to run when he spotted Jock sneaking along the back line. Great throw. Looks great for Mullen.

1:26 pm: That awful offense has led three teams 28-0 in the second quarter this season.

1:44 pm: I don’t get this … but Bruce Irvin gets a sack on that intentional grounding in the end zone.

1:46 pm: That was good with 15 yards to spare.

2:18 pm: Referees bail out WVU on a pathetic roughing the passer call. That was bigger than should have been in a 30-10 game.

2:25 pm: Noel’s first touchdown run since Oct. 9 is followed by a thrilling version of CEJ. I’m sick.

2:38 pm: Shawne Alston (a Chris Beatty recruit) is running like an angry man. Best a backup has looked this season.

Stairway to Seven: Four (f/ Midvale, Ohio!)

by Mike Casazza

Six players scored in double figures and the Turk had his first double-double as WVU opened its season with a 95-71 victory against a very game Oakland (Mich.). The Mountaineers’ athletic department was 4-0 Friday and the torch is passed to the Battling Billys.

Bob Huggins will not be reading about the game online, though. Asked about a story someone on the team or on the staff found that suggested the Mountaineers might be on “upset watch” against the Grizzlies, Huggins said this:

“I don’t have a computer, so I don’t have any idea. I’m computer illiterate. MySpace is where you’re not. I don’t get into all of that.”

Somewhere Microstew was nodding his his head and smiling. And that was before — and I’m serious about this — Huggins told the media a story about growing up in Midvale, Ohio … and he apologized to the people in attendance who’d heard it before.

So good to have basketball back.