5:20 pm: Good evening everyone. You’re looking sort of live at the south end zone at Rentschler Field and those flags are as stiff as some of the drinks I saw poured in the tailgates outside. I doubt very much Eu is saluting that sight.
5:24 pm: I’m also pretty sure they’re going to have to plan something else for 8 p.m. in the pregame.
5:29 pm: Also, in case you haven’t heard, Noah Cottrill was suspended for an indefinite period of time. What’s unusual about this is not that it happened — we knew there was something going on — but in the release announcing the news, Huggins is not only quoted, but says the punishment is for “conduct unbecoming of a Mountaineer.” This suspension will last longer than Casey Mitchell’s.
7:05 pm: I’ve been watching warmups for a little while now as I write a Jonnie West story and any field-goal attempt beyond 35 yards — in either direction — is an adventure. The ones going into the wind have to battle to make it and the ones with the wind have a hard time staying straight. Punting seems very fun, though.
7:54 pm: The wind, it was announced in the press box, is 9 m.p.h. And here come the paratroopers!
7:56 pm: God bless America, the West Point paratroopers made it. Both landed at midfield on the giant “C” … to this music.
8:27 pm: Three uniquely different plays on WVU’s first two drives, including the Starks TD. That was his fifth career carry, by the way.
8:35 pm: WVU is far too fast for UConn to defend, unless WVU helps. And WVU helped twice on that drive with an unnecessary chop block behind the play that erased a touchdown and then another formation penalty — third in the past two games. Still, the Mountaineers have 10 points and UConn has seven yards and no visible spirit.
8:37 pm: Who kicks more tonight? Tyler Bitancurt or UConn’s punter?
8:41 pm: I suppose he’s trying to keep the wind on his side, but Bill Stewart called a timeout on third and 14 with 2:36 left in the quarter. If you call one, you have to call another, by the way.
8:43 pm: Give Billy credit: He wants this badly. He can jump on UConn and he’s not wasting time. This game could, for all intents and purposes, be over by this stage of the second quarter.
8:45: …9 mph wind, by the way. Or not.
8:46 pm: I got it! He was setting up the punt.
8:47 pm: Three penalties have affected this game. There’s the chop on the Noel TD, the illegal formation that changes the play call and makes you think FG and the delay of game that costs you a first down (14-yard gain on third-and-15) and also wastes the timeouts called to set up the punt into the wind. It must be mentioned.
8:59: WVU is dominating all the stats, but penalties and now turnovers. UConn gets its first first down of the game with 11 minutes to go in the half and has the ball at WVU’s 33.
9:08 pm: Smart play by Eain Smith, who led with his hands as he dove to defend that pass.
9:17 pm: If not for the Starks TD, that Pugnetti punt is the best play of the first half.
9:23 pm: After 28 minutes, UConn remembers it used a ton of crossing routes to pass for 378 yards against WVU last year.
9:42 pm: UConn had five of its seven first downs in the first half on that final drive. The Huskies also had 18 carries for 33 yards. WVU had 18 carries for 149 yards, which would be more than three games this season — including the past two — and four fewer yards than gained against Marshall.
9:56 pm: Turnover margin: minus-2. WVU is 7-6 when it loses the turnover margin under Stewart.
10:01 pm: Actually, WVU is minus-3. That kickoff at the end of the first half bounced off Shawne Alston and was recovered by UConn. Picky.
10:03 pm: The stats say that was a 14 play drive. I think UConn ran three plays. I think the halftime speech was also this … and verbatim: “Todman, get ready.”
10:06 pm: “Thriller” playing at Rentschler Field and the crowd is feeling it. Just saying …
10:09 pm: WVU’s four drives after taking the 10-0 lead: 3 plays, 9 yards, punt; 7 plays, 34 yards, fumble; 8 plays, 29 yards, punt; 8 play, 31 yards, fumble.
10:25 pm: Eu is the leading rusher for WVU: 11 carries, 72 yards.
10:29 pm: WVU works on the coming-off-our-goal line drill a whole lot. For this reason.
10:31 pm: The Clarke plays were great. The WVU goes back to its spread and nearly has a tipped ball intercepted and runs for no gain … but gets bailed out by a bad call on a horse collar tackle.
10:33 pm: Two incompletions. Third and 10…
10:34 pm: Turnover, Geno, and you’d seriously have to work to find a team that values possession less than WVU.
10:45 pm: Jeff Braun is out and Pat Eger is in at right tackle.
10:53 pm: … Jeff Braun is back. That was a big, big sack.
10:56 pm: I’m checking out. Enjoy the ride.
