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

Texts from Marshall Game Day

September 11, 2010 by Mike Casazza

A few emails found their way to my inbox last week that conveyed a little confusion about Texts from Game Day. Understood, I suppose, since there are bound to be new eyes on the blog.

One gentleman wondered how I could watch the game closely and objectively while sending out all these texts — no, seriously — and two others, while admitting they thought it was perhaps funny, wondered about the purpose.

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like a newspaper and the airwaves are the proper places to use the traditional means to review and rehash a game … and I have no problem with that, since, you know, I work for one of those newspapers. I also recognize that sort of information is out there, some of it crafted by me, and one might not necessarily come here to get that, but to get something different. I kind of like that responsibility.

Think there’s an immeasurable value to in-the-moment reactions and observations. Collect those, organize them and present the package and you’ve got a pretty thorough and telling way to review a game. Add the, uh, colorful commentary games like Friday’s can produce and you can see why Texts from Game Day works.

Never before has the stream of incoming texts been more reflective of the collective thoughts and emotions, fears and hopes, observations and evaluations, praise and criticism been as clearly and convinvingly conveyed as it was Friday night. And this wasn’t as much about one game as it was about 28. Two-plus seasons seemed very much on the line.

Maybe it’s been a long time since a WVU win produced as empty a feeling. Maybe this, weeks from now, is something the team has learned from. Maybe this is something, again, weeks from now, that is looked back at as when things started to go wrong. For now, it is what it was: an overtime victory on the road where nothing went right until the very end as a quarterback grabbed his team by the right arm and dragged it down the field. Twice.

Time will be spent asking serious questions and examining issues both good and bad. For now, behold the joy — and the purpose — of texts.

(7:09 PM): Players harder to replace than Sands: Noel, Neild, Tavon, Geno (maybe)

(7:09 PM): Has John Holliday killed Colin Dunlap yet?

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Getcha popcorn ready

September 10, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Greetings from the Marshall press box, where the mood is such that even the popcorn is clad in green and white. Either that, or it’s really old.

The big news is that WVU and Marshall have agreed to extend their football series against one another and the details are shocking … except that there are no details and there is no agreement other than a framework. And even that is a little fuzzy. Read on because it might help your blood pressure to disseminate true and false.

However, multiple sources from both schools told the Daily Mail on Friday afternoon that while a continuation of the series is a done deal — albeit unsigned — athletic directors Oliver Luck of WVU and Mike Hamrick of Marshall have not agreed to any particulars or the shape a series would take after the current seven-year deal is completed.

Don’t forget Texts from Game Day and feel free to comment here on the game as it happens and how it strikes you. I’ll try to check in from time to time seeing as if I don’t have a newspaper to contribute to before Monday.

Luck and Hamrick met here Friday morning to try and work out the future of the series, but could not strike a formal agreement. Manchin, a source said, wantsthe teams to continue to meet every season, but that does not seem likely at this point.

Sources said the teams would not play every season consecutively beyond 2012, and that no game is likely in 2013.

One source said the series could continue with five games from 2014 through 2020. Another source said five games would be played from 2014 through 2022.

Multiple sources said Marshall would play a third game at Mountaineer Field in a five-game series, if the series goes home-and-home before that game.

Don’t forget Texts from Game Day. You’re also invited to contribute your comments on the game as it happens and how it strikes you. I’ll try to check in from time to time since I don’t have a paper to write for before Monday.

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Friday Feedback

by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which never eases into the swimming pool, but prefers to jump right into things. Why dilly dally today? You’ve only got a few more hours until you punch out for the 7 p.m. game and chance are as you read this, I’m somewhere on I-79 or I-64 headed to Huntington. Or maybe I’m at the BW3. I’m definitely not carrying an umbrella, though. Such a thing is frowned upon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, where they point to signs that say “No umbrellas in the stadium” and do not listen to explanations that the press box is not the stadium.

Not that I’m bent about such a thing three years later. Or that that is a first impression I regret giving my new co-workers at the Daily Mail way back then.

Moving on, for some reason, I see some white-knuckle moments for WVU fans tonight. I think you win, but I can see this being a little hairy for a bit and possibly even late. In the end, the concept of familiarity is pretty much moot and “players play.” The Herd has talent, but the Mountaineers have more and I think their plan is a little further along. Just not to the point where, barring turnovers and errors, it’s a howler.

(P.S. Definitely a Texts from Game Day game day … and here’s your hammer.)

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, make hay.

Drew said:

The only people who actually care about this game more than any other on either schedule are in Huntington, or spent at least 4 years there at some point in their lives.

I live 30 minutes from Huntington, but I haven’t even given second thought to going to either game there so far. Yet I always go to several WVU home games per year (when I had a less demanding job I went to all of them) and am going down to Baton Rouge in 2 weeks.

If this game was the opener I would be much more inclined to go. I’m much more likely to go to the games in Morgantown as well. The fact is the game Friday night should be a pretty easy win. If it’s not then that means we’re playing down to their level because quite frankly they haven’t had a decent team since this series was revived. I don’t believe they’re capable of keeping it close if we’re playing well.

As far as the membership here seems to be concerned, this is the consensus. We could truthfully stop here today. But what fun would that be?

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First chat not a failure

September 9, 2010 by Mike Casazza

The chat went fairly well, but that’s just my opinion. Formulate your own — or catch up if you missed out — by scanning through the transcript.

Jack, a gas can and a handful of matches

by Mike Casazza

Perhaps because time has been wasted tip-toeing around the masked-yet-obvious undertones to this WVU-Marshall game, Jack Bogaczyk wastes none getting to the point today.

While it’s not quite accurate to say a rivalry started last December, it should be obvious to anyone paying attention that the fire between the programs has been fueled and fanned in 2010.

It goes on, and in detail, about why things aren’t as warm and  cozy as the well-behaved coaches and other participants have portrayed. 

Oh, and there’s another hammer coming out tomorrow.

If you can’t be at the live chat at 2 p.m

by Mike Casazza

… you can start asking your questions now. Fire away!

Introducing ‘arrogance without ignorance’

by Mike Casazza

Bill and S. Ybuti made good points earlier about JT and his neck thing and how his absence from the injury report was a promising update we’d otherwise overlooked. Remember, he was to play Saturday and report his findings and, as many assumed, probably be a little bothered by going full-speed in game. A subsequent spot on the injury report, even as probable, wouldn’t have been a surprise.

Didn’t happen, which is a good catch by the aforementioned readers and terrific news for the senior linebacker.

As for another update, probably the most provocative part of the lengthy conversation I had will Bill Stewart about his football team in July concerned the Mountaineers and their behavior. He said he’ been hard on his players his first two seaosns, perhaps too hard, and held the reigns so tightly that it affected their play.

Pretty candid, I thought.

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Lazear out, two others doubtful

September 8, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Starting middle linebacker Pat Lazear won’t play Friday night at Marshall. His knee/tibia injury remains. Branko Busick, the backup MLB, is doubtful (hand), which likely means Anthony Leonard will again slide over and play MLB and Najee Goode will start in Leonard’s vacated spot at SLB.

Tight end tyler Urban (knee) is also doubtul, which is perhaps a bigger blow to the running game than the passing game … and he’s a factor in the passing game. Speaking of running game, RG/RT Cole Bowers (knee) is probable.

By the way, if the Big East mandated these injury reports for just its conference games, Marshall would be none the wiser going into the game. The Thundering Herd, meanwhile, may have no or many players injured or out going for the game and there’s no incentive for them to disclose their injuries.

Offensive line better get cooking

by Mike Casazza

I contend Noel Devine’s number the first game were not divine for two reasons:

1) He looked like he was doing 50 mph in a 65.
2) WVU ran a lot to the right side.

One could assume those two are connected. And to be fair to Devine, he was told his last drive would be his last drive and he went from 20 carries for 56 yards to 23 carries for 111 yards in a hiccup. He can turn it on like few others and, for that, it’s unfair to fault him for taking it a little easier than normal in the first game, when he was on pace for 27 carries.

As for the right side, well, we knew this would require some work and evaluation.

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