The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board

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

Interesting names on Marshall wish list

December 9, 2009 by Mike Casazza

It begins with an apparent interview Friday with a familiar name some WVU fans long for today.

Puppies might be a problem for The Puppy

by Mike Casazza

You don’t want to go to a college where they ain’t pretty.
— Marcus Lattimore, high school running back, Duncan, S.C.

I have no way of knowing this, but I know Lane Kiffin had that very quote in mind when he commissioned voluptuous Volunteers — Double Vs! — to literally recruit players to Rocky Top.

In one case, hostesses traveled nearly 200 miles to attend a high school game in South Carolina in which at least three Tennessee recruits were playing.

Marcus Lattimore, a running back who made an unofficial visit to Tennessee but said he would not enroll there, said multiple Tennessee hostesses attended a game at James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., in September. He said they brought signs, including one that read, “Come to Tennessee.”

“I haven’t seen no other schools do that,” he said. “It’s crazy.”

There’s a reason Lattimore hasn’t seen other schools do that. It’s probably illegal.

Thirty-one years later, justice served at FSU

by Mike Casazza

Before he gets into evangelizing, Bobby Bowden has a football game to coach against West Virginia. It’s the Gator Bowl Jan. 1 at Alltel Stadium Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and the chief Seminole will not apologize for finally getting what his squad deserves.

“We’re the fortunate ones in my opinion to be there because there are other teams that have better records, but I’m glad we’re there,” Bowden said Tuesday. “1978, we were 8-3 and did not get a bowl bid and there were other people who got ’em with poorer records. We felt like we had not been done right.”

Deadline nears for basketball practice facility

December 8, 2009 by Mike Casazza

… but in a good way.

Bids must be submitted soon and WVU will make a pick shortly thereafter. The project will be one step closer to construction with a few steps significant remaining.

Jarrett Brown continues to haunt Rutgers

by Mike Casazza

stiffarm

The history against Rutgers is pretty well documented now and JB admitted Saturday, “I guess I do have a little bit of a legacy here.” That, of course, came a short while after authoring a signature play — giving defensive end George Johnson a dead leg and a killer stiff arm to pick up a first down and ice the game (3:11 mark … though I suggest you view the whole thing because of the music).

No one on the corner got swag like us

by Mike Casazza

Attention parents and siblings of WVU football players: Be prepared to receive the following for Christmas.

– A Fossil watch
– Oakley Antix sunglasses

Those are the gifts given out by Konica Minolta and the Gator Bowl to the participants in the New Year’s Day game. Hohum, I say, and shame on Konica Minolta. No camera? Laser printer? Ink cartridge?

An annotated look at Bill Stewart’s punching back

December 7, 2009 by Mike Casazza

It was bound to happen. It happened here. And so it is I ask you to offer up your own asides and assertions to be attached to — well, this thing needs a name, doesn’t it?

Texts From Rutgers Gameday

by Mike Casazza

BennyHill

Sorry for the delay today, but it was somewhat planned. One, really did want to give Oll Stewart’s postgame passion a chance to spread a little bit — he earned that. Two, I finally finalized my Heisman ballot. I actually labored over this decision because the last two weeks, and especially Saturday, changed the picture, but I’m pretty solid with my pick. I’d be curious to see how you’d rank the top three, though.

Let’s also put a ribbon on the regular-season edition of Texts From Game Day. These were guarded, as if hoping for optimism, but ultimately marked by disappoitment that the issues from the first 11 games were again prevalent in the 12th. Presumably pressed by a mass of texts, my phone made a noise it’d never made before when Rutgers brought the kickoff back for a touchdown. That was fun.

Fill up my text. Mazeltov!

‘Bill Stewart’s going to punch back a little bit today’

December 5, 2009 by Mike Casazza

(5:36 P.M. Sunday: The Gator Bowl officially invited Florida State from the “Athletic Coast Conference.”)

We at the jointly owned Charleston Daily Mail and Gazette produce and publish a “Gameday” tab for every football game and within each one we pick the score and add a quip about the game. Mine this week: WVU 24, Rutgers 21 with the quip “Regular-season finale = obscure Stewart speech!”

Nailed it.

Billy Bobby Bowl almost official

by Mike Casazza

GBlogo

The Gator Bowl invited WVU Saturday while Pitt and Cincinnati literally concluded one of the season’s most exciting games. It was a surreal moment, but the Mountaineers accepted and figure they’ll be playing Florida State Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.