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

Sunday Brunch: No. 14 West Virginia 48, Kansas 21

November 6, 2016 by Mike Casazza

Here’s an idea! Let’s be brief with the review today … because there was no brevity at all last night during West Virginia’s highlight-filled yet somehow ho-hum victory over Kansas. I mean, both WVU and Marshall had 7 p.m. kicks. The Mountaineers had to wait until 7:10 p.m. because of the developments in Snyderville, but the Old Dominion-Marshall game was over with 3:12 left in the third quarter of WVU-Kansas.

Dana Holgorsen was not a fan. “It wasn’t the cleanest game,” he said.

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WVU v. Kansas: Hello magic, my old friend

November 5, 2016 by Mike Casazza

Welcome Joe DeForest back to Mountaineer Field, folks. The erstwhile West Virginia defensive coordinator-turned-special teams coach is now running special teams at Kansas. They’re all right, this punt return touchdown notwithstanding. I don’t think there’s any questioning this: DeForest was the most disliked assistant coach among fans from the Dana Holgorsen Era. Jeff Mullen_ wonders where he ranks all time.

A brief review will remember that WVU covered a buyout to pull DeForest from Oklahoma State to replace Jeff Casteel and be Holgorsen’s defensive coordinator as the Mountaineers moved to the Big 12. DeForest had never been a coordinator. The defense was historically bad that season, DeForest blamed magic after a loss, trolled fans with his choice of hat and was replaced by Keith Patterson before the year was finished. That’s a lot, and then next year he was implicated in the Sports Illustrated expose on Oklahoma State.

DeForest maintained his high salary and associate head coach label to run the special teams — not particularly well — and coach safeties the following two years. When his contract was up following the 2014 season, Holgorsen encountered and overcame some resistance to bring back DeForest for one year without the title and for $125,000 less.

What if I told you it didn’t have to be that way? Because it did not. When David Beaty was putting together his coaching staff soon after accepting the head coaching job at Kansas in December 2014, he tried and failed to hire DeForest.

“He’s a loyal guy,” Beaty said. “Dana hired him, and he loved working for Dana and he loved West Virginia. It’s not as easy as just saying, ‘OK, I’m gonna go.’ I offered him an opportunity to come with me. He had an opportunity to say yes or no. At that point in his career, his heart was right where it was. There was nothing wrong with that.

“But I told him, ‘I’m going to keep coming at you until I get you,’ and the next time it just worked out.”

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Friday Feedback

November 4, 2016 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which would like to have a word. That word? Sheesh.

I don’t want to get too dramatic. Heaven knows I’ve been through enough drama the past two weeks. But we and history are going to remember the World Series for a variety of reasons. A wonderful variety. I think as time passes and this knot in my stomach unravels and recedes, I’m going to identify this as the time I finally understood what you all go through as fans. I don’t want to sound like a deflated or defeated elitist. I just haven’t been through what I just went through, and it’s occurred to me you all go through that on a fairly regular basis. No more will I look at you or your texts or your comments and think, “Yo, it’s a game.”

One reason I wrote my book — Oh, you didn’t know I wrote a book? — was because I didn’t understand why people act the way they do about West Virginia or about sports teams in general, and if I didn’t, then surely others did not and I owed folks an explanation.

But that’s sort of how I approach sports as a whole. I don’t appreciate the consequences. It’s mostly because of my job, which has turned me into this robotically neutral observer and admirer. (Think about it. I cover my alma mater, and I’m pretty numb. It’s weird.)

The other explanation is that I have two teams. One — the one — is the Cleveland Indians. With rare exceptions, they’ve been disappointing the entire time I’ve been in this business. I’ve basically never wanted a team to win for as long as I’ve been doing this. (“basically”: Exception.) Now, they were really good in 2007 and had a 3-1 lead in the ALCS, but the Red Sox, also very good, came back and won the series and then the World Series. Apart from that, it’s one ALDS win, one ALDS loss and one Wild Card loss. That’s … that’s not going to move my meter very much.

A few years ago, the Indians pressed reset again and started to collect and reveal a lot of nice pieces. The club took control of promising players for long and reasonable contracts. The minor leagues prepared and produced starters across the field. Some smart and shrewd free agent signings clicked. I knew the time was coming. And this year, it came. It was awesome.

And it was agonizing. I’m worn out, man. I can’t even believe I’m admitting this. Six weeks ago, that’s the sort of think I laugh at. But it’s true.

After an entire season spent watching this actually develop and near the finish line, it happened. I lived and died with pitches and plays for a month. I was up early to get my work done to make sure I was free for 4 p.m. starts. I was up late for interminably long postseason games that started after 8 p.m. I was traveling. I was in different time zones. I was in airports and hotels. I was at Game 2. I was covering two sports and, if I’m being honest, concerned only about a third. I was hunched over for hours at a time. Pacing. Clenching. Groaning. Yelling. My back hurts. My neck hurts. My stomach hurts.

I’ve honestly aged. Game 1 was one of the most tense things I’ve ever experienced, though that did not last long. Game 4 was the most euphoric I’ve probably ever felt after a sporting event. Game 5 spooked me. The off day before Game 6 was miserable, and then I had, like, mono that day. I was out. Spent. I’d been going hard for more than a week, and it got me, but this damn team was part of that. Game 6 was the first time I was frightened, because it looked bad and I did not want Game 7 and I did not want to think this was all for naught.

Game 7 was something I’ll never forget. I can’t even describe it. What theater.

The 5-1 deficit wiped me out. Gave me that, “Why the hell do I do this?” feeling. Worse than Game 7 in 1997 … which was the last time I really cared, and that was brutal. I walked my dog for half an hour after the Cubs took control. But I had my phone on and saw the wild pitch that scored two runs. Here’s how screwed up I was: “Do I keep walking?” Hi, Erinn? I’m in Westover. 

I went home and kept an eye on things. Turned the TV on, didn’t like the results, turned the TV off. Then Joe Maddon did some really weird things, and I was hooked. My phone just about vibrated off the sink as I was brushing my teeth. I’m the fan who championed the sneaky Brandon Guyer trade because he’s good to have around in October, or November, as it turned out, and the texts were mostly along the lines of, “Holy crap, you were right.” Wait, what?!?! I ran to the Tier 4 Studio and saw Rajai Davis homer. The hour that followed was intense. I couldn’t sleep that night. I’d be lying I said yesterday was easy or any fun at all.

I’m happy to have been on this ride. I was at a World Series game. My team had the winning run at the plate in the 10th inning of the last game of the season with a chance to end a generation of angst, and it all happened without the best hitter and the Nos. 2 and 3 starters. It happened with basically three starters and three relievers. But it fell short, and it sucks. I don’t know how to feel, but I think I do know how you all feel.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, take your time.

JAL said:

Turnovers were the difference in the game but were due to great defense? The fumble=always thought when you feel yourself getting hit you bring the into your body as you try to escape, not hold it out like a loaf of bread. The White interception–pass was behind him but still could have been caught. When a ball over the middle goes up off the receiver’s hands it will be intercepted more often than not. The other interception–there were 2 OSU players near the ball and in front of the receiver. The only turnover that that might be more of the defense but maybe a pass that should not have been thrown or if thrown then higher.

Well, on the fumble, Taylor has to beat a guard and a fullback to get there, and then he has to get Howard who is, if nothing else, squirrely. The second interception was a by a linebacker who isn’t anywhere to be found on he depth chart, and he dropped into coverage and made the play. Howard could have protected possession better on either play, but defensively, there’s a lot that had to happen for either play to happen. Now, the first interception is mostly White. Howard’s throw wasn’t great, but Howard doesn’t make uniformly great throws. If you want to play receiver for WVU and with Howard, you better catch that.

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‘He’s a big play waiting to happen.’

November 3, 2016 by Mike Casazza

Here’s a question: Is this the best ball-in-his-hands player WVU has had since Tavon? It’s Kevin White and Mario Alford and … Wendell Smallwood? I don’t know. It’s a short list, though, right?

Durante is up there. He’s a different body and a different set of skills than White. He’s faster than Alford. He’s not a running back like Smallwood. Maybe it’s not fair to have an answer yet, because game by game we’re seeing WVU, a team that’s often cautious about usage and with young players in particular, ask Durante to do something new and additional.

“He’s been that guy, but at the beginning of the year, we missed him on certain plays,” receivers coach Tyron Carrier said. “When his number is called now, we’re hitting him, and things are starting to happen for him. That can be a good thing and a bad thing at times.”

 The good is obvious. WVU’s coaches like to limit their receivers. They play inside or outside, and if they play outside, they stick to one side of the field. They focus on a restricted number of routes and make sure they learn the staples of the offense before they grow.

Durante, though, was an outside receiver as a freshman who moved this year, and he handles short and vertical routes and even gadget plays like reverses, options and the touch pass.

“We put guys in situations where they can be successful,” Carrier said. “Otherwise, you’re really not a good coach. We put him in those situations because we know he can handle it. He’s a big play waiting to happen.”

Related: Durante told me exactly how fast he is.

Point taken

by Mike Casazza

 

Let’s not relive the downs. We’ve been there and we’ve done that, and this is a different story this season and last season and, given the trend, for the upcoming seasons as well. West Virginia has a preseason top 20 program that’s esteemed enough to be picked No. 2 in the Big 12. It certainly has the capacity to improve on both of those projections.

Bob Huggins, who vowed to fix it, is a man of his word. He’s changed the way he plays and he’s changed the players he targets. “Think about who was here, where they went and how productive they are or they had been where they were,” Huggins said.

Um, everybody gets that, right? But don’t forget who stayed. Juwan Staten was really good in 2014 and thought about the NBA. He picked WVU instead and just as Huggins picked the press over what he’d been doing. The way both Staten transitioned from one style to another was extremely beneficial for the Mountaineers, for Huggins and for players on that team and on future teams.

Staten played 37.3 minutes per game in 2014, when he was first-team all-Big 12. He averaged six minutes less the next year, which was the first year WVU pressed and taxed its players.

“I think the people in his circle felt like he wasn’t playing enough,” Huggins said. “So we went back and charted possessions, and he actually played more possessions playing the way we play now.”

Staten bought in, and the Mountaineers were on their way. You have to remember, players and their handlers, friends, family and whoever else was in their circle had become a problem. Henderson transferred before he even told his father.

“I think people got in their lives and didn’t really have their best interests in heart with all the B.S., like, ‘You’re a pro, man. They need to let you do this. They need to let you do that,’ ” Huggins remembered. “It’s my fault.”

Facebook Live Q&A at 12:15 p.m. You can ask your questions right here, right now.

 

The Good and the Bad of WVU v. Oklahoma State

November 2, 2016 by Mike Casazza

This is probably the neatest play for West Virginia Saturday, and it didn’t count. It might have mattered, because WVU was in Oklahoma State territory with 5:00 and three timeouts to go, but it didn’t happen. Still, it was another way to weaponize Jovon Durante’s skills, which the Mountaineers are doing more and more of, and of course there was that cool block when running back Justin Crawford flipped a defender.

But that’s illegal, even though I thought it was legal because Crawford is clearly square with the defender and he’s not blocking back toward the line of scrimmage. The officials got this right, according to WVU, because of where Crawford started and where he ended up on the play.

“You can’t go outside-in,” running backs coach JaJuan Seider said. “You can go inside-out.”

This is a play WVU likes to run when safeties choose to stay on top of Shelton Gibson and Ka’Raun White outside, and you’ll remember Daikiel Shorts getting lit up earlier in the game when a linebacker worked around Kennedy McKoy. But this play was also different, and watch Crawford look around and try to find someone when he first arrives in that space.

“He was actually going to block their Sam/nickel guy, but he ran off,” Seider said. “All of a sudden you look and see a guy coming 90 m.p.h. at you, what do you do? Do you hit him high? Who knows. You may get called for targeting. I don’t know. I didn’t coach that decision. It’s my fault as a coach. I never thought he’d be in that situation, and he reacted.”

It backed the offense up into second-and-long, and Skyler Howard’s quizzical interception on third down was the end of that. What a day for Crawford, though. His ankle was damn near mummified still, but he wound up getting 16 touches when he probably wasn’t anticipating that. I fact, I don’t think anyone was, not merely because Rushel Shell was injured in the second quarter, but because Seider had McKoy ready to go and actually used him before he used Crawford.

The hallmarks of Crawford’s day, though, were things that didn’t happen. There’s the play at the top and then there’s this.

We’ve been impressed by Tony Matteo, the starting left guard, this season. Some of his work is unheralded — since he’s good, Adam Pankey could move to left tackle — and some of it is easy to spot — he pulls a lot and clears the way on power plays. It doesn’t happen here, and that was surprising. Chad Whitener (Side Good: That guy!) moves out of the way and makes the play before it turns into anything.

And it was going to turn into something

 

If Matteo takes Whitener out of the play, Crawford gets the yardage he needs, right? I mean, look at all that space. Kyle Bosch has the strong safety, and Crawford has a 1-on-1 with the free safety.

Instead, it doesn’t work out like it’s supposed to and like it often does, and Mike Molina misses a 39-yard field goal. The theme of the week at the Puskar Center, it seems, is making big plays, and it’s missed opportunities like this and some other occasions that make it such an important topic.

The other thing folks over there are discussing is doing something defensively to affect the game. Apart from Rasul Douglas putting his helmet on a ball to force an incomplete pass, the defense didn’t do much in the line of breaking up plays or creating even chances for turnovers. Not only that, but there were key third down conversions — ridiculous ones and ones at critical times — as well as that double reverse flea flicker that just shouldn’t have happened.

And, of course, there were the Cowboys scores after WVU miscues. Seventeen-points off turnovers and the touchdown at the end of the half that followed Molina’s miss — and we need to discuss that whole ordeal, because it was a signature stretch in the 37-20 loss to Oklahoma State. How did we get here? Let’s find out by taking a look at the Good and the Bad of WVU v. Oklahoma State.

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Dana Holgorsen: Kansas week

November 1, 2016 by Mike Casazza

… I just noticed I’ve been asleep for three hours. I might be underneath this for a little longer than I expected. I will get around to G&B though. Eventually.

Tuesday Haiku

by Mike Casazza

Meanwhile, Dana Holgorsen understands that the only think West Virginia can’t do today that it could do before noon Saturday is finish undefeated. Pretty much everything else is still out there for the Mountaineers.

Since moving to a single-division format without a championship game in 2011, the Big 12 hasn’t had a team finish without a conference loss. A two-loss team has finished second in the standings three times. This is the first time since the league debuted in 1996 that it hasn’t had a team in the top 10 in the first weekend in November, so it’s not as though a WVU rally is out of the question.

“That was mentioned after the game — you lose one, you’re still in good shape,” Holgorsen said. “There have been years when you lose two and you’ve got a chance. It’s just the way the Big 12 is. The round-robin situation, everyone gets a crack at everybody else. Nobody gets any scheduling advantages. So, you’ve got to take that into consideration.

“The biggest thing is all nine games are going to be tough. That’s just the way it’s going to be. You’ve got to do your best each week. If you don’t, you’re going to put yourself in position to not be successful.”

Housekeeping: The past eight days caught up to me overnight. I’m underneath it right now, so G&B might be delayed tomorrow.

Birds of a — never mind

October 31, 2016 by Mike Casazza

The coaches suggested we place an 18 next to West Virginia’s name. The media says 20 will do. If you’re keeping score, the Mountaineers and Louisville are the only schools with ranked football and men’s and women’s basketball teams.

 

Texts From Oklahoma State Game Day

by Mike Casazza

 

I wasn’t back in town until Sunday afternoon, and by then there was a dark sky with rain showers. However, what I’m being told is the sun did in fact rise. In the east, no less. And then later in the day, the polls came out and West Virginia was found to be a top-15 team in the estimation of the media (No. 14) and the coaches (No. 15). Oklahoma State, meanwhile, jumped in at No. 22 in both.

Understand how fickle voters can be and how volatile polls always are. WVU, after all, went from unranked to No. 9 or 10, depending on your preferred ranking system, in eight weeks. The same team lost to an unranked team and didn’t travel too far south. That’s probably surprising to many of you. It should be calming.

I think what we’ll find is the Cowboys, who lost at Baylor and were hosed at home against Central Michigan (which is now 5-4 after losing at home to a bad Kent State) in a game (that shouldn’t have been so close) that ended with a ridiculous Hail Mary, are all right. They’ve got good coaching and good players and evidently good facilities, and now they’re right in the thick of the Big 12 title race.

But that’s also where you’ll find the Mountaineers. They’re all right, too, and people know it. Or ought to know it. Are they 10 first downs and 80 yards better than Oklahoma State? Maybe not. Are the Cowboys three scores better than WVU? Also probably not. But they’re there near the top of the standings, at least for the time being. Could be better. Could get better. Could also get worse. We saw some upsets Saturday, and three other unbeaten teams took their first loss. Staying power is vital, but resiliency is maybe only slightly less valuable. Oklahoma State has proved as much, and now WVU must summon it.

Neither has it easy the rest of the way.  The Cowboys play three of their final four games on the road — Kansas State, TCU and Oklahoma — and the home game is against Texas Tech, which seems to have some life now. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, have Kansas and Iowa State and, of course, the home games against Baylor and Oklahoma. Don’t forget about Texas, which is now 4-0 at home and 0-4 on the road. The Longhorns, who won’t make up their mind about anything or anyone,  play host to the Mountaineers next weekend.

This is all relevant because WVU has had a three-game losing streak in conference play every year its been in the Big 12, and there are potholes still on the road that takes the Mountaineers to whatever bowl game ends up as their destination.

Orlosky hopes these Mountaineers put an end to that, beginning with Saturday’s 7 p.m. home game against Kansas (ESPN2).

“If not, we’ll be the same old WVU team we’ve been the last five years,” he said. “We can’t let that happen.”

 WVU (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) wasted an enormous opportunity to solidify an identity both nationally and within the conference that was not yet concrete after the first six games. The weekend began with eight other unbeaten teams. Six were ranked above the Mountaineers in the polls even though the Mountaineers were credited with a strength of schedule greater than four of those six.

Yet WVU also showed no wins against teams in the top 30 of the computerized Sagarin ratings. It had never been 3-0 in Big 12 play, and the conference wins this season were against teams that combined for an overall record of one game above .500.

Rather than jump in the polls after three other teams lost for the first time, including two that were ranked above them, the Mountaineers fell to No. 14 in the media poll Sunday and to No. 15 in the coaches’ poll.

“Honestly, I don’t care,” senior receiver Daikiel Shorts said. “Those are the same people who said we wouldn’t be in the Top 25 and wouldn’t win any games this year. You just ignore that and try to get back on track next week.”

Personally? I’ve seen seven games. I trust six more than one. I’d have to see one turn into two or three to believe reports of WVU’s demise. All this energy calling me back where it comes from. It’s such a crude attitude, it’s back where it belongs. All the little kids growing up on the skids are going, ‘These texts rock. These texts rock.” My edits are in [brackets].”

11:33:
Good news: 7 games in, and I get to watch one legally. Bad news: Wanny.

12:05:
How odd is it that OSU has played Pitt but WVU hasn’t?

12:05:
Could these announcers be any [dumber]?

12:06:
Nice to see Brady Quinn in the Halloween spirit with his clown makeup on.

12:09:
Got that 2 play hangover done with

12:09:
2 [sad] play. 3 badass plays.

12:10:
Dakiel…Salute Your Shorts! He is really stepping up!

12:18:
Okay…I’m mad nervous! Everyone has picked us to win…and we look good! #Believe

12:18:
Side: Molina hasn’t made 40+ yd fg yet

12:18:
3rd side of the ball batting .500

12:18:
Why can’t we kick the [foot] ball into the [foot] end zone

12:19:
Defense shaky early. Can’t give washington inside slant in cover zero

12:20:
Umm coffee blitz

12:24:
We’ve got some issues that rise to the surface against a good team. I’m a little concerned here.

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