WV Law Geek's Twitter Updates

    follow me on Twitter

    Wednesday, September 24, 2008

    McAfee Needs To Get Over It.

    Pat McAfee missed a chip shot field goal last week that could have given WVU a chance to win. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that the 'Eers needed his leg to help secure a win. Now many can argue that there are many reasons WVU did not win last week and they would be correct. However, one of those reasons is that Pat McAfee choked... again. The most troublesome aspect of McAfee missing the field goal last Thursday was his reaction. He was clearly surprised after the kick wasn't successful. He thought he had hit it good. My take on this is that if you are kicking from <30 yards out and the hold is good and you think you hit it good, and you miss, then you weren't focused. Good teams rely on their kickers to come in when they are needed at the end of games and be clutch performers, not nonchalant additions to the squad.

    Now McAfee has talked to the press about his performance last week. He is obviously disappointed in himself for letting down his teammates. He also says that he is getting hate mail on his Facebook account, though fans aren't going as far to vandalize his car like last December. He refers to the hate-mailers as "idiots" that he'd like to meet in person. Well Pat, personally, I'd like you to spend less time on your facebook account reading hate mail and more time practicing your mental approach to kicking field goals. There is no doubt that McAfee is a tremendous talent as a kicker and a punter. (He still holds the record at Heinz field if I'm not mistaken.) Unfortunately, that just doesn't cut it. Ask Mike Vanderjagt how quickly your talent is forgotten when you can't seem to make the clutch kicks. McAfee says he's replayed the missed kick last week 5,000 time in his head. Maybe if he had envisioned the kick 5,000 times before the game, he wouldn't have had to replay it at all.

    Weezie

    Friday, September 19, 2008

    Still not the End of the World

    Believe it or not I think a couple positive things came out of that game last night.

    1. The defense made some good adjustments although they still have a way to go.
    2. It's REALLY nice having Reed back in there.
    3. Let's face it, they looked like the better team and should have won in the end.

    Unfortunately, there's a lot of improvement that needs to be made. First, where's the leadership on the offensive side of the ball. I don't mean Pat White. I mean I'm watching the game and Jeff Mullens and Doc Holiday are sitting up in the booth. Who's coaching the offense on the field??? One of them needs to get their butt down there and get the offense organized! Clearly, time management was not well thought out. Although Chris Fowler was beside himself at the end of regulation. The point should be made that it was 4th and 2!! At that point running the clock down for a hail mary made sense. They screwed up not calling the time out when they let 30-40 seconds roll off the clock on the previous set of downs. NO ONE seemed to step up to make that call. Mullens is still learning how to call a game, I put that one on Stewart.

    I will also say again. The O-line is not getting it done! How many 3rd and shorts did we miss along with the 4th and an INCH! Colorado was sitting in a 3 -5 defense. That's our 5 lineman on 3 and couldn't get an INCH!!!!! I certainly noticed Stanchek standing straight up and getting pushed back. How about a little leverage guys. What a disappointment!

    Finally, I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel on winning the Big East. USF is clearly now the favorite but there's enough weakness in conference that we could pull the upset. As long as they continually show improvement I can live with it. It the team folds because of attitude, then we should start considering options. Good thing they just signed the extension.....

    Monday, September 15, 2008

    100th Post for 2008!!!



    I hope this post finds the readers happy. I thought for this post I would just send out a big thank you to you the reader and to the authors on this site. Without them this site would be a no-go. Anyway, I hope that the readership continues to enjoy our posts. We would love it if you would comment on our posts and lend us your insights as well. WVU athletics has been in a 'golden era' we can only hope that it continues. I for one can never get enough of WVU sports. I hope that this site will continue to bring you up to date information and creative commentary. If you have any thoughts on how we can improve please use this post to share your thoughts.
    Da Geek

    Sunday, September 14, 2008

    Stewart Gets Six Year Deal. (and other thoughts)

    Coach Stew signed a deal that will pay him $800,000 this season w/ an increase of $50,000 each year. There are also $400,000 in additional incentives which he can earn. I imagine many are disappointed that WVU has latched on to an unproven commodity and could be stuck w/ having to buy out his contract. I think the news is meaningless. Pastilong hasn't fired a football or basketball coach in 30 years so there is little chance that Stewart would ever be fired anyway. And if things get really terrible, I take Coach Stew at his word and believe he would probably leave anyway. At least now, if they enjoy success, we have a coach at a tremendous bargain for 6 years.

    That being said, there are still some significant concerns about this staff that we should monitor and expect improvement. Tackling was a problem against Villanova and continued to be a problem agianst ECU. Blocking and Tackling are the most basic fundamental techniques that Offensive and Defensive players must master. WVU's weaknesses in those areas brings into question the new easier going attitude Stewart has in practices.

    The new instant replay rules seemed to cause a problem for Stewart as well. The early fumble where it appeared Pat White was out of bounds should have been challenged. In the first few weeks, I have seen quite a few instances where a play should have been reviewed but never was. It seems replay officials are reluctant to slow down the game. It seems as though that they are trying to see something before stopping the game instead of stopping the game to see if there is something to see. That could have been the NCAA's intention which is why they gave each coach a challenge to use. In Coach Stew's defense, many coaches have made the same error in the early season including Leavitt on a play against Kansas.

    And finally, according to the announcers, WVU won the coin toss and deferred to the second half resulting in ECU receiving the ball to start the game. Though it may seem like a small thing, I was perplexed even at the time as to why we didn't take the ball. WVU's main problem against Villanova, was not just stopping Villanova, but getting the defense off of the field. Given the task that was at hand for the game, there doesn't seem to be any reason we should not have taken the ball to start the game.

    The Big East has become the early laughing stock of the BCS. The ACC is still terrible, but they have more quality that the Big East in the early going. South Florida appears to have a very strong team again this year, but even they may not be a top 10 team. Rutgers, Pitt, and Louisville have turned out to be terrible. Cincinnati was expected to be tough. However with Mauk losing every appeal to return and their other QB Grutza suffering a broken leg against Oklahoma, they may not live up to expectations. Connecticut's overtime win against Temple makes you wonder exactly how competitive they will be and Syracuse is obviously terrible as expected. So it is still quite possible for WVU to get their problems in check and win the Big East. Unfortunately, no matter who wins the conference, it won't earn much respect from the rest of the country.

    Weezie

    Monday, September 8, 2008

    Well the fall begins...WVU 24th and 25th in two major polls...

    Well they remain in the top 25 this week. That is something all things considered. Obviously, the gamblers have lost faith for the Eers are beginning the betting line as 8.5 point dogs. That is OK by me. I like climbing the hill. I just hope that we don't forget the rope. Clearly someone did last weekend. Pat White told us that he isn't panicking. I am not but I have reassessed my goals for the year. BCS or bust. Now that will be a tall order but one that can be fulfilled. Those that are already jumping ship I think are waisting lifeboats. I really think that this ship will reach the port. All that being said I am ready to see what they can do against Colorado. The Buffs are no doubt smelling blood in the water. They will come ready to play and thus we need to be as well. So hang in there gang. Thursday of next week is the beginning of the rest of the season. I for one will be watching...
    Lets Go Mountaineers!!!
    DaGeek

    Saturday, September 6, 2008

    Well that didn't go as planned... Pirates 24 Moutaineers 3

    My first impressions of this game are negative to say the least. Our beloved Eers could never get anything going. Two things are true. I was underestimating ECU and I was overestimating WVU. I suspected that our young defense was going to have to find itself but I didn't expect them to simply get beat up. Truth be told Pinkney never had any problems dissecting our defense. And our offense, in the Pat White era has never looked so anemic.

    We have some work to do. Fortunately, and agonizingly, we have to face a 2 week layover before facing Colorado on the Thursday night game. Yes my fellow Eer fans we are about to have a precipitous drop in the polls and we are going to be attacked by every media outlet out there. Tis the medicine we must swallow. Crow never tastes very good but I am ready for my first helping.

    WVU lost to a very good ECU team today. I was hoping that the growing pains of a coaching change were going to be postponed until next year. Alas that is not the case. Adjustments need to be made sure, but I hope that the fan base doesn't simply give up. One loss doesn't end a season. It simply helps to redefine it. I am anxious to see what happens in Boulder. I expect to see a better team on the field than the one that made the trip to Greenville. Congrats to the Pirates and good luck. I shall have further thoughts down the road but this is all I can do while I am still licking my wounds.

    Let's Go Mountaineers!!!

    DaGeek

    Thursday, September 4, 2008

    X WVU Gridders who have made the NFL grade:

    Chris Henry of Cincinnati will be on the team after serving his 4 game suspension.

    John Thornton also on Cincinnati has extended his long NFL carrer yet another year.

    Adam Jones now of Dallas will be returning punts playing the roll of 3rd corner and may even see time as a reciever.

    Steve Slaton a 3rd round draft pick to the Houston Texans is looking to see significant playing time.

    Jerry Porter is now with Jacksonville, if his injuries prove to be insignificant Porter looks to be a valuable cog in the wheel of this AFC championship contender.

    Antwan Lake of New Orleans will continue his journeyman run in the NFL. He has proven to be a solid ST player.

    Owen Schmitt (the man the legend) of Seattle will likely see this year only as a ST player but looks to move up the full back depth chart in years to come.

    Anthony Becht now of the St. Louis Rams looks to help out his former teamate Marc Bulger in leading the Rams back to winning ways.

    It looks as if Marc Magro was signed to the St. Louis practice squad. Let us hope he can develop this year and make a pro roster next year. Good luck to all of our beloved alums.

    DaGeek

    Keys of the game

    Saturday at ECU may be the biggest game of the year. Yes, Auburn and Colorado loom but those losses would/could be understandable. This is a game we are expected to win and all eyes will be watching. That being said here are my keys to the game.

    The defense MUST get to Pinkney. VT wasn't able to get to him and frankly we weren't able to get to Antwon Young of Villanova. Granted we were sitting in a prevent type defense, but at some point you have to stop the 5 yard out! Otherwise Pinkney will pick us apart.

    White has to run. It was nice to see the offense is going to open up, but White has a way of controlling a game with his feet. He humiliates defenses! But I think he needs more than 9 carries to break in his shoes. Same with Devine, he needs more carries to develop a rhythym.

    Take care of the ball. No turnovers or give-me's on special teams. Ask VT how that works. The added dimension of a hurricane can make this THE key to the game.

    GO MOUNTIES!

    Greg

    Arthur Render JUCO S/DB gives verble to WVU


    Scout.com reports, Doc Holliday had been in contact with this kid even before he became recruiting coordinator for WVU. 5 foot 11 inch 180 pound, Render who is from North-Western High in Miami Florida decided his ties to Doc were the deal sealer. Welcome home Arthur. Photo from Scout.com.

    DaGeek

    Wednesday, September 3, 2008

    WVU vs. ECU Early look... Weather looks to be a factor.

    Sports Bet has WVU an 8pt favorite for this Saturday's Tilt. That is of course if the game happens at all. Rumors abound as to how to overcome the landfall of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hanna. Some folks have reported that Wake Forest could be the location of the game if Hanna doesn't behave herself. But as of tonight the game is still on for the ESPN covered 4:30 kickoff at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, NC. The official ECU athletic website indicates that it shall give regular updates on the status of the game. The game is to be carried on ESPN National TV as well as streaming on ESPN360. I shall keep this blog-post open and will update the photographs from both Weather.com and the NOAA site.

    The most recent update to this post is as follows:

    •The game will kick off at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6 (based on the best information available at this time)

    •The parking lots will open three hours prior to kickoff

    •Tents and tow cookers are prohibited in all parking lots

    •Fans are encouraged to carpool (double-occupancy preferred)

    •Softball Lot moved to Belk Lot

    •All general public parking spaces in Belk Lot eliminated•No anticipated changes to all handicapped lots

    •An update on the situation will be released by ECU officials mid-day Friday.


    DaGeek

    Tuesday, September 2, 2008

    WVU holds steady at 8th! Big East Standings/awards...Ivy Defensive POW and McAffee Special Teams POW Pat White Honorable Mention

    USA Today/ Coaches Poll:
    1. Southern California (23)
    2. Georgia (20)
    3. Ohio State (10)
    4. Oklahoma (2)
    5. Florida (3)
    6. LSU (3)
    7. Missouri
    8. West Virginia
    9. Texas
    10. Auburn
    11. Wisconsin
    12. Kansas
    13. Texas Tech
    14. Arizona State
    15. Brigham Young
    16. Oregon
    17. Alabama
    18. South Florida
    19. Penn State
    20. Wake Forest
    21. Fresno State
    22. Clemson
    23. Utah
    24. South Carolina
    25. Illinois
    Dropped out: No. 15 Virginia Tech (0-1, lost to East Carolina 27-22), No. 18 Tennessee (0-1, lost to UCLA 27-24 OT), No. 24 Michigan (0-1, lost to then-unranked Utah 25-23).
    Others receiving votes: UCLA 91; California 79; East Carolina 56; Tennessee 56; Boston College 36; Florida State 29; Virginia Tech 25; Boise State 24; Kentucky 20; TCU 15; Cincinnati 13; Connecticut 13; Nebraska 12; Arizona 8; Oklahoma State 5; Notre Dame 4; Colorado 3; Bowling Green 2; Georgia Tech 2; Central Florida 1; Miami (Fla.) 1; Stanford 1; Tulsa 1.


    AP Poll:

    1 Southern Cal (21)
    2 Georgia (20)
    3 Ohio St. (15)
    4 Oklahoma (2)
    5 Florida (5)
    6 Missouri (1)
    7 LSU (1)
    8 West Virginia
    9 Auburn
    10 Texas
    11 Wisconsin
    12 Texas Tech
    13 Alabama
    14 Kansas
    15 Arizona St.
    15 BYU
    17 South Florida
    18 Oregon
    19 Penn St.
    20 Wake Forest
    21 Fresno St.
    22 Utah
    23 UCLA
    24 Illinois
    24 South Carolina
    Others receiving votes: Clemson 143, East Carolina 108, California 91, Boston College 36, Florida St. 36, Cincinnati 35, Tennessee 30, Boise St. 19, Bowling Green 17, Virginia Tech 14, Connecticut 9, Rutgers 6, Kentucky 5, Nebraska 4, Oklahoma St. 3, Arizona 2, TCU 2, Miami 1, North Carolina 1, Notre Dame 1, Tulsa 1.First-place votes in parentheses.

    Big East Standings:

    Conference Overall
    W L W L

    1. South Florida
    0 0 1 0
    1. West Virginia
    0 0 1 0
    1. Cincinnati
    0 0 1 0

    1. Connecticut
    0 0 1 0

    5. Pittsburgh
    0 0 0 1

    5. Syracuse
    0 0 0 1
    5. Rutgers
    0 0 0 1
    5. Louisville
    0 0 0 1

    Cincinnati quarterback Dustin Grutza, West Virginia linebacker Mortty Ivy and Mountaineer kicker Pat McAfee have been chosen as the recipients of the BIG EAST Conference's weekly football accolades following games of Sept. 1.

    Grutza, who was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week completed 21 of 28 passes for career highs of 296 yards and three touchdowns without an interception while finishing with a rushing touchdown and 33 yards on the ground in Cincinnati’s 40-7 win against Eastern Kentucky. Grutza amassed a BIG EAST-leading 329 yards of offense and became the eighth quarterback in Cincinnati history to surpass 4,000 career passing yards (4,159).

    Ivy, who was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week had a hand in two of West Virginia’s three takeaways in the Mountaineers’ 48-21 win against Villanova. He scored a touchdown on a 29-yard interception return and added a 30-yard fumble return. Ivy also had five tackles and a sack

    McAfee was tabbed as BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week after he scored 12 points in West Virginia’s 48-21 win against Villanova, moving into a tie for fifth among kickers on the BIG EAST’s career scoring chart (309). He kicked two field goals, including a career-best 52-yard attempt, added six PATs and averaged 42.5 yards on two punts.

    Honorable Mention:

    Pat White, QB, West Virginia — Completed 25 of 33 passes for 208 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and had a game-high 63 rushing yards on nine carries in a 48-21 win against Villanova. Moved into first place on West Virginia’s career total offense list (7,984 yards).


    Da Geek

    Some Images from Saturday August 31 WVU vs. Nova by DaGeek

    It is a shame that Pat White just can't throw the ball...

    For a guy billed as a one dimensional weapon he did just a little to dismiss such notions. Pat White, Saturday acquired yet another WVU record that is the record for single game TD passes. He did so while completing 25 of 33 pass attempts with just one INT. Pat White who of course never gets any credit for his aerial attack proved the doubters wrong yet again. This writer has never, I repeat never had any allusions regarding his abilities to throw the ball. He frankly, could get it done in other ways and thus didn't have too. I was elated to see him go out and execute that attack so well. Another thing to consider is that there were some dropped balls I counted 5 of them, and the INT came on a ball that was tipped 20 feet into the air. Bottom line is that he made this writer very proud yet again. He is truly great. He also was the leading rusher averaging over 8 yards per carry. This dominant performance was enough to convince even ESPN to recognize his accomplishment. WOW. Thanks goes out to this senior.
    So what will he do next?
    Da Geek

    Youtube Highlights for South Florida Game

    Big East Champions

    Bruce Irvin

    Pat White 15 Touchdowns Just to remind you of how fun scoring can be...

    Geno Smith Video By Dougitydog

    How important are early verbal commitments?

    How many pushups do you predict Brock will press in Marshall game?