What Hath Stew Wrought? (Or, more accurately, What Hath the People Who Hired Stew Wrought?)

In a few short weeks, WVU has gone from being the conference favorite with dominating winning streaks against almost half our Big East foes to a sub-mediocre also-ran. One cannot blame Coach Stew for taking his dream job when it was offered to him, but you could see in his body language during UConn's possession in OT the excruciating reality of dream-turned-nightmare setting in.

Remember the pre-game videos touting 7 years of achievements and featuring Stew's visage? What a fraud. Any holdover cred from the Rod era that this team has had has been thoroughly flushed down the toilet. Whether now or the end of the year, it's time for Luck to put his first stamp on the program by hiring a competent head coach.

West Virginia doesn't have flocks of in-state talent to constantly replenish its roster. Any coach must be able to do more with less. An offense that is so much less than the sum of its parts is fatal. Maybe if we were USC or Texas or Ohio State we could afford to have a figurehead as a head coach. Not WVU. We need someone who will pull the plug on underperforming subordinates. We need someone who will recognize and cultivate winning strategies. Not someone who takes personal responsibility for special teams and watches as it becomes a season-tanking disaster. What a shame to squander Casteel's excellent defense. Is it any surprise that the most effective coordinator predates Stew's tenure as Head Coach?

I know it's totally out of the character of any institution in West Virginia to work this way, but it's vital that when Luck makes his next hire, he values competence above who-knows-who. Even if that means the coach leaves for greener pastures in the future. I think we are all quite aware that hiring someone with West Virginia connections can result in that outcome anyway.

The Coaches Have Their Say.

The banners have been raised and a new hoops season is almost upon us. The first coaches poll was released earlier this week and WVU was only to be found on the outside of the top 25. I've been eagerly awaiting the first polls for months. From everything I've been reading in the offseason, it has been pointing towards WVU not being in the top 25 at the beginning of the year. I suppose I just wanted to see for myself if the voters would really be that foolish.

I looked at what was returning in the Big East and I personally would have picked us either 3rd or 4th in the preaseason. But alas we were picked to finish 5th which isn't so terrible. After hearing that news, I was hopeful that we might make the preseason top 25 as surely the voters would have enough sense to rank more than 4 teams from the BE. The coaches, so far at least, don't appear to have enough sense. We'll see if the sportswriters are any smarter. I say this because I am completely confident that the 'Eers will be very strong again this year with strong leadership and an unbelievably improved back court. There will be huge shoes to fill, unquestionably, but there are also aspects of the game that this years team will likely be stronger at as well. And it's hard to believe that a Huggins' coached team will fall off too much defensively regardless of who is on the court. So let's hear some predictions. I'll get it started and say that entering the NCAA tourney, we'll be in the top 12 and finish 3rd in the BE reg season.

Weezie

"Style Points"

"I worry about the Master Coach and daily walk. I worry about my bride because she rules the roost at the house. I worry about being a role model for my son. Other than that, I don't worry. I don't believe in style points. You have no idea how tough this ol' kid from New Martinsville is. I will jut my jaw and bow my back. I don't care about style points. That means nothing to Billy Stewart. Nothing." Bill Stewart in Post game presser following Saturday's tilt with hapless UNLV. Hmm. really coach? Well unfortunately for WVU those who can determine the final placement of WVU do care.

Now I know that if WVU (and I really hope they do) finishes at top of Big East they go to a BCS Bowl. The problem is that the specific BCS bowl will be determined in large measure about how WVU "appears" to the Bowl committee. Additionally, recruits care about style points. Frankly, I as a viewer of college athletics am attracted to the team that can put up the points. Long gone are the days that Bo and Woody coached. Where you could play a pro-style smash mouthed football game and still contend in the end.

In this era of college football it is a beauty contest. The prettiest wins. So how a team wins a game is important in the end game. Even, suppose that we didn't have the bowl system and we were in a "playoff" system, style points would matter there too. Why? Well because if you are in a 16 team playoff and you are one of 4 teams vying for the votes for #16 then you want to be the prettiest girl in the contest. Otherwise you are watching the playoff not playing in it.

Say what you will about "class" it doesn't sell to pollsters. They don't care that you took off the gas in a gesture of goodwill toward the other team. They might question why a "good team" would struggle with a "bad team." The fact remains that at the end of the day those pollsters likely didn't watch your game they just reviewed the score and maybe even the box score and made their decision based on that information.

Why, many asked after the LSU loss, did WVU fall out of the polls? Well part of that answer is that we won ugly in two of the first 3 games. We didn't blow out FCS, Coastal Carolina and required some late game heroics by Geno to oust the detestable Herd. The fact remains that if we would have blown out those first 3 teams, as a "contender" would have, WVU would have been further up in the polls before we lost to LSU and would not have fallen as far as we did after the loss.

Florida has 2 losses and remains in the poll. Why? Well part of that reason is that they have a pollster bank-account that they accumulated historically with "style" points. They get forgiven for their losses. We on the other hand don't have near as much capital to spend thus when we lose the pollsters punish us. And punish us hard. WVU blew out the Running Rebels as they should have. That game ironically had some style points to it. We blew out a team we should have blown out. The pollsters begrudgingly had to let us back in the revolving door of the top 25. It didn't hurt us that LSU against all logic has been able to pull out 2 straight wins in crazy fashion. Our loss had style points. We lost to a 6-0 LSU team in eyes of pollsters they were hard pressed not to acknowledge the same. But rest assured if LSU had been blowing the teams out on theirs schedule, as an SEC team they would be knocking on the door of the top 4.

My point simply is that WVU needs to "run up the score" to make the points it needs to move up the polls. I have herd it said that win and the polls take care of themselves. The truth is that that simply is not the way it works. Win big and climb faster win and climb slowly and risk never making it to top of the hill. A team that starts at the top of the polls doesn't have to do anything but win to hold their spot right? Well ask Boise State. They have done nothing but win and thanks to VPI and Oregon's dominance "style point-rich" wins they have supplanted the Broncos. Now winning out gets Boise State a date in a BCS game but not in the BCS championship. Well DaGeek, you may ask, Boise State wins with style, why would they not get credit for it? Well they have gotten credit for it. They are discussed every week by the talking heads. They are in the discussion for the national championship. They whip the teams they should and the shine doesn't come off the statue, but they then get slammed because the WAC doesn't bring any bling. It the WAC, lacks style points. A win in conference for the Broncos just gets a ho-hum from the rest of the country, though we like watching them do it on TV. The Big East has style point problems this year as well, so WVU can ill afford to give up any mojo with ugly wins. We need to put it to the teams we are suppose to blow out, or we shall be punished.

Coach Stew saying that he doesn't believe in Style points is disturbing to say the least. He better start believing in them or WVU will pay the price. I don't know why any competitive team exists if not to win the prize at the end. The prize at the end is the crystal football. To win the crystal football we must get the votes from the voters in the two human polls. To get those points we have to impress them. To impress them we need "style points". I want our Coach to take a good hard look at his position on this issue and ask himself if he really is doing his "OLD GOLD AND BLUE" any service by ignoring the glaringly obvious reality that style points matter.

I love my Eers as much as anybody can. I respect our Coach, but I must disagree with his position as to style points. I am jutting my jaw out and bowing my back on behalf of my beloved team. Coach you have this wrong! Please address this and lead us back to the title hunt. Coach do it and do it with style!

DaGeek

Bayou Bengals

This is a big week for the Big East. The WVU-LSU game will likely define the conference's significance this year. Unfortunately, the game doesn't mean much for WVU itself. We're unlikely to compete for a national championship, so the goal remains to make it to the BCS. That entails winning the Big East. LSU has no bearing on that goal!

That being said, I expect an ugly game saturday night. LSU's defense is stacked. Patrick Patterson is the best D-back in the country....think Revis and Eric Berry type. The front seven are more than stout and they face an O-line that's been questionable and will be missing Jenkins. I'm thinking this could be a rough night for Geno. Unfortunately, I predict turnovers in the 4-5 range. That will be difficult to overcome.

The good news is LSU doesn't have the best offense. Don't get me wrong, I've seen them score long TDs in consecutive games by handing the ball off to one of their burners on a reverse. But Jefferson is not solid at QB. He's prone to his own mistakes. We have to stop the speedsters from getting to space.

So the game in my mind is who can make the least mistakes and you better bring your A+ kicking game Saturday night because it's likely to be an ugly Cajun brawl.

Maryland Terrapins

After a 2 year hiatus the border war has been renewed. Maryland and West Virginia have met 46 times (WVU leads 23-21-2), including each season from 1980 to 2007. As you can see this rivalry has been a close one. Neither team is able to pull to far ahead of the other. It has been a streaky series though. One thing that this game use to mean was whether or not the Eers were going to go to a bowl game. This game was the gage to determine that event. In recent years it hasn't had the same prognosticating properties but it does still portend on good or bad things to come. I for one love this series and hope that it continues to be a staple in the schedule. The series has been renewed until 2017.



Maryland had its worst season in history losing 10 games last season. I would caution against looking to last season to define this years Terp team. They have started off the season with 2 straight wins over Navy and Morgan State. While Morgan State may not get your attention the win over the Midshipman should. Maryland exhibited a running prowess that is indicative of eating clock while scoring points. This team will try to beat you on the ground and with there defense. It should be noted that the Terps are known for their linebackers and this years team is no different.

So who is getting it done for Maryland? Who do we need to watch this week? With the caveat that we don't have a lot to sample from with only two games to look at here is who I think you should be on the look out for Saturday:

They have decided to platoon at the quarterback position. Jamarr Robinson will likely start and he has completed 8 of 19 pass attempts for 81 yards and 2 TDs against 2 interceptions. Likely to see a lot of time as well is Danny O' Brien who has completed 5 of 10 passes for 79 yards and 3 TDs against no interceptions. Between the two QB's they have a combined 43.3% completion rate and a combined QB rating of 129.8. This is an experiment and while not the focus of the offense it can be an effective tandem.

Those two quarterbacks will be throwing the ball to primarily 3 receivers each of whom has scored this year. They are Matt Furstenburg who has caught 3 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Torrey Smith who has caught 4 passes for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adrian Cannon who has caught 2 balls for 24 yards and a touchdown.

The running backs would constitute the bulk of the offensive output. They have four threats at this position. Davin Meggett has carried the ball 16 times for 155 yards with a touchdown. Jamarr Robinson has toted the ball 17 times for 128 yards. Da'Rel Scott has carried the ball 18 times for 100 yards with one touchdown. He has also caught 3 passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. And finally D. J. Adams has contributed 12 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns. All four of these backs will likely see the ball at Mountaineer Field. They are good and they are the focal point of this team.

The overall scuttlebutt on this offense is that they are young and talented. They didn't face much of a defense in Morgan State last weekend but Navy was formidable and they scored 17 on them. The question is what will they do against a West Virginia defense who is playing without its shut-down cornerback. I am hopeful that the Mountaineer defense will show Maryland a look that they haven't seen and will for the most part keep them held at bay. We shall see.

The kicker, Travis Baltz, is more than serviceable, kicking at least one field goal in the first two games. He kicked two 47 yarders in the effort against Morgan State. He is perfect thus far on extra points as well. Finally, he serves as the punter and kickoff guy.

The Terp Defense has given up a total of 17 points all year making them the current 10th rated scoring defense in the Country. That number is quite impressive when you consider one of those teams is a notoriously high-scoring Navy team. Against Morgan State, Demetrius Hartsfield and Adrian Moten both had picks and Joe Vellono registered a sack. This defense is young as well as talented. Look for them to be a great challenge for the Mountaineer offense.

Overall this game will be a solid test of the the Mountianeers. They need to come to play and play hard. If they do I see it being a great day to be a Mountaineer. If not it could be a long day.

See ya Saturday in the Blue Lot.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek

Noel Devine Big East Player of the Week; Najee Goode Big East Honor Roll for Week 2. Other notes...

Congrats to 2 Mountaineers for receiving Big East conference honors. I am happy for both our honored Mountaineers. This is Noel's second mention in the Big East honors in as many weeks.

"Devine was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after he had 174 all-purpose yards and registered his 17th career game with at least 100 rushing yards to lead West Virginia to a 24-21 overtime win at Marshall. Devine had 23 carries for 112 yards, including a fourth-quarter touchdown run that allowed the Mountaineers to overcome a 21-6 deficit. Devine, who moved into seventh place on the BIG EAST’s career rushing chart (3,604 yards), also had a career-high 10 receptions for 62 yards." -BigEast.ORG

BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Noel Devine • Sr. • RB • West Virginia • Fort Myers, Fla.

BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BIG EAST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Joe Lefeged • Sr. • SS • Rutgers • Germantown, Md.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
JK Schaffer, LB, Cincinnati — Had nine tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup in a 40-7 win against Indiana State.

Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut — Rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a 62-3 win against Texas Southern.

Rodney Gnat, DT, Louisville — Had seven tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a 23-13 win against Eastern Kentucky.

Ray Graham, RB, Pittsburgh — Rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-16 win against New Hampshire.

Najee Goode, LB, West Virginia — Had 10 tackles and two tackles for loss in a 24-21 overtime win at Marshall. -BigEast.Org

I find it interesting and a bit disturbing that QB Geno Smith didn't warrant mention. He was awarded a helmit sticker from Brian Bennett on ESPN's Big East Blog though.

Other Notes:

• WVU Ranked 21 in both the Coaches and AP Polls.
• WVU Ranked 20 in Elo Chess Rankings of Jeff Sagarin's computer Poll. 25th in overall poll.
• WVU Ranked 17th in TheSignalCaller.Com's Poll. "17) WEST VIRGINIA (2-0): It was eight-and-a-half minutes that will go down in West Virginia football lore forever. Geno Smith (316 yards) comes of age with a pair of historic fourth quarter drives (96 & 98 yards) as the Mountaineers eek out an overtime thriller at Marshall."
• Maryland receiving votes in the latest polls as well. "I swear to God, this is going to be a whale of a football game."-Coach Stew on this Saturday's opponent.
• LSU game time will be 9 PM ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2

Go Eers!!!
Da Geek

Dave Johnson must go and other possible chants/rants

Luckily, I was watching the game by myself for most of the evening as I would have irritated any guests with enough rewinding of the DVR to have to replace my batteries at half time. Jobe and Barclay were blocking with all the skill of a seasoned matador. 4th and short driving for a TD, Jobe pulls through the 5 hole and whiffs on a dive block on #30. Down by 15 and driving Jobe and Barclay false start on consecutive plays to set up a 3 and 14. Thank Austin with a block by Sanders for getting 13 of those back. Oh and thank you Mr. official for not calling the holding in the end zone by both on the long drive at the end of the game.

I'm disgusted. I read one of the "issues" between Coach Holiday and Coach Stew stemmed from Holiday's lack of respect for Dave Johnson. (see article here http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10253/1086784-144.stm) I think he has a point. We haven't had respectable line play since Tricket left. Initially, I attributed this to having 3 different coaches in 3 years. Well Johnson's had the time now to teach the line about leverage. Barclay and Jobe are listed at 6-4 and 6-2 and play at every bit of that height. Jobe stood up on the FG attempt and was immediately blown up, resulting in a blocked field goal. They were beyond consistent. They had more whiffs than a caterer at a dog show. That being said change MUST happen. Johnson must go. If Stew can't make the change, hire someone that can.

We're in a time in the Big East where WV should dominate like Florida St did the ACC throughout the 90's. I hate to see this time in WVU history be wasted because we can't get big men to squat and lean.

Teams like LSU await. And while I consider their coaching as inept as anyone's, the level of athlete on that team will embarrass our O-line if they don't learn the fundamentals of blocking.

Greg

WVU 24 Marshall 21 Overtime. What does it mean?

(Picture by theSignalCaller.com. Click on picture above to read The Drive in Redux)

Wow this game was something else to watch. I must admit this author thought that Marshall was going to win and that the Mountaineers had mailed it in. Up until the Defense handed Geno the ball at about 8 1/2 min to go, that was the case. Until then only Tyler Bitencurt's field goals marked any sort of WVU scoring. The score was 21 to 6 Marshall. But then the legend of Geno Smith was about to begin. He was given the ball on the WVU 4 yard line. He proceeded to lead the offense down the field like he had ice in his veins. That drive was capped off with a Noel Devine 4 yard scoring run. To bring the score to 21 to 13. The defense was able to force Marshall to punt and punt they did, right down to the WVU 2 yard line. So enter the would be hero Geno Smith. He would then lead the Mountaineers those fateful 98 yards to a TD pass to Will Johnson. Then the ball was in his hand one last time to go for tie with a 2 point conversion and convert he did to Jock Sanders in back of end-zone. So overtime comes. Tyler Bitencurt kicks a field goal and Marshall could not convert its attempt at a 40 yard field goal. Mountaineers win in exciting fashion. So what did we learn, what do we know, what does this game mean?

For the second week in a row the offense went for over 400 yards, however it was stifled in the red zone until the very end. I was quite disappointed with Coach Mullen's approach. I know it is hard to argue with the yards gained but 24 points in not getting it done. I will not criticise going for it on fourth down early in the game. But I think that that move has exposed the one glaring weakness on this team and that is the run blocking of our offensive line. The defense played very well with exception of 2 big plays. Marshall's TE was as I said in my pregame analysis NFL good. I had no idea that they had such decent running backs but I think with exception of the 55 yard run on first drive of game.

The defense was stingy on the ground. The Defense as has been pointed out several times by Jed Drenning, (theSignalCaller)kept the offense in the game. The timely turnover when Marshall was about to put the game away was just what the Doc (Marshall's headman) didn't order. The special teams played very well all night long with one glaring exception and that would be the blocked field goal. I don't know if that is an indictment of the field goal team or just a fantastic play on the Herd's behalf. I would note that they did the same thing last week to Ohio State.

This is a game where the play makers for the Mountaineers were forced to make plays in spite of the effort of the offensive line. It certainly was offensive. I am very concerned about this facet of the team. They were handled by Marshall's front 4 really all night long. Were it not for Marshall calling off the dogs and entering into the prevent defense I am not sure that WVU overcomes the 15 point deficit. So thanks Doc for that decision. But I can really take nothing away from Geno Smith's effort. It was Senior-like poise mixed with a precise touch.

Two weeks into the season the 22/23 ranked Mountaineers have dodged a bullet and remain 2 wins against 0 losses. Need to get ready for those ground turtles from Maryland next week. After watching the week 3 opponent against the Midshipmen I am convinced that they will come ready to play in Morgantown. Improvement needs to be made and work needs to be done to be successful next Saturday.

Da Geeks Grades for Week 2:

Team C, QB play B, receiving B-, Running Backs B-, Offensive Line F, Defensive Line B, Linebackers C, D-Backs B-, Punt Team B, Kick Off Team B, and Field-goals and extra-points team B.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek

Injury Report for Marshall game as released by all Big East Teams:

This year in the Big East the League mandates that each college football team release an injury report.

Week 2 (Marshall) injury report:

OUT FOR SEASON: No new info.

OUT: Pat Lazear (knee/tibia bruise)

DOUBTFUL: Branko Busick (hand) Tyler Urban (knee)

PROBABLE: Cole Bowers (knee)

Marshall Thundering Herd

Yes folks it is that time of the year again. The time of the year that we must do battle with that team down in Huntington. ESPN is going to be in town for a nationally televised game. Marshall looks to showcase its program. Quoting coach Holiday, "This is great exposure, no question. It is going to sell our program. It will show the nation the passion of our fans and how important football is to Huntington and Marshall University." WVU is its instate nemesis and thus the table is set for an upset? This game has developed into one with more rhetoric than on the field flash.

Truth be told the outcome of this game has been the same each time it is played. Why then is this year different? Doc Holiday has come to Huntington with an agenda to turn this team into a winner. He as a former Mountaineer and Mountaineer coach has some understanding of what it is that WVU is trying to do. Is this "advantage" insurmountable? Maybe it would be if all things were equal going into the game. In this author's opinion all things aren't equal.

Doc has decided to change the offensive philosophy to that of the spread. Marshall opened up with Ohio State and received a pounding at the hands of the Buckeyes 45-7. The only score came as a result of special teams play. Not only is that game the measure of the Marshall team for the season, it doesn't serve as a very good scout of the team for West Virginia either. We really don't know what their offensive identity is. We know that Eddie Sullivan will start at QB and that Doc is high on him, “He should have been seven-for-seven. He had some drops and some guys run the wrong route. You know what? I don’t think that bothers Eddie. I think he cares if its out here or there, he just likes to play. He is ok and he will be alright." We don't know who the "go to" players are beyond Lee Smith, the tight end. He is NFL good, but should be keyed on by the defense. Defensively, this Marshall squad is not that good. Tough kids yes, but frankly they had more holes than Swiss-cheese last week. I don't think it was just that OSU was talented I think that there are some real problems with the Herd on that side of the ball.

The truth is, with new coaching, new scheme, and talent that was recruited by the other guy, we don't know a whole lot about this opponent. Last years team is not this years team. So with a real lack of knowledge as to what Marshall is all about this year, it is more about WVU being WVU and talent for talent the Eers have a lead on Herd. Noel Devine, Jock Sanders, and Tavon Auston are as fast as anybody they faced last week. If the ball is distributed to them, and turnovers are not a problem then I would guess that this game will be as it has been the last few times we played. The outcome shall be a WVU win. The 3 3 5 stack and the new 40 look on third down will be hard for any team to prepare for especially on a short week. While I think Ohio State's defense is really talented, I believe our defense and our scheme will also provide many problems for the new Herd offense to contend with on Friday night. Should this series continue and what is its value to both schools? "This is an important game for both of us. I have great respect for West Virginia. We come from playing the best team in the Big Ten Conference to now playing the best team in the Big East Conference. They are the most talented Big East team out there. Noel Devine, Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin are probably the most exciting players in the Big East. Defensively, (Chris) Neild, (Robert) Sands, and J.T. Thomas are the best three defensive players in that league. They (WVU) have the best talent in that league and they will be a good football team."-Doc Holiday. Coach Stews remarks on the topic have been closer to the vest. He has dodged questions about the series. He has been decidedly mum when it comes to his relationship with Doc. He did say that he hired him and that he was a trusted confidant. I am not sure that he wished to say much else on the matter.

Whether the series ends or not, Friday is about Friday. The Eers need to come to play Mountaineer football. The o-line needs to learn from last week and come prepared to play much better this week. Geno Smith needs to lead the team in much the same way he did in the second half of last years contest. The superstars Noel, Jock and Tavon need to get the lions-share of the touches and this game needs to be placed into doubt early. Start to finish the Eers need to play this game like it matters. In the end it does matter.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek

WVU 31 Coastal Carolina 0 What can be taken from this game? Other WVU related notes.

The WVU Mountaineers have won there first game of the season. The game was never in doubt, the game was in some ways encouraging and in others not so much.

On the positive side the team spread the wealth of scoring to: J. D. Woods with a receiving touchdown, Jock Sanders with a receiving touchdown, Noel Devine with a rushing touchdown, Ryan Clark with a rushing touchdown. Tavon Austin contributed 90 yards in recieving with the exception of a fumble through the endzone he had a really good day. The defense pitched its first shutout since 2005. Brandon Hogan lead the way with an interception, a pass break-up and five tackles. His interception was a timely one as Coastal was in a position to score. And really the most special thing you can take away from the game is the special teams particularly the kicking and punt coverage teams. Tyler Bitancurt lead the way in scoring with one field goal and four extra points. Corey Smith kicked the ball extremely well and the Chants never had the got to start beyond their 35 yard line all day when returning kicks. Greg Pugnetti booted the ball very well all day long. He had too very impressive punts to inside the one yard line.

On the negative side. The offense while scoring 31 points should have scored in my humble opinion, on a lot more occasions. We had over 400 yards of offense but Noel only had a pedestrian day with 111 yards. The truth is that he could have had a lot more were it not for the abysmal blocking he received. The right side of the line has some major improvement to make and need to make it very fast. The Chants will be the worst team we face all year by leaps and bounds. They were able to contain one of the most electrifying runners in the Country. That simply shouldn't be the case. The offensive line needed to dominate and they clearly didn't deliver.

Da Geek's grades for the weekend would be as follows:
Team C+, QB play C+, recieving C+, Running Backs C+, Offensive Line D-, Defensive Line B-, Linebackers B-, D-Backs B, Punt Team A+, Kick Off Team A, and Field-goals and extra-points team A.

Now onto the Herd. What will we learn on Friday?

Notes:

Team Awards as the players graded out after watching the tape according to the WVU coaching staff: Offensive Champion Jock Sanders, Defensive Champion Terence Garven, Special Teams Champion Gregg Pugnetti Scout Offense C. J. Huffman, and Defensive Scout Taige Redman.

Big East Award Winners:
Offensive Player of the Week: Ryan Nassib, Jr., QB, Syracuse ( 287 yards of total offense and threw a pair of TDs)
Defensive Player of the Week: Mike Holmes, Sr., FS, Syracuse (six tackles with one sack)
Special Team Player of the Week: Brandon Bing, Sr., CB (Blocked 2 punts)
Honor roll:

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia — Ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in a 31-0 win against Coastal Carolina. Moved into eighth place on the BIG EAST’s career rushing chart (3,492 yards).

Gregg Pugnetti, P, West Virginia — Averaged 49.2 yards on six punts with a long punt of 71 yards in a 31-0 win against Coastal Carolina. Downed two punts on the 1-yard line to help keep the Chanticleers out of the red zone for the game.

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville — Ran for a career-high 153 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, on 16 carries in a 23-16 loss to Kentucky.

Alex Silvestro, DE, Rutgers — Had five tackles, a sack and four tackles for loss in a 31-0 win against Norfolk State. Led a defense that held Norfolk State to 25 rushing yards and an 0-for-12 showing on third down conversions.

B.J. Daniels, QB, USF — Completed 15 of 22 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-14 win against Stony Brook.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Just who are the Chanticleers (SHON-ti-cleers)? For that matter what is a Chanticleer? This mascott comes from English Literature Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It is described as a rooster who rules the barnyard with cunning and wit. His competiveness never wanes as he battles to the end, using brains to come out on top every time. (Well I hope not tomorrow.) This school plays its football program in the FCS subdivision (1AA). They are a relatively young program which has been to the playoffs in the recent past but has strugled the last couple of years.

Their Head Coach, David Bennett has amassed a 50-29 record in the 7 years he has been at Coastal Carolina. The team returns 7 starters on offense, 9 starters on defense, a place kicker and a punter from a team which won 6 games.

Penn State was their opener last year and the Nitney Lions amassed 66 points giving up only 10. For the Season the Chants averaged 22.2 pts. per game while giving up an average of 24.1 points per game. They averaged 107 yards on the ground and gave up 118 yards on hte ground. They passed for an average of 120 yards and gave up 105 yards in the air.

Among the returning starters is the QB, Zach MacDowall who completed 126 of 299 passes for 1,644 yards for 9 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Also returning are WR's Adrian Sullivan (8 catches for 120 yards and 1 touchdown, with a long catch of 41 yards) and leading WR, Brandon Whitley (63 catches for 865 yards with 7 touchdowns with a long of 63 yards.) as well as TE David Duran (20 catches for 277 yards with 1 touchdown and a ong of 47 yards). These guys should be the vast majority of the offensive threat from this team.

While I think that this team may have a chance to get back to winning ways in its run for an FCS playoff spot, it doesn't look to be set to either stop the WVU offense or penitrate the WVU Defense. Speed kills and WVU will simply have too much of that. This game should be out of reach sometime right after the initial kickoff. For further reading on the Chanticleers you may click on the imagae at the right for the Coastal Carolina Online Media Guide.

See ya in Morgantown,

Go EERS!

Da Geek

Noel and Jock Go Eers!!! From Mountaineers360

A Short Story by Da Sean Buttler (from twitter)

Once upon a time there was a young boy named Da'Sean. Da'Sean was 22 years old and lived in Newark, NJ. While walking home from school one day, a Purple Dinosaur jumped out from behind a Brick Wall and tackled Da'Sean to the ground. But just when he was about to let out a scream for help, Da'Sean realized that the Purple Dinosaur was only licking his face, not trying to bite it off. At that moment, Da'Sean decided to keep the Purple Dinosaur as a pet. And on the way home he decided to name his pet Purple Dinosaur ''Barney.''

When Da'Sean and his new pet finally got home, guess who was standing on the front porch? That's right, it was Da'Sean's mother, Koreena. And boy was she surprised to see a Purple Dinosaur following Da'Sean into the yard! ''What in world is that?'' shouted Koreena. ''It's a Purple Dinosaur,'' answered Da'Sean. ''Dah, I can see that, Da'Sean, but what on earth is it doing here?'' said Koreena. ''It's my new pet!'' answered Da'Sean. ''Oh you think so do you?'' remarked Koreena. ''I wouldn't get your hopes up. You know how your father hates Purple Dinosaurs. But, well, I suppose you can keep him until your father comes home.'' And with that Da'Sean grabbed Barney by the scruff of the neck and led his new pet into the house--even though he knew his father was probably going to dissaprove.

Once in the house, Da'Sean and Barney played and played, that is until Da'Sean's favorite television show, ''Family Guy,'' started. At that point Da'Sean forgot all about Barney having an unsupervised run of the house. That is until half way through ''Family Guy,'' when Da'Sean was brought back to reality when he heard his father shout, ''OMG!! Da'Sean! Get your whoopie cakes in the Kitchen...NOW!!'' With that Da'Sean rushed into the Kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. When he entered the Kitchen, there stood his father, Da'Sean Butler, pointing toward the Table. ''Will someone please explain that?'' asked his father. Then, as Da'Sean followed his father's finger to where it was pointing, he instantly knew what his father was so upset about. There, smack dab in the middle of the Table,the biggest pile of Dinosaur doo-doo he had ever seen! ''I don't EVEN want to know how that got there,'' said Da'Sean Butler. ''But you had better get it cleaned up now! And you had better get rid of whatever it is that could have done such a thing!''

Well, knowing his father as well as he did, Da'Sean knew there was no sense even asking his father if he could keep Barney for a pet. So without hesitation, Da'Sean set out to find where Barney was hiding. After a few minutes of looking, Da'Sean discovered Barney crouched beneath the table that Da'Sean did his Playing X-Box and reading books.

''Come on, Barney, it's time to find you a new home. And hey, don't look at me that way, I'm not the one who did the dirty deed on the Table!'' scolded Da'Sean. ''Thanks to you I'll never get to have my own pet Dinosaur!! And with that Da'Sean led Barney out of the house and down to the local Game Stop. They had a pet section and Da'Sean knew the owner would find Barney a good home. Da'Sean cried a deep cry. he had lost his only friend in the world.

So after saying good-bye to Barney, and thanking the owner of Game Stop, Da'Sean walked backed home and attempted to drowned his sorrows by slamming down a half dozen Root Beers. But Da'Sean's pitty party came to an abrupt end when his father reminded him about the mess he had neglected to clean up. And low and behold, midway through the clean-up, Da'Sean suddenly became thankful that someone else was going to have to do it from now on. The End.

Moral of the story: Sometimes you best friends can get your "whoopee cakes" n a lot of trouble be sure to listen to your parents they know whats best.

And you thought he could only play basketball. On another note Da Sean did just sign a deal with the Miami Heat. Congrats to him and thanks for the above entertainment.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek

Well the much anticipated Nike Combat Uni is released. What you think?

I of course like the Gold and Blue but I am not apposed to this. It is fun and novel. This uniform shall be worn at least once during season and may be worn as often as the team chooses. "The uniforms are inspired by and pay homage to West Virginia's coal tradition, and are dedicated to the memory of the 29 miners who lost their lives in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine earlier this year. The new uniforms are mostly white, with black accents on the sleeves, yoke and pants. A gold stripe down the middle of the helmet, which is metallic gray and black, symbolizes the beam of light from a coal miner's lamp. The helmet also features a small flying WV on the front nameplate and "Mountaineers" on the protective lip on the bottom back. The flying WV, inside a shield, is also featured on the yoke. fingerprints and smudges, meant to represent a long day's work in the mines, are scattered across the numbers and sleeves of the jersey. The most striking portion of the gear may well be the gold shoes"- Scout.com The gold shoes are representative of the Canaries used in the mines to detect methane. I'll give it a chance.

Here is a link to Bob Huggins presenting the new Unis in pressor in New York.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho-9w2lSk5M&feature=player_embedded
Go
EERS!!!

All of the "talent" real or just hype?-Noel Devine

I keep reading that WVU is loaded with talent. I have written the same. The question that comes to mind is: Hype or not? I will start with the most hyped player on the team. I hope to break down the rest of the "talent" in the days to come.

Noel Devine. Well if this kid needs further explanation I would say you haven't been watching this team in the last 3 years. He is a senior who has done nothing short of living up to all the 5 Star accolades he received when he was being recruited out of high school. His numbers have born that out as well. In the 38 (out of a possible 39) games he has participated in he has contributed the following: 520 rushing attempts 3,381 yards and 23 touchdowns. That breaks down to a rushing average of 6.5 yards per carry for his career. His longest carry from scrimmage was 92 yards but that is just one example of the explosive rushes witnessed since he has been a Mountaineer. He basically is a one man highlight real. He has also contributed 64 catches for 452 yards and a touchdown. It is believed that he will be utilized in this capacity even more this year as "the plan" is to get him more touches. Finally for his career he has also returned 30 kicks for 674 yards for a 22.5 yard average. Again, it is believed that he will be utilized in this capacity with greater frequency this year. If given the ball good things shall happen. Bottom line Noel Devine is for real not hype but "talent".

Big East Bowl Tie-ins in order of selection...

• BCS Bowl - BIG EAST Champion
• Champs Sports Bowl - BIG EAST vs. ACC
• Meineke Car Care Bowl - BIG EAST vs. ACC
• New Era Pinstripe Bowl - BIG EAST vs. Big 12
• Papajohns.com Bowl/AutoZone Liberty Bowl - BIG EAST vs. SEC or C-USA
• Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - BIG EAST vs. C-USA

It appears from the above that the Big East has 6 teams that can go bowling this year if eligible (at least 6 wins (one win can be against FCS school if win wasn't counted in previous year)). However, there is more to the story. The Notre Dame issue is alive and well. Champ Sports may select Notre Dame one year out of the 4 it has contracted with the Big East. So really only 5 bowls are a lock for Big East teams.

The order of selection is somewhat interesting as well. The BCS Bowls: BCS Championship; Tostitos Fiesta Bowl; Allstate Sugar Bowl; Fed Ex Orange Bowl; and Rose Bowl Game, shall select the Big East Champ in that order. Once that selection has been made the BCS may (it has never happened) select another BCS Bowl eligible team (to be eligible a team must finish in the top 15 in BCS rankings).

Once that mess is cleared up. The Champs Sports Bowl may select either Notre Dame or a Big East Team remaining to play its choice of ACC team. Notice I didn't say the team that finished second in the Big East Standings. The only place that the standings dictate selection is the first place team. This selection process is found on the Big East Football Page. So the Champs then selects from the remaining eligible teams.

After Champs has made its selection the Meineke Car Care Bowl shall select a Big East team from the remaining eligible teams to square off against its pick of an ACC team. (There was a twitter rumor circulated by the Meineke Car Care Bowl site that they now had the second selection but I have not been able to confirm this. Until Big East confirms this I am going with what is posted from their official site.)

After MCCB makes its selection then the brand spanking new, New Era Pinstripe Bowl Shall make its selection from the remaining Big East pool of teams to square off against its pick from the Big 12. I, for one, am excited about this addition to the Big East bowl games. I think this bowl could develop into a large payday for the Big East.

After NEPB makes its pick things get interesting. The Big East, SEC, and Conference USA have entered into a horse-trading arrangement with two bowls: The Autozone Liberty Bowl and the PapaJohns.com Bowl. One of those two bowl games shall have the next available pick from the Big East to play either its pick of Conference USA or its pick from the SEC. This will really come down to putting the best possible games together from the remaining picks. It allows for flexibility. War rooms for those bowls shall be up late on selection Sunday making their picks.

Once that mess is cleared up the Beef O Brady's Bowl has the final selection from the remaining Big East pool to slate against its pick from Conference USA.

West Virginia benefits in the above scheme because in the event they don't win the Big East Championship (God Forbid) it usually is selected ahead of other teams in the Big East due to its marketability on TV and its loyal and well travelled fan base. Thus, when all else is almost equal WVU will be the team selected by the bowl. My feeling is that we are going to either be BCS bowling or playing in Orlando or Charlotte this season. It is unlikely that we would fall below those bowls, though were we not to play in BCS Bowl I wouldn't mind spending New Years in New York.

So to review. It is likely that the Big East will have 5 teams competing in bowl games this year. There theoretically be 7 teams taken but I won't hold my breath. I know it is pretty early to discuss bowl games but I hope you will have this blog post to use as a reference throughout the season for prognostication.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek

WVU is tied for 24 in Coaches and 25th in AP. Frankly a good place to be.

PRE-SEASON POLLS: I am excited by the prospect of starting in the Top 25. Last year if you remember we were no where near that list. I realize that sPitt is ahead of us in both polls but I am not concerned too much about that. I truly believe that we are in a very good spot. If we do have a productive season we are in striking distance to make a climb. Pollsters are obviously concerned about our "new QB". Geno shall just have to do his best to persuade the voters one game at a time.

For the readers, this Blog shall do a poll but we don't post one until 6 weeks into season. The reason for this is that we really know very little about the incarnations of each of the teams until we see something from them. Presumably we shall know a lot after 6 weeks as most of the teams will have at least 5 games under their belts by then. I am looking for voters for this poll. Please comment to this post if you are interested in submitting votes for the Blog Poll. I shall expect you to comment during the season on other points frequently.

Other Notes:

• WVU is having annual "Fan Day" at Mountaineer Field tomorrow. Anyone going to attend?
• Camp has closed and it was thought to be a good one by both players and staff.
• Team is now in Coastal Carolina preparations. I say that a little tongue and cheek as I think we are going to be preparing for Marshall as well. We have some business to settle with our former Coach in Huntington.
• Be sure to watch WDTV (Clarksburg, WV) Jed Drenning, The Signal Caller, will be doing periodic shows regarding the Mountaineers this season.

Go EERS!!!

Da Geek

It is looking like Jeremy Johnson is thinking of leaving.

For second day in a row Jeremy Johnson was a no-show at practice. The issue may be as simple as home-sickness. He is after all from Texas and Morgantown, WV is not Texas. There once was a young man from Daphine Al., which was homesick too. He turned out alright here at the ole WV. Maybe the upper-class-men can talk to him and help him work through it. I hope that he can overcome this issue. If not then I wish him well. This does bring about some interesting issues at the QB spot. Does this mean Coley White is back in the mix or do they just go with Barry Brunetti at the #2 spot. Hmm, things will be interesting for a while. I for one hope that this is a problem quickly solved.

Da Geek

What WVU Players have proven special on offense? Who shall join the list this year?

The simple and obvious answers to question 1 would be Noel Devine and Jock Sanders. Since their arrival on campus 4 years ago the "little guys" have produced. Noel and Joche came to a team that already had incredible talent at the running back/slot receiver positions. What has been amazing is the fact that they both made contributions early and as the Steve Slaton's and Darius Reynaud's left for the NFL they just plugged themselves into those rolls and WVU never looked back. This season we see the two of them leading the offense in terms of on the field prowess as well as Senior leadership. They were both invited by Coach Stewart to represent the offense at the Big East Media days and both approached that honor with class and dignity. I have been impressed with both these "lads" for so many reasons but probably most of all for their development into men. WVU is blessed with both of them.


The answer to question 2 would in my humble opinion include several other gentlemen. I think Tavon Austin tops the list of newbies. While showing some signs of explosion last season, I anticipate a much larger dose of that in this one. Joining both Noel Brandon and Jock in return duties again this year could prove to be a lot for other teams to contend with. I would want to neither punt the ball or kick off to us. ( Let us hope that we only have to endure 1 kick-off a game; but I anticipate plenty of punt returns-shameless defensive plug intended.) In addition to Tavon I would include Ryan Clark and Bradley Starks. These two shall have increased responsibilities in the offense this season. They have begun to receive praise and accolades from the coaching staff and I simply think they have too much to offer not to get those ever desired touches. While there are several other members of the team who I think can be stars on offense I think that these 5 "lads" Noel, Jock, Tavon, Ryan, and Brad shall have Toni C calling their names often "...and that is another West Virgina touchdown" (Clicking on the image shall take you to MSNSportsNet.Com. Has a great article on Tavon.)

I am excited by the prospect of watching them all in this 2010 campaign.

Da Geek

Football Practice

Who has decided to take this season serious? It appears that the Juniors and Seniors in this class have made "work" a high priority at practice. From what I have read, and from the coaches statements at the pressers after practice, I have heard that the team is "ahead of schedule". This is very encouraging. The high points would be this:
Defense:
1. Safeties strong starting corps. Need some additional depth but looking good.
2. Corners most depth we have had in years. Brandon Hogan, Keith Tandy, Brodrick Jenkins are all vying for the same jobs. Good problem to have when 3 players looking for 2 spots. Plus we have 2 more kids on the 2 deep.
3. Line-backers Strong starting corps. has depth issues. I really can't get a consistent pulse on this unit yet.
4. Defensive Line. Strong starting unit. Have as much depth as I have ever seen. This could be a very special year for those guys.
Over all the Defense is looking to be a very good team. Could be among the best (on paper).
Offense:
1. QB: I would say that this job has a clear favorite in Geno Smith. It is his job to lose. The reports are that his foot is not a problem. I hope that this is true. Coley White has officially left the position for slot receiver. Thus it is a battle for the number 2 spot and that is a fight between 2 true Frosh, Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson. These 2 are in a dog-fight and in fact are pushing Geno pretty hard. While it scares me that we are playing with such youth at this position, I am encouraged by the level of talent. This position if serviceable could lead to a pretty decent offense. (Photo provided by TheSignalCaller-click on photo to read Jed's latest thoughts)
2. RB: Well I would say that this job is pretty clear. When we are in small ball it is Noel. When we are in Big ball it is Clarke and Alston. Jonathen Hargett will get some touches but this position is one where the super-star should get the carries. Noel qualifies as a super-star.
3. Slot's, TE and Receivers: My take on this is that Jock, Tavon and Brad will be on the field the most this year. But keep your eyes peeled for Coley, Stedman, and new-comer Sticks. At the Tight end Will Johnson looks to be ready as well. As a whole this unit could be very productive. If the QB can distribute the ball look to be excited from the air.
4. The O-line is pretty established at all but the Right Tackle position. Plenty of experience at the other four positions. This group shall determine a lot for the production of this offense. I am hopeful that we shall see improvement at the pass blocking. The run block was actually pretty good last season.
As a whole the offense could be good. It needs to be better than last years unit to contend for the title. 26 points per game will not get it done. So let us hope we shall find more end-zones this season.

Special Teams:
The good news is that we have Tyler Bitencourt back. Field Goals look to be a positive. The bad news is we don't know who our punter/place kickers are. They have received mixed reviews thus far. On the kick off return/punt return side this should be solid as we will see a greater use of Noel in this lineup. We already had very explosive guys in Tavon and Brandon so adding a steady diet of Noel will make teams nervous. Kick off coverage has had little pub thus far but it has been delegated from Stewart so it could look different. We need this part of our team to improve 100 fold.

Well that is the first breakdown of practice this year from the Geek I hope it was informative.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek

Fan base and message board fodder what a disgusting place to be sometimes.

I feel compelled to write this as I am a member of all the West Virginia message boards. Normally it is just a place for neurotic fan bases to air grievances and push agendas but today I have witnessed the ugliest part of this scene. A member of that board decided to attack a sports writer for posting WVU's woes with NCAA. Among things that happened were threats on his wife and posting of his address. I find this mob mentality to be deplorable. I have no problem attacking a guys thoughts or his article but that kind of stuff needs to be eliminated from the message board climate. I for one don't like negative press for my Alma mater but I also don't want the messenger to be punished for simply informing me. Whether or not an agenda is being forged WVU is at fault for WVU's mistakes. The reporters are just doing their jobs.


Da Geek

Pat White's Number 5 now to be donned by "Sticks" aka I MAC

How do you feel about this number coming out of a 1 year retirement? I am very frustrated by it. I believe that Pat White has earned the right to have the Jersey placed on the wall of honor. While I am hopeful that I Mac will be a great reciever and do exceptional things for our school to me it is desturbing. I suppose the upside is that fans no longer have an obsolete Jersey to where to games but that is kind of the point. That number means something. I hope that by letting others wear it, it doesn't lose that impact. Long Live Pat White!!!

Go Eers

Da Geek

Compliance issues at WVU what does this all mean?

I am pretty arrogant but even I don't really know the answer to this. 1st we have practice-gate now we have spider-gate. What I would proffer is the most damaging thing about this is the fact that our school is in the press for all the wrong reasons. Who is responsible? Well that comes down to 3 folks in my humble opinion: President Clements, AD Luck, and of course the WVU Head Football Coach Bill Stewart. I realize that the compliance officer will be the scape goat but the above folks have to understand and "cultivate" an environment of compliance with NCAA Rules. Regardless of how "important" these rules are they have to be followed. And once the NCAA has its spotlight pointed at you the last thing you need to do is mess up again. This kind of thing can have both short term and long term negative effects. Please oh please WVU get on the stick and get the spotlight off of us, unless it is for something good.

Da Geek

If WVU ever need "Luck" is is right now with BE mess on horizon.

WVU announced that it had finally finished its search for a new AD. The job was given to Oliver Luck former Mountaineer QB standout from the early 80s. He played for the Houston Oilers for several seasons and then decided to come home to Mountainstate and run for Governer. He of course was from the wrong party and thus those political ambitions were dashed. He is now 50 and has had some notible success in sports management. The hope from this writer is that he brings a creative and business savvy approach to coference expansion issues. WVU needs to be proactive in this matter and Mr.Luck and Mr. Clements have there work cut out for them.

Lots has happened since my last post...

Dear Readers,

WVU now has been to Final Four in Indy.
The Big East is in a current state of flux.
My buddy Jed Drenning is re-releasing the Signal Caller in both internet and paperback versions.
Bottom line is that this blog has been absent for a while.
I will be doing some face lifting of this site in the near future. Please stay tuned.

Da Geek