Here's to You Coach Rod

This weekend was a nightmare for many of the Top 25, the Big East (minus USF), and WVU. As far as the Mountaineer's go, it was not the players fault. We were completely out coached. I love paying $1 million + in coaching to draw right, draw left, and throw screens on 3rd and 8. I saw that combo way too many times Friday night. It made me want to vomit, cry, etc... To say the least, the Mountaineer's coaching failed, miserably. On a bright side, our defense stepped up, big time. They intercepted the now infamous Grothe two times, forced and recovered two fumbles, and allowed only two TD's.
.
Unfortunately, we also had to play offense. I believe the O-line should have taken a left at Albuquerque. Although White got scared hurt in the second quarter, he and Slaton combined for a mere 90 yards. Another notable twosome, Brown and Devine, basically carried (literally and figuratively) the Mountaineers (yes I know they lost). If you look at the stats (minus the score) you would believe the Mounties won the game. They out gained the Bulls by approximately 160 yards and dominated the time of possession by over nine minutes. The one stat that cost us the game was turnovers. We came into the game +3 and left +1. The first (and more than likely the worst) was an interception thrown by White in the first quarter. It slightly resembled the USF game of a year ago. White dropped back and looked left for a quick slant, he released it, then immediately regretted it. Ben Moffitt's eyes glazed over. He reached up, snagged the ball, and took it to pay dirt 26 yards later. That play basically set the stage for the rest of the game. WVU turned the ball over again and again, they did not execute the obscure plays the coaches called, and turned the ball over again. We abandoned what works for us; the speed option right, down field passes, and options left.
.
So in summary, the players did not execute to the level they normally do, the coaching staff FAILED miserably, and USF wanted it more.
.
We shall see what happens with the Top 25 shuffle later today and I may comment more then. But for now, I am disappointed.

Tangled Web

After an exciting week of college football, there was an unfortunate shift in the top 5, as WVU dropped to #5 behind both Florida and Oklahoma (and LSU and USC). As far as I can see, LSU (3-0) deservedly should retain the top spot with a sparkling 44-0 win over East Tennessee State (0-3). LSU dominated from start to finish. They amassed 508 total yards of offenSe, which was led by a talented Sophomore during his first college start. For the game, the LSU QB threw for 304 yards and three TD's and went 20-26 for the game. Although they were playing East Tennessee, a who's who among East Tennesseans, LSU allowed only 90 yards on defenSe. Ninety yards! Noel Devine (a true-fresh at WVU and You Tube God), had over 100 yards on his first two carries in Thursday nights bout between WVU and Maryland. For a team to allow under 100 yards on defenSe for a game is impressive, no matter how lousy the other team may be.

On to other "events". I have been criticized for by previous posting on several levels. First, and possibly the most embarrassing, the fact that I did spell offenSe and defenSe with a "c". Although it CAN be spelled either way, the preferred way by my (two) readers is with an "s". So from here on out I will spell both accordingly; offenSe and defenSe.

The other issue is my loyalty, faith, and love for Mountaineer football. It may seem I "dissed" the Mounties. Here I want to clarify. I by no means wish to belittle the efforts of my Alma mater.

Through three games, in my opinion, the most improved player goes to Patrick White. Although he was already an "A" player, Patrick has shown the nation he is not just a speedy option quarterback. In the 2006 season, Patrick threw for 1477 yards and 11 touchdowns (and 5 INT's). In that season, he amassed an impressive quarterback rating of 162 while completing 66.2% of his 157 passing attempts. His impressiveness through the air was overshadowed by his ground game. His numbers would normally be that of a #1 running back: 150 attempts, 1202 yards, 8 yards per carry, and 18 TD's.

As far as this year goes, Patrick has actually improved on those already stellar numbers. In the air, Patrick's numbers are as follows: 31 of 49 with 436 yards, 4 TD's (0 INT's), and a QB rating of 164.9! On the ground he has again run like a #1 RB and gained 244 yards on 38 attempts with a 6.4 yards/carry average and 4 TD's. For the past two seasons Patrick's main target has been Darius Reynaud, who is averaging 15.6 yards/catch, 93.6 yards/game, and 0.3 TDs/game. As the season progresses, I foresee Patrick's performances to continue to be stellar and the Mounties to continue winning with the power of their offenSe.