Bleacher Report - Articles by RG Yoho

West Virginia-Pitt: Another Year, Another Backyard Brawl

RG Yoho — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:10:19 -0500

Whenever I think of the Backyard Brawl, my mind is immediately flooded with memories and emotions.

In fact, it was the weekend of the Pitt game when I spoke to my dear mother for the last time. She lapsed into a coma and passed away on Sunday, following the game.

I even wrote a column about that game, some of the best writing that nobody ever read.

Therefore, I will never think of this football game without being reminded of Mom.

I hate Pitt!

The reasons are many.

Following the departure of Miami and Virginia Tech to the ACC, the Panthers have consistently failed to carry their weight for the Big East Conference.

That responsibility has been repeatedly shouldered by West Virginia.

In Pitt’s only BCS appearance, they failed miserably!

Despite their national championships, despite their tradition, Pitt has done nothing to shut the mouths of the Big East critics.

And in last year’s bowl game, Pitt couldn’t even score a lousy touchdown.

I can’t stand Pitt.

Additionally, their most memorable moment in the Big East probably did the most damage to the conference’s fortunes.

West Virginia’s Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Owen Schmitt were headed for New Orleans and the BCS Championship Game.

All that stood between them and a chance at that crystal football trophy was a 28-point underdog, Pitt squad.

I need not remind you of what happened in that game.

In the aftermath of that contest, Rich Rodriguez would pull his deceitful little disappearing act, before the ink was even dry on his monumental contract increase.

And you don’t even what to get me started about my theories regarding what happened in that football game.

I despise Pitt.

In all my years of attending football games, I am used to them inspecting whatever gear I carry into the stadium. It didn’t bother me. As a non-drinker, the worst thing I had ever smuggled into a stadium was a can of Coke, something I was severely chastised for by a Mountaineer fan, pouring Jack Daniels into his stadium vendor cola.

However, I had never been literally frisked going into a football game. That record came to an end before, you guessed it, the Pitt game.

I abhor Pitt.

With Major Harris still quarterbacking the Mountaineers in 1989, West Virginia looked like they might be heading for their second-straight undefeated season. The Mountaineers jumped out to an impressive early lead.

But despite that lead, Pitt would eventually kick a last-second field goal, and the game would end in a 31-31 tie.

Before this year’s game with Connecticut, following the death of Jasper Howard, I had never seen Mountaineer Field that quiet.

And in my interviews with Major, you could see how that tie with Pitt continually loomed large throughout the season. The team could never get past it. Moreover, the outcome of that game absolutely destroyed any chance the Mountaineers would have to make another run at a national championship.

Following that ill-fated season, Major would make an ill-advised decision to bypass his senior year and enter the NFL draft.

I detest Pitt.

In my only trip to Pitt to watch a football game, before they started playing at Heinz Field, the bleachers were so cramped that you had knees in your back the whole game. Pitt officials briefly took away our mascot’s rifle. The Mountaineer finally got his gun back, but that was the only bright spot in a dismal defeat.

The following year, perhaps it was in Pitt’s media guide, they called the game, “A Coalminer’s Slaughter.”

I loathe Pitt.

If the tie in 1989 wasn’t a bad enough memory, then West Virginia’s first triple overtime game was, once again, the Backyard Brawl. Pitt would come out on top.

There are clearly many reasons to hate the Pitt Panthers. Along with my personal memories, I also carry the bitter hatred of previous Backyard Brawl games, passed from father to son.

By the way, did I happen to mention that I hate Pitt?

But I do love this game!

West Virginia-Cincinnati: Lights Out For The Bearcats

RG Yoho — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:45:24 -0500

My son is attending college at a northern Ohio pharmacy school.

In West Virginia’s last two visits to Cincinnati, I would pick up my son and the two of us would go the football game between the Mountaineers and the Bearcats.

Every two years, that was our game.

The first year, we attended the game and then drove him back to college that night. It made for a long day and it nearly killed me. We were both so tired, it might have possibly killed the both of us.

I definitely wasn’t foolish enough to make that same mistake two years later.

That time, we rented a motel room in Cincinnati and spent the night there, following the game.

Those were memorable games for the Mountaineers and for us.

Not only did the Mountaineers win both games, there were certainly some strange occurrences that coincided with them.

The first time my son and I were there, they briefly lost some of the lights in Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium during the football game. The nationally-televised game on ESPN was halted until the power was restored.

The second time we went to the West Virginia-Cincinnati game, before leaving for the stadium, our hotel and nearly every other establishment on that city block lost its electricity.

It came as quite a shock to us that somebody in the city was always losing power when we were there.

And by this time, you are probably wondering what all this really has to do with the upcoming game between the Mountaineers and the undefeated Bearcats.

The Mountaineers have certainly been their own worst enemies this season.

I believe that, in order to prevail in this football game, West Virginia is going to have to play “lights out” on defense!

Fumbles, interceptions, penalties, and poor offensive line play have hurt the Mountaineers all season. They have kept the Mountaineers out of the end zone; they have helped the opposition get there. And those miscues have been largely responsible for the team failing to live up to expectations.

However, before the season began, everybody who follows West Virginia believed this team would be outstanding on defense. Despite their wealth of returning starters, that defensive strength has failed to materialize.

They have certainly been a disappointment in getting the opposition off the field.

I don’t have any problem with a “bend, but don’t break” defensive philosophy. I do have a problem with bend and break execution.

In fairness to the defense, there have been a great number of injuries to the starters. In addition to the injury to linebacker Reed Williams, the Mountaineers’ entire defensive front has been devastated. But somehow, defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel has cobbled together a group of eleven players to take the field.

To the casual observer, the odds are certainly against the Mountaineers in this game.

However, I believe the strange circumstances that my son and I have experienced in Cincinnati will continue this week.

In addition to the Mountaineers playing “lights out” on defense, I am expecting the West Virginia offense to finally light up the scoreboard.

This game definitely has upset written all over it.

Cinci coach Brian Kelley is unquestionably one of the finest coaches in the game. He has the Bearcats playing inspired football, no matter which quarterback in taking those snaps under center. They are clearly riding a wave of success.

The Mountaineers have not played an entire four quarters of great football all season. And I think they are long overdue. And if there was ever a game for a team to come together, then it has to be this one.

But if they really want to play a “lights out” football game, West Virginia would be wise to employ a power running game. I would love to see them line up in the “I” formation and use fullback, Ryan Clarke to pound the Bearcat defense.

Another key to this game will be the play of West Virginia’s emerging talent, Julian Miller, a defensive player who could definitely short circuit the high-powered Cincinnati offense.

Despite their loss to South Florida, the Mountaineers could still win the Big East Conference if they would win the remainder of their games.

I am predicting an upset on Friday night and expecting the Mountaineers to pull the plug on the Bearcats’ championship dreams.

West Virginia Shows Its Heart for UConn's Jasper Howard

RG Yoho — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:39:51 -0400

Despite the fact that West Virginia often gets some bad press for its fans occasionally torching a couch now and then; however, there has never been a day in my life when I wasn’t proud to be a Mountaineer fan.

Perhaps that was never truer than this past Saturday!

Following the tragic death of Connecticut cornerback, Jasper Howard, I am sure that the great majority of the country were pulling for the Mountaineers to lose this game.

And to be quite honest with you, I was definitely worried about the outcome!

I knew that the Huskies would certainly play an inspired game, desperately trying to win one for their fallen teammate. I also know that greatly inspired teams quite often find a way to beat a better, but less motivated opponent.

All week long, the reporting of this game was understandably focused on the death of young Mr. Howard.

Then I was not at all surprised to learn that Coach Bill Stewart and the WVU administration wanted to do something to honor the loss of Connecticut’s young student-athlete.

The fans of West Virginia are some of the most devoted and vocal partisans in the world of college athletics. They love their Mountaineers. And as any visitor can tell you, Mountaineer Field is one of the toughest venues in the country for any opponent to play.

The fans are loud and rowdy. And they love their Mountaineers.

But despite the drunken actions of some occasionally unruly, college students, the people of West Virginia are some of the finest people in the world. And whenever there is a tragedy in this country, I flat out guarantee you that the people of West Virginia are some of the first Americans to respond!

And on this Saturday, the entire country finally saw what I knew was there all along.

They saw West Virginia for what it really is, kind and loving people, who are generous and giving, and supremely compassionate to those who are suffering a loss.

Mountaineer fans never cheer for their opponents when they take the field.

They did on Saturday.

They gave a standing ovation for the Huskies when they ran onto the field, carrying the jersey of Jasper Howard. The Mountaineer fans repeated their standing ovation when they left the field, following the game.

And I am proud to say that I was right there, on my feet among them.

When they had a moment of silence for Jasper Howard in the pregame ceremony, you could have heard a dime fall to the concrete, on the concourse outside the stadium. It was almost an eerie silence, something I had never experienced in Morgantown.

Following the opening kickoff, the UConn players and Coach Randy Edsall threw everything they had at the Mountaineers

And for anybody who truly loves the sport of college football, it was perhaps, the most exciting game of the day.

Mountaineer fans often get a bad rap; unjustly so, I might add.

Many has been the time I have stopped to converse with the fans of a visiting team or invited them to join us at my tailgate. In fact, I have often seen Mountaineer fans sharing a drink with visiting fans, or even more disturbing, heard those same Mountaineer fans singing along with them in the opponents’ fight song.

It may have not been pleasant to hear; but it is certainly indicative of the nature of Mountaineer fans.

They are friendly and fun loving. They love their football team. And as a state that has a long, rich heritage of military service, West Virginians are clearly no strangers to the loss of a young and promising life.

Over the years, I have many special memories of games I have witnessed at Mountaineer Field. This past Saturday, I have added another one to my collection that I will always treasure.

If you follow the college football scores, you already know the outcome of this game. Therefore, I see no good reason to mention it here.

This column was about the loss of young athlete and his opponents’ reaction to his death.

Our hearts go out to the friends and loved ones of Jasper Howard. You are certainly in our thoughts and prayers.

And nobody shares your grief any more than the people of West Virginia!

WVU Football: Almost Heaven; But Big East Officiating, A Little South Of There

RG Yoho — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:01:03 -0400

This past weekend, West Virginia and Marshall squared off in the Friends of Coal Bowl. The game pretty much turned out as I expected. The Mountaineers should have won by three touchdowns.

However, as I also expected, Marshall played well enough to make the game much closer than it should have been.

Once again though, the officiating in Morgantown became an issue in the game.

As someone who has attended dozens of football games in Morgantown overt the years, I have to say that I am routinely disturbed by the level of incompetence displayed by these Big East officiating crews.

There were a number of bad calls against West Virginia and at least one terrible missed holding call that went against Marshall. And although these poor calls probably didn’t significantly alter the outcome of the game, there is no good reason for officials to repeatedly err on these calls.

Already this season, I have witnessed several questionable helmet-to-helmet calls from my seat in the bleachers. But in Saturday’s game, the Mountaineer starting quarterback, Jarrett Brown was knocked unconscious by an obvious helmet-to-helmet tackle.

According to the trainers, Brown suffered a “slight” concussion (a phrase that is the intellectual equivalent of being a little pregnant ) from the impact and didn’t play the rest of the game.

I simply do not see how you make other similar calls this season and miss the hit on Jarrett Brown.

On another call that went against the Mountaineers, the three blind mice missed seeing the WVU player who nearly had his head ripped off by a blatant face mask violation.

Now before you say that I am failing to be objective, you need to know that the Big East has already issued an apology to West Virginia this year for failing to make an offensive pass interference call against Liberty this season.

That missed call resulted in a Liberty touchdown.

Once again, it didn’t lead to them upsetting the favored Mountaineers; however, it once again illustrated what many Mountaineer fans already know: Big East football officiating is clearly some of the worst in the country!

It would seem that Big East officials seem to have the attitude that they are a priority in the collegiate game. Following the opening kickoff, these officials leave more laundry on the field than a twister in a trailer park.

It increases the overall length of the game. It alters the momentum on the field. It confuses everyone in the stands.

If the flags that are thrown were consistent for both teams, then you could understand it. However, there is simply no rational explanation for their behavior.

It might surprise you to learn that the best officiating I have ever seen in Morgantown was in last year’s game against Auburn, a game officiated by Southeast Conference officials.

Those officials were excellent! And I am not the only Mountaineer fan who has made that observation.

In fact, they were so good, you almost forgot they were there.

And that is my point.

Those SEC officials made the calls they should have made; but they didn’t make themselves a factor the game.

It must be stated that people come to the stadium to watch the players, not the officials.

Football officials should never dominate a game. And like the old saying about children, they should be seen and not heard .

There simply is no excuse for this routine level of incompetence.

These Big East officials need to let the players play. They need to quit trying to deliberately interject themselves into the action. But most of all, they need to get the calls right or get off the field!

If that cannot happen, perhaps West Virginia should consider hiring the SEC officials to do all of their games in Morgantown.

It would certainly be an improvement.

West Virginia-Marshall: It All Comes Down to Third Down

RG Yoho — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:37:40 -0400

Last season, West Virginia lost two games early and often struggled on offense throughout the season because they were having some real difficulties converting on third down and short yardage situations.

Along with the inability to make the critical, short third-down conversions, the Mountaineers were desperately lacking a power running game.

What a difference a year makes!

Going into this season, coach Bill Stewart and offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen recognized this deficiency on the part of their offense and made its remedy one of their top priorities.

The two of them made short-yardage situations a huge priority in spring ball and also in fall practice.

Obviously, they have corrected the problem—and it shows!

Currently, the Mountaineers are leading the Big East Conference in third-down efficiency, converting 32-of-63 attempts in five games.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Clarke has proven to be a nearly unstoppable force in the running game, scoring five touchdowns in 19 carries.

In an ideal world, Clarke was supposed to be the Mountaineers’ big power fullback last year. However, this past year, the man who was supposed to replace fullback Owen Schmitt was only big!

The coaches were disappointed when Clarke came to camp overweight and out of shape.

But to his credit, Clarke has done the things he needed to do in the weight room and at the training table. At approximately 230 pounds, the tough fullback strongly took the ball into the end zone on his first carry.

Not only is Clarke’s presence making a difference, I also think that the Mountaineers' relatively young offensive line is doing a much better job of pass and run blocking than they did in 2008.

I also believe the offensive line’s improvement in run blocking is apparent in Noel Devine’s recent success in going up the middle, combined with his skills out on the perimeter.

That should present the WVU and Marshall fans with a striking contrast in this weekend’s Friends of Coal Bowl.

Going into West Virginia’s game with Marshall, it is quite likely that third-down conversions may be the critical difference in the final score.

While the Mountaineers have been excellent in third-down conversions, the Thundering Herd defense has experienced some real difficulties in getting off the field in these same crucial situations.

In their most recent game, Tulane was greatly successful in short-yardage situations, converting 11-of-17 third downs against Marshall.

If Marshall allows West Virginia this same level of success on third down, then it could be an extremely long day for the Thundering Herd!

Along with their struggles on stopping their opposition on third down, Marshall has also given up significant yardage on defense.

Virginia Tech scored 52 points on Marshall and had over 600 yards of total offense. In addition, Tulane also had over 400 yards of offense against them this past week.

Clearly, the Mountaineers also have an explosive offense.

If the Marshall defense repeatedly allows West Virginia to make their third-down conversions, then there will be no way for them to limit the Mountaineers on offense.

Third-down conversions may be the most crucial statistic you will see in this football game. On that note, I think the Mountaineers win this game easily.

In short, the outcome of this game may come down to third down.

West Virginia-Marshall: The Friends Of Coal Bowl Lacks Luster

RG Yoho — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:59:23 -0400

All right, sports fans, this week will be the fourth installment of the “Friends of Coal Bowl,” a football game, pitting the West Virginia Mountaineers against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Now, why aren’t you on your feet cheering? Aren’t you excited? Aren’t you pumped?

Perhaps you are simply proving the point of my whole column, that nobody outside the state of West Virginia really cares anything about this series.

Occasionally, you will even hear someone—generally West Virginia governor, Joe Manchin—saying, “This series is good for the state.”

Perhaps somebody will actually attempt to explain that statement to me.

I just don’t buy it!

Only in the political arena—not in the football stadium—does that statement truly make any sense.

Moreover, I completely reject the idea that this series does anything significant for the Mountain State whatsoever.

All it does is give the fans of one program a year’s bragging rights over the fans of the other’s program.

If West Virginia is playing in Morgantown and Marshall is playing in Huntington on the same football Saturday, then their respective cities and businesses stand to gain more money from that situation, than from having those two in-state programs playing on the same day, in the same town.

Obviously, bringing a couple of visiting programs into the state on a football Saturday would generate the infusion of more out-of-state money into the state and local economies, than by scheduling a meeting of in-state rivals.

Those are clearly the facts.

Although the current situation will obviously not continue indefinitely, Marshall has never beaten the Mountaineers in football.

Unlike the West Virginia-Pitt matchups, this football series has no real national implications. It has not been competitive; it does not look to be competitive at any point in the near future.

It is for those reasons that nobody outside the state of West Virginia has any real interest in televising this football game.

Unlike some West Virginia fans, I certainly have nothing against the Marshall football program. In fact, as a native-born West Virginian, I proudly admit to pulling for the Thundering Herd since the days of my early childhood. Even today, I still root for them in eleven football games a season.

But not this week.

Moreover, if you have read one of my earlier columns, then you will know that I am someone who still remembers the Marshall plane crash. I was greatly touched by the tragedy and the impact it made on all our lives at that time.

And like many of us, I was thrilled to see Matthew McConaughey and Hollywood revisit the tragedy and the triumph of the Marshal experience. It was a great and inspirational movie. It was a fitting memorial to a dark day in collegiate sports.

When Marshall won their first I-AA football championship, in 1992, over a Jim Tressel-coached Youngstown State, I was sitting right there in front of my television, happily enjoying that proud moment for all West Virginians! And I couldn’t watch the celebrations on the field without thinking of another time, when the people of Huntington thought they might never smile again.

As a proud West Virginian of that era, Marshall is special to me.

Should West Virginia play Marshall?

Why not?

Playing this game probably makes as much sense as playing any other out-of-conference game with a non-BCS foe. I certainly have no problem with it, unless of course, it takes away another home game from the Mountaineer football schedule.

If this game is going to be played, then it should be scheduled by the officials of both schools, without any outside interference from the governor.

The game is important to West Virginia in much the same way that the East Carolina game was important to them. Other than that, it holds no real significance.

Nashville’s country music recording artist, John Anderson, recorded a song that states, “I’m just an old lump of coal now, Lord, but I’m going to be a diamond some day.”

We are only kidding ourselves if we think that anybody outside the state really gives two cents about this football game West Virginia and Marshall!

This lump of coal is certainly a long way from making a trip to the jeweler’s!

West Virginia-Syracuse: Squeezing the Orange by Not Squandering the Ball

RG Yoho — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:20:07 -0400

This week’s West Virginia game against Syracuse may prove to be an interesting contest to watch.

One of the keys to this game will obviously be West Virginia’s ability to control the football. The Mountaineer’s turnover woes have already been well documented, in this column and many others.

The past few years, West Virginia has shown themselves to be a team that is rarely is beaten on the gridiron; but they have become quite adept at occasionally losing the game themselves.

So far this season, the Mountaineers have played like they are trying to practice the Lord’s saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

West Virginia is the only Division I football team that has failed to recover a fumble all year.

Early on this season, WVU was plagued by fumbled punts. That was corrected, only to then experience a difficulty with interceptions against Auburn. The Mountaineers eliminated the interceptions last week, only to be bitten by first-half fumbles against Colorado.

Breaking that curse is another key to this game, with the continued dominance of West Virginia running back, Noel Devine.

Despite their speed and talent on defense, Auburn showed absolutely no ability to consistently stop him in two seasons. And despite an early Mountaineer lead, Devine was clearly under-utilized in that football game.

But against Colorado in the second half, Coach Bill Stewart and the Mountaineers chose to saddle him up, climb aboard, and ride him to victory over the Buffs.

Should West Virginia return to their fumbling ways in the Carrier Dome, then Devine may be called upon to do the same thing this weekend.

Another key to this game may come down to experience, or Syracuse’s lack of it.

For a program looking for anything to right their sinking ship, the change in coaches and the addition of Greg Paulus at quarterback has given the Syracuse Orangemen a definitely-needed lift.

But although Paulus may be a gifted college athlete, he is relatively-inexperienced quarterback at this level. Duke’s former point guard on the hardwood is a gunslinger on the gridiron. His flashes of brilliance are also accompanied with occasional bad decisions.

However, his maturity as an athlete allows him to effectively get past those mistakes, unlike a freshman quarterback who was thrust into Paulus’ position.

In addition, Paulus will be facing Jeff Casteel’s unique 3-3-5 defense, a scheme that has given fits to Oklahoma, Georgia, and several other excellent football teams the past few seasons.

The Mountaineers’ ability to bring pressure from many different looks will give Paulus fits in this game. Moreover, I expect him to throw at least one crucial interception, due to his confusion over defensive reads.

Another key to this game may be West Virginia’s best-kept secret, their punter.

Following last year’s graduation of current Colts’ punter, Scott McAfee, there were some early questions going into this season about the Mountaineers’ punting game. Averaging 48.2 yards a kick, senior Scott Kozlowski has successfully answered all of those questions.

The young man would be one of nation’s leaders in the position, except he is a few punts shy of qualifying.

When West Virginia stalls on defense, Kozlowski is often able to turn this negative into a positive with his booming changes in field position.

After these many years of misery, I am happy to finally see some life out of this once-proud Syracuse football program. It has been a long time in coming!

I fully expect West Virginia to prevail in this contest, the first Big East Conference game on their 2009 schedule. However, playing on the road against a team that is renaming their stadium after Syracuse great, the late Ernie Davis, I expect the crowd’s enthusiasm to make the final score much closer than many expect.

Clearly, West Virginia has the talent to be one of the best teams in the country. However, if they are ever to break out, then they first must stop breaking up.

That transformation should start this weekend with a squeezing of the Orangemen

West Virginia-Colorado: Bad Night for the Buffs

RG Yoho — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:52:44 -0400

This Thursday night, West Virginia takes on the Colorado Buffaloes in a nationally-televised game on ESPN.

I’m thinking it’s a bad week to be a Buffalo!

In the first century of our nation’s history, the Indians worshipped the buffalo. They sang songs about them. They generally only killed them for food and raiment. It has been said that the Indians used nearly every part of the buffalo—including the marrow—for a specific purpose.

Before the introduction of horses to North America, large groups of Indian braves would force a herd of buffalo into a stampede, running them over a cliff. Then they would harvest the animals for food and other essentials to their existence.

For the sake of the settlers, the protection of railroad interests, and the elimination of the Indian, the U.S. Army encouraged the wholesale slaughter of the bison. Hunters killed them by the thousands, removing their hides and leaving the rest to decay in the sun.

Their species was nearly hunted into extinction.

Today, those that still remain started playing football in Colorado.

However, the buffalo's ultimate extinction will come to fruition this week.

Although Jessica Simpson may not have realized that buffalo wings do not come from buffaloes, Mountaineer fans certainly know the truth. However, as experts in the seasonal, culinary art of football tailgating, the term “buffalo” immediately creates a hunger in West Virginia fans everywhere.

Mountaineers see buffaloes as being an attractive food source, another type of meat to be marinated with their favorite, secret sauce, flung upon their grills and heated to perfection.

In West Virginia, we also continue to place great value on skinning animals taken while hunting. Then, we routinely mount their heads as trophies on our living room walls.

The mountaineer has a long, rich history of living off the land, being a crack rifle shot, and hunting for wild game.

Coming off their recent loss to Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium, these Mountaineers are looking to skin somebody’s hide. Anybody!

Enter the Colorado Buffaloes.

Coach Bill Stewart, his staff, and the players may tell you that revenge is not a factor in this game, but they would clearly be lying.

Last year’s overtime loss in Boulder was a great disappointment to the Mountaineers. And in much the same way that the East Carolina game was specifically marked off on the Mountaineers’ schedule, this game was as well.

In this crucial out of conference matchup, the pride of the team and the conference’s image is at stake in this game.

Trust me, the Mountaineers want this game—bad!

Like Colorado, West Virginia has had nearly two weeks to prepare for this game. But that is where the similarities end.

In the Auburn game, the Mountaineers apparently found the cure to their early difficulties on kickoff coverage. So, it would appear that problem should be a thing of the past. In addition, I am confident that ball control issues have been addressed vehemently.

If they eliminate their recent tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, then the Mountaineers will be simply deadly on offense. Moreover, the defense is clearly much better than anything else the Buffs have faced this season.

Playing at Mountaineer Field is unquestionably one of the toughest venues there is for any opposing team in college football. It becomes doubly tough when playing the Mountaineers in a night game.

And on a night when West Virginia will be honoring Mountaineer great Major Harris for his recent election to the College Football Hall of Fame, all of these factors will combine to create a Buffalo stampede, driving Colorado right for the cliff.

I see the Mountaineers winning this game by three touchdowns.

The Colorado Buffaloes will find themselves a long way from the plains on Thursday night. They will also be surrounded by 60,000 hostile and hungry natives. And they are facing a Mountaineer team that failed to skin a Buffalo in their last hunting trip.

It’s definitely going to be a bad night to be a buffalo.

West Virginia's Julian Miller May Be The Key To The Big East Title

RG Yoho — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:52:04 -0400

The past few years, the Mountaineers have suffered from an inability to get off the field in crucial third-down situations. Unfortunately, many of these third-down conversions have been the result of completed passes.

In addition, a number of West Virginia’s opponents’ third-down successes have not necessarily been the result of poor coverage on the part of Mountaineer defensive backs.

Oftentimes, it was a failure of the defensive line to put adequate pressure on the quarterback.

Traditionally tough against the run, it is not surprising that the Mountaineers have continued that dominance on defense this season.

Going into their game with the Mountaineers, Auburn was second in the nation in rushing offense. However, the stingy West Virginia defense held them to 100 yards on the ground, Auburn’s lowest rushing output all season.

In order for West Virginia to return to their customary spot as the Big East Champs, the Mountaineers will need to limit the opposition’s ability to throw the football.

And key to this success will be the play at defensive end.

Enter redshirt sophomore, Julian Miller.

Coming to the Mountaineers as undersized for the position, Miller is quickly growing into his role, mentally and physically.

Playing in all 13 games last season as a freshman, Miller was gaining playing time while the strength and conditioning coach was helping him put on the pounds.

He will need both the brawn and the brain at the position.

Miller can be compared to former college and NFL great, Renaldo Turnbull, who was arguably the best defensive end that the Mountaineers ever produced.

A first-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 1990, Turnbull had an impressive nine sacks in his rookie NFL season.

But ever since Turnbull’s departure, West Virginia has been desperately seeking a defensive end who can match his skills at routinely pressuring the quarterback.

The Mountaineers may have finally found that guy in Miller.

At 6'4", 250 pounds, Miller is nearly the equivalent of Turnbull’s size. This native of Sherrodsville, Ohio may eventually equal Turnbull’s skill and tenacity in making quarterbacks tremble.

Miller is the leading tackler among the Mountaineers’ defensive linemen. Three games into the season, Julian is leading the team, averaging 2.5 sacks a game. He also has four tackles for loss.

Following the season opener against Liberty, Miller was named the Co-Defensive Champion for the game.

I would be surprised if you don’t see a lot more of these awards in Miller’s immediate future.

Before the season comes to an end, I fully expect Miller to emerge as one of the leaders of this Mountaineer defense. In addition, I also look for Miller, by seasons end, to establish himself as one of the Big East leaders at defensive end.

If you remember Turnbull, you will recall the force he could be at defensive end. In college and in the pros, he had excellent speed when pursuing the quarterback. His massive wing-span made it difficult to elude his grasp or to pass over his outstretched arms.

I see many of these same qualities in young Mr. Miller.

Although it may often appear trite, there is certainly a lot of truth to the saying that, “defense wins championships.”

Therefore, if Miller lives up to my expectations in the remainder of this 2009 football season, then I fully expect the Mountaineers to win the conference and make another appearance at a BCS bowl game in January

Jarrett Brown's Arm Harms West Virginia

RG Yoho — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:47:21 -0400

“Do no harm.”

Many people mistakenly believe those words are lifted directly from the Hippocratic Oath, an oath taken by many doctors when they enter into medical practice.

While these words did not come from Hippocrates, they do, however, have some application to football.

In their 41-30 loss to Auburn, West Virginia showed that they are capable of playing with any team in the country. But in order to win, they must not harm themselves.

West Virginia beat Auburn on both sides of the ball last night. Despite having their two best defensive players—Reed Williams and Scooter Berry—on the bench, the Mountaineer defense played a superb game.

In fact, West Virginia did everything necessary to win the game. On offense and defense, the Mountaineers were faster, they were stronger. They were better.

However, in only one position did Auburn have the edge: they had the better quarterback.

No, Chris Todd is not a better athlete than Jarrett Brown. No, he is not as gifted. Moreover, it is likely he never will be.

Therein lies the problem for West Virginia.

Todd capably performed his role and really did nothing to hurt the Tigers. And that is the main reason his team came out on top.

When placed on the big stage, gifted athletes often feel the need to rely solely on their individual talents, occasionally forgetting they are surrounded by a capable supporting cast.

In short, Brown tried to do too much.

In 1988, West Virginia quarterback, Major Harris humiliated Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions in a nationally televised game on CBS. Penn State simply couldn’t tackle the man!

However, the following year, realizing they could not consistently tackle Harris, Paterno instructed Penn State's defense to attack the football, something Major often carried like a loaf of bread.

The strategy worked. The Lions’ defense forced three fumbles from Harris.

Major told me that, after the game, his hand was sore and bruised from their helmets going after the football.

With those critical turnovers, it is not surprising that Penn State won the football game. And Major lost any remaining chance of winning the Heisman Trophy as a result.

Sometimes great athletes try to do too much.

As a basketball player who played one season under Bob Huggins, Jarrett Brown understands the concept of a “hot hand” on the court.

I know this wasn’t basketball, but the hot hand in this game easily belonged to Noel Devine.

In his role as something of a point guard for the Mountaineers, it wasn’t Jarrett’s responsibility to score each time he came down the court. It was his job to effectively distribute the ball to the playmakers.

Devine, who rushed for 207 yards, couldn’t be stopped by Auburn’s defense last year. Moreover, I didn’t see any evidence they could consistently stop him this year, either.

In fact, I think West Virginia made a crucial mistake in the second quarter when they quit routinely putting the ball in Noel’s hands, especially when they were in the lead.

I have no doubt that Noel would have eventually broken another big scoring run.

As a quarterback, it isn’t enough that Jarrett Brown tries to win every game; his responsibilities also include the necessity not to lose it.

Chris Todd did his job; Jarrett Brown failed at his.

I am sure someone is going to tell me not all of these interceptions can be blamed solely on Brown. However, if he is going to receive the praise, he must also shoulder the blame.

I love Jarrett Brown. I admire his character and loyalty to the Mountaineer program. I also think he is a remarkable athlete. I like what he brings to this team.

Despite his contributions to West Virginia, Brown’s performance last night cost the Mountaineers a very winnable football game. In fact, it should have earned him the Auburn game ball.

Brown’s five turnovers led to a devastating 24 points on the Auburn side of the scoreboard.

His moments of absolute brilliance were totally eclipsed by the mistakes, poor execution, and bad throwing decisions.

I saw nothing in the Auburn game that convinced me the Mountaineers still cannot win the Big East Championship and play in a BCS bowl.

The Mountaineers are certainly a talented team. And if they will eliminate the mistakes, they can yet be a great team!

Do no harm.

It may not be the oath of every physician; but for the rest of this season, those words should be the motto of West Virginia’s Jarrett Brown.

Speed Kills Auburn, Thrills West Virginia

RG Yoho — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:08:13 -0400

You have all heard the saying, “Speed kills!”

Well, in the case of John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Princess Diana, truer words were certainly never spoken.

But in West Virginia, speed doesn’t kill; speed thrills!

In the movie, “The Right Stuff,” the film starts and ends with the portrayal of West Virginia native, Chuck Yeager.

As the first man to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier, Yeager became a legend throughout the entire state.

And this Saturday night, Auburn is going to find out that, for them, speed kills. But speed absolutely thrills the West Virginia partisans.

As West Virginia prepares to take on Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium, I am greatly looking forward to this nationally televised game on ESPN.

With their outstanding football tradition, Auburn is clearly one of the finest football programs in the country. Moreover, their fans are some of the most devoted, hard-core, classy, and fun-loving people that I have ever met.

I really had a great time talking to several of them in Morgantown last season. And I must admit that I am extremely disappointed I can’t make it down there for this game.

In the past few years, a couple of SEC teams, Auburn and Mississippi State, have come to Morgantown. They have been some of the friendliest visitors I’ve ever encountered at a Mountaineer game.

It almost makes me sorry to see them get their hearts broke again.

In last year’s contest in Morgantown, the arm of Pat White and the speed of Noel Devine were simply too much for the Tigers. After spotting Auburn a 17-3 lead in the second quarter, the Mountaineers prevailed by a score of 34-17.

But in this year’s game, Pat White is gone.

Moreover, I have a hunch that many of the Auburn faithful believe that White’s departure for Miami will make the difference for them.

Wrong.

The Tigers don’t have the right stuff to win this game.

Jarrett Brown is a fifth-year senior, who has been patiently waiting his turn to get the starting job at quarterback.

Despite his role as a back-up, he has already started several football games. And the young man has never lost a game as a starter.

Although he isn’t as fast as White, Brown’s speed is incredibly deceptive. He is big and strong; he takes long strides. He hurts you when you try to tackle him. Brown has yet to be sacked.

To go along with all of that, Jarrett has a big-time arm.

Moreover, should West Virginia prevail in this game and Brown have a good night, I will not be surprised to see his name listed as a possible Heisman contender.

And to the Auburn fans already acquainted with Noel Devine, it only gets worse.

Although the Mountaineers still have speed to burn, they also have a legitimate downfield passing threat, something they never employed under Rich Rodriquez.

If Auburn gets to looking in the backfield for Devine, then they may find Jock Sanders, Tavon Austin, Bradley Starks, or Alric Arnett streaking past them, while catching a pass from Jarrett Brown.

Keep these names in mind, because you might see them again. But you will have to look fast. The names blur at the speed of flight.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Auburn must also deal with return men such as Brandon Hogan and Mark Rodgers. And like the film, these Mountaineers are good in space.

I certainly do not underestimate the huge advantage that Auburn has in their favor, in front of their hometown fans. However, I don’t think that the Tigers have faced anyone this year with West Virginia’s speed, on both sides of the ball.

The fastest thing that West Virginia should encounter during this game is the War Eagle, flying the coop.

West Virginia prevails 30-24.

So, if those blue and gold jerseys appear blurry to you, Tiger fans, please do not adjust your television sets. And to those of you at the game, don’t assume it had anything to do with your beverage consumption while tailgating.

The Mountaineers really are that fast.

But please drive home carefully after the game. Speed does kill; and you’re not a Mountaineer.

West Virginia's Jarrett Brown Continues a Colorful History

RG Yoho — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:58:44 -0400

When you look up the words character and loyalty in the dictionary, you should read the words, “See Jarrett Brown.”

Any college football fan worth his foam finger knows that Pat White was the most prolific running quarterback in college football history. You also know that White was the only starting quarterback to ever win four straight bowl games.

However, not everybody knows that waiting in the wings behind White was a young man who arguably could be the starting quarterback on most any of the programs in college football’s elite.

There are certainly not many young men in this country who would resist the urge to transfer, stay put and learn all they could, and patiently wait for their opportunity to start.

Jarrett Brown has certainly done his time and fully paid his dues.

And now that White has taken his talents to the Dolphins, Brown instantly became the big fish in Morgantown.

This past weekend against East Carolina, Brown completed 24-31 passes for 334-yards and four touchdowns. The senior quarterback also ran 10 times for 73 yards.

In was a Heisman-like performance by one of America’s formerly best-kept secrets!

Despite the fact that I still worship the water that Pat White walks on, I must say that the West Virginia offense is clearly much better now than it was a year ago.

But please don’t misunderstand me. At this point in the season a year ago, West Virginia was a team in transition. Offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen was still trying to fully implement a more balanced offense out of a largely, run-dominated scheme.

However, the game plan that Pat White employed to beat the Tar Heels in his final collegiate bowl game more closely resembled the offense run by West Virginia now, than did the one he ran at the beginning of his senior year.

It is an offense made for Jarrett Brown.

Although he is not as elusive as Pat, Brown is deceptively fast. He is faster than he appears and his long strides cover a lot of yards in a short time.

While using his speed to elude the rush, Brown is trying to buy time to pass the football. And in that way, you are instantly reminded of college football great, Major Harris.

Another similarity to Harris is Brown’s strength as a runner and the punishment he can inflict on anyone trying to tackle him. Brown possesses the size and strength that could turn White green with envy.

In two games this season, despite playing behind a relatively inexperienced offensive line, Brown has yet to be sacked. However, that is not because opposing players haven’t had their opportunities.

They have!

At 6’4” and 223-pounds, Brown is just so strong, that he throws them aside in much the same way that a dog shakes water from his coat.

Jarrett is not only buying time to throw; he is also buying time for his offensive line to mature and come together as a unit. Brown is also placing his weekly installments on a possible BCS berth.

In recent years, this West Virginia team has repeatedly lived or died on their ability to run the football. Now they can beat you with the pass. Moreover, with Brown under center and a great receiving corps at his disposal, opposing defensive backs must finally be able to cover the deep routes.

In order to thwart this latest version of the Mountaineers’ spread offense, the defense not only has to cover them from sideline-to-sideline; they must also cover West Virginia from goal line-to-goal line.

Brown, who patiently waited behind White, finally has earned a chance to show his true colors.

Next Saturday night, West Virginia takes on Auburn, in a nationally televised game on ESPN. It could prove to be a coming out party for Jarrett Brown.

It might also be the continuation of a colorful history for the Mountaineers.

Why West Virginia Must Scuttle the Pirates!

RG Yoho — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:38:15 -0400

Although their traditional rivalry football game with Maryland is currently put on hold, the Terrapins have been widely regarded as a barometer of West Virginia’s prospects for the season.

However, with Maryland no long on the schedule, the game that may turn out to be the truest barometer of West Virginia’s 2009 season is the date with East Carolina.

While the Pirates are clearly not the toughest, non-conference opponent on the Mountaineer’s schedule, their contest with East Carolina will likely be critical to West Virginia’s success or failure this season.

If the Mountaineers win their game in Morgantown with the Pirates, then anything is possible! If they lose, then it is quite likely that there will be several other disappointing outcomes in the season for Coach Bill Stewart.

In 2008 at Greenville’s Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the Mountaineers came out cold and uninspired. Perhaps they were also somewhat overconfident, following their 48-7 victory over the Pirates the previous season.

Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the fans in Greenville treated their game with West Virginia as another chance to show the country that their program had arrived

And why shouldn’t they have thought so?

The Pirates’ season-opening victory against the Virginia Tech Hokies, then ranked at the No. 12 best team in the country, had certainly given them reason to believe that a BCS bowl berth might definitely be in their future.

The Mountaineers’ embarrassing 24-3 defeat at the hands of the Pirates proved to have a devastating affect on their season. I also believe the let-down over that game was still felt the following week in the Mountaineers’ 17-14 overtime road loss to Colorado.

Defensively, the Mountaineers were young and still hadn’t gelled as a unit. Moreover, the absence of Reed Williams in the young linebacking corps played a huge factor in the outcome of the game. The West Virginia secondary was inexperienced as well.

I’m certain that nobody will argue with the fact that the defense came together as the season progressed. But on that day, the Pirates easily had their way with them.

The team simply could not make a critical stop on third down.

In the past, East Carolina Coach Skip Holtz has enjoyed some success at limiting West Virginia’s running game. In fact, he quite often shut down former Mountaineer, Steve Slaton.

Even in Rich Rodriguez’ predominantly, run-oriented spread offense, much of the Mountaineers recent success against Holtz’s defense has been a result of the passing game.

Before last year’s Meineke Car Care Bowl with North Carolina, several of Patrick White’s best passing performances had come against the Pirates.

In last year’s version of the Mountaineers, offensive coordinator, Jeff Mullen hadn’t fully implemented his version of the offense. While making a difficult transition that was fully realized in West Virginia’s victory over the Tarheels, Pat White and the Mountaineers looked like a team in a rebuilding year. In truth they were!

And they paid a huge price for it in their game against East Carolina.

With Jarrett Brown replacing Patrick White in the quarterbacking role, you can be certain that Mullen will repeatedly have the Mountaineers going to the air to defeat the Pirates. In turn, that should free up the running game for the ever-dangerous Noel Devine.

I also think the Pirates are in for a big shock at the wealth of talent West Virginia will have in their receiving corps.

Following their season opener with Liberty, the Mountaineers absolutely need a good win against East Carolina to prepare them for their next two challenges, a home contest with Colorado and a road game against Auburn.

If the Mountaineers’ lose to the Pirates, then the best they can possibly hope for in their next two games is a split.

But unlike last year, this West Virginia squad should have no difficulty in getting up for their game with East Carolina. After the humbling defeat they suffered last year, the Mountaineers should have all hands on deck to scuttle the Pirates!

The Strange Case of West Virginia's Tevita Finau

RG Yoho — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:41:58 -0400

For the past couple of years, West Virginia Mountaineer fans have been expectantly awaiting the arrival of Tevita Finau.

Recruited heavily by the Mountaineers, Finau is listed as a 6’5”, 275-pound defensive end from a junior college in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Finau is reported to run an impressive 4.8 forty-yard-dash time.

Mountaineer fans have been repeatedly asking the same question: “Where is Tevita Finau?”

And to be quite honest with you, as someone who devotedly follows the Mountaineers from season to season, I cannot actually tell you when the elusive quest for Finau actually began.

Was it two years ago or three? Has he enrolled? Will he or won’t he?

Every year it is a new round of questions.

According to the reports from last year, Finau didn’t make it to Morgantown because he failed to achieve the necessary academic credits. Apparently, he is still having difficulties with those same issues.

In an interview this past week, Coach Bill Stewart was once again questioned about Finau’s arrival. However—and this is not to be taken as a slam against Stewart—his answer left me wondering if the coach really knows anything more about the situation than I do.

Moreover, it might be easier for Indiana Jones to find the Ark of the Covenant than for West Virginia fans to learn the truth about this seemingly over-hyped football prospect.

I cannot claim to have any personal knowledge of Mr. Finau. However, I do know that he can’t make any impact for West Virginia if he doesn’t ever play there.

So let me go on record as saying that I would bet my last dollar that you will never see Tevita Finau wearing a Mountaineer uniform!

If the man will not or cannot do what it takes to meet the requirements to gain his status as a member of the football team, then what makes you think that he will do the hard work in the classroom or on the practice field to earn his place on the depth chart?

The whole situation with Finau reminds me of the tragic case of the much-heralded, former Mountaineer, Jason Gwaltney. Unlike Finau, Gwaltney actually made his way to Morgantown and won his spot on the field.

However, Gwaltney’s obvious talents were squandered in his failure to meet his requirements on and off the field. And in that way, the situations with Finau and Gwaltney are quite similar.

Ultimately, both of them failed to live up to the hype!

There are some incredibly talented athletes all across this county who clearly have the potential to play for Division-I football programs. Yet despite their talent, they often fail to do the work or meet the minimum requirements for eligibility.

And when it comes right down to it, the blame for their failure is solely the responsibility of the student-athletes, not the institutions that recruited them!

West Virginia football fans need to forget about Tevita Finau, the three-time, letter of intent signee.

This West Virginia team has some hard-working and talented athletes fighting to gain first-team status at defensive end. These players who have justly earned their right to wear the uniform are the ones who deserve your praise and attention, not Mr. Finau.

West Virginia Is Finally Stew's Crew!

RG Yoho — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:41:23 -0400

Following his outstanding victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, West Virginia assistant coach Bill Stewart was awarded the Mountaineer head coaching position.

The announcement of the school’s head coaching selection was greeted with praise, surprise, and protest.

Moreover, the 2008 Mountaineer football season was met with a smattering of those same three qualities.

Perhaps no football coach in West Virginia’s history was ever so unfairly criticized in his debut season! A genuinely kind and decent man was savaged in the press and on sports message boards on a daily basis.

In fact, I don’t even recall that level of condemnation being directed at Rich Rodriguez in the midst of his 3-8 inaugural season in Morgantown.

Rodriquez’s innovative spread offense won him football games; his stubborn resistance to tradition cost him championships.

Unlike Bill Stewart, Rodriguez is much too proud to ever admit he made a mistake. If his spread offense is being shut down by an aggressive defense, Rodriguez will continue employing the exact same strategy until time finally expires.

If you stack the box against Rodriguez’s offense, he simply refuses to change his game plan. It’s not that Rodriguez would rather lose the game than change; it’s simply that his arrogance will not allow him to admit his “brilliant” strategy isn’t working.

Pitt and South Florida both knew this about Rodriguez and constantly employed that knowledge to beat him.

It was obvious to anyone who listened to Stewart—before the Fiesta Bowl and going into this past season—that he disagreed with Rodriguez’s stubborn resistance to throwing the ball downfield when the running game and the bubble screens were not being successful.

Stewart’s approach to the game is much different. He will generally try to run a spread offense. But if you repeatedly shut down the Mountaineers by stacking the box on him, then Stew will burn you downfield on a forward pass.

He proved that against Oklahoma, South Florida, North Carolina, and Pitt. Moreover, he only lost one of those four games.

The decision to change the offensive style was a bold and gutsy move by Coach Stewart. It cost him some football games. It definitely cost him some good will.

Throughout this past season, any thoughtful observer of Stewart’s team could tell that the Mountaineers offense, despite the presence of Pat White, was still a work in progress.

At last year’s Meineke Car Care Bowl, you finally saw the full implementation of Stew’s offense. Not only did it win the game over the Tarheels; it also resulted in a second round NFL draft selection for Pat White.

No doubt somebody will blister me and say that I am opposed to any criticism whatsoever of Coach Stewart. That is simply not the case! I am saying, however, that you cannot write off any coach without giving him at least three years.

Everybody knows the mistakes that were made last year. I am confident that Stewart knows them as well. However, the difference in Stew and Rod is that Stew’s ego won’t keep him from correcting them.

Good coaches will never become great coaches unless they are willing to recognize their mistakes and correct them.

A key sign to look for this year will be the kickoff coverage.

Obviously, the poor kickoff coverage cost the Mountaineers a league title last year against Cincinnati. If that is corrected, then West Virginia should find themselves a favorite to win the Big East.

What if it isn’t corrected?

Then Coach Stewart might find himself looking for a job in a couple of years.

I believe Coach Stewart has already taken steps to correct the short yardage difficulties. I also think the fullback, tight end, and offensive line play will be solid this coming year.

With the departure of Pat White, I am sure many will be surprised by the excellent play of our quarterback, Jarrett Brown. I also think it likely that many will be surprised by the maturation of Coach Bill Stewart.

But there’s no reason to be.

The team and the offense both now fully belong to them.

Bill Stewart can coach; Jarrett Brown can play.

I look for both of them to show it this coming year!

Does Life Really Begin at Forty?

RG Yoho — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:02:22 -0400

No doubt you have all heard the saying, “Life begins at forty.”

Perhaps, like me, you have often wondered what bit of insanity inspired that statement.

Later next month, I am slated to take a physical test for a job for which I recently applied.

Having just turned 50-years old a couple of months ago, I have discovered, to my great dismay, that I am no longer a spring chicken.

This is certainly not a new revelation to me, but now I have other parts of my body screaming this same, painful bit of information to me as well.

The physical qualifications for this position require a prescribed number of push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run in a specified length of time.

Fortunately, the minimum physical requirements for the job are somewhat altered by the age of the subject. Therefore, I do not have to beat people half my age, but I must beat the clock.

However, I know exactly what I must do to pass.

Currently, I am not too far off of meeting the requirements. But I am still not there yet.

Yet those who know me well know that I am extremely competitive by nature. In addition, they also know that I will never be satisfied with just meeting the minimum qualification for a man my age.

I want to do better that that—perhaps meeting the requirements for a 40-year old.

As a person who has run and completed several half-marathons, the distance would not normally be a problem for me. However, I have not run in about 4 years due to a condition known as plantar fasciitis.

Wikipedia says that:

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia or plantar aponeurosis that supports the arches of the foot or by biomechanical faults that cause abnormal pronation. The pain usually is felt on the underside of the heel, and is often most intense with the first steps of the day. It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing or sudden changes in weight bearing or activity. Jobs that require a lot of walking on hard surfaces, shoes with little or no arch support, a sudden increase in weight and over activity are also associated with the condition.

Although plantar fasciitis is a condition associated with the foot, it can also be a real pain in the neck!

I haven’t had any real trouble with my heel in quite some time, but since I started running, I am beginning to feel a feel a tinge of pain in my heel and/or the arch of my foot. And I fear that this might just be the beginning, again.

For a 50-year old man, I am rather proud of the fact that I am not in bad shape.

Increasingly, however, I am noticing that it is much easier to stay in shape than it is to get back into shape. And the longer you remain out of shape, the harder it is to get back in!

And with each passing day, I am feeling better than the day before.

But as I ran on the treadmill today and labored with breathing that used to be easy for me, I longed for the days when I was 40-years old, the days when I completed the Parkersburg Half-Marathon, averaging a 7:31-pace for each mile of the race.

So, I have increasingly thought about the statement, “Life begins at forty.”

And thinking about the statement, I have reached a conclusion.

The statement must have originally been made by a 20-year old, who obviously didn’t know any better, or an 80-year old, who longed for those glorious days of yesteryear.

Life begins at forty—what a moron!

I’d love to say much more about the subject right now, but I gotta’ run!

USC: The Best Athletes that Money can Buy

RG Yoho — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:38:42 -0400

It has just been revealed that USC men’s basketball coach Tim Floyd made a direct cash payment to the man who was responsible for bringing O.J. Mayo into the program.

Should these reports be confirmed, Floyd’s actions would be a major violation of NCAA recruiting rules.

However, the fact that the athletic department or any potential college recruit connected to the USC program would be involved in any shady financial dealings should not come as a shock to anyone.

Increasingly, that is simply the cost of doing business at Southern Cal.

In fact, the situation has become so dire, USC football players who enter the NFL draft early are being forced to take a pay cut.

For quite some time now, I have been outraged at the NCAA’s deliberate failure to do anything about the Reggie Bush case.

To make a long story short, while the Heisman Trophy-winning Reggie Bush was still playing his college football for USC, his father and mother were living in the place that neither one of them could ever realistically afford.

Reggie, who is apparently suffering from bad eyesight or is clearly not smart enough to sign his own endorsement checks, claims that he knew nothing about his father’s sweetheart housing arrangement.

In addition, Reggie Bush and his family were also receiving substantial cash payments from a sports marketing firm.

These most recent allegation regarding O.J. Mayo aren’t only an indictment of the USC Athletic Department, they are also damning to the officials of the NCAA, who have apparently done everything in their power to keep these charges under wraps.

For two or three years now, the NCAA has falsely claimed that they were vigorously investigating these allegations.

Moreover, if these charges had been made against almost any other program in the country, then that school would most assuredly already be on probation!

It should be glaringly obvious to everyone that the NCAA is engaged in a full-court press to protect one of their most dominant and high-profile sports programs.

And should the NCAA finally take action on these violations, then Reggie Bush would be forced to return his Heisman Trophy, USC’s National Championship would be rescinded, and Pete Carroll might be forced to find another pro football team to coach.

For much too long, USC has blatantly disregarded the recruiting rules that other teams are forced to follow. Meanwhile, the NCAA has deliberately covered their eyes to these multiple violations.

Perhaps this latest violation will finally force the NCAA to throw a flag their way.

But you’ll pardon me if I do not hold my breath.

Bring Owen to Schmittsburgh!

RG Yoho — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:01:19 -0400

Going back to the mid-'70s, the Pittsburgh Steelers have always had a bruising and powerful running game, often providing the initial blocks for a much faster tailback.

From Rocky Bleier to Jerome Bettis, the black and gold have thrived on a punishing rushing attack, someone in a fullback role who can get the one or two tough yards on third down.

Yet despite gaining their latest Super Bowl ring, the Steelers are still missing the ever-punishing runner who can routinely make the crushing block and/or get the tough, short yardage conversions.

When “The Bus” left the team in retirement, it also left the garage empty of any vehicle big enough to carry the Steelers on his shoulders to victory.

However, if Pittsburgh is looking to fill that garage, there is one player the Steelers should immediately seek to acquire from the Seattle Seahawks.

That man is Owen Schmitt, who played his college football with the West Virginia University Mountaineers.

As someone who has extensively followed Schmitt’s career, I can tell you that he is just the man the Steelers’ front office is seeking. And if there was ever a player who was born to wear the black and gold, it is certainly Owen Schmitt!

Owen Schmitt is Pittsburgh!

Despite the fact that Owen averaged 4.2 yards a carry last year, the Seahawks only gave him five carries. Schmitt is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield, gaining 4.8 yards every time he catches the ball.

An excellent blocker, Schmitt would be just the guy to open the holes for the speedy Rashard Mendenhall or Willie Parker. In addition, Owen would also provide some much needed blitz protection to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The residents of the Steel City pride themselves on their tough, hard-working, blue collar heritage and values. It is much the same style of play that Schmitt brings to work on a daily basis.

A punishing runner, Owen has often been described as “a runaway beer truck.”

He is tough to bring down and surprisingly agile for big man.

Twice I have seen him hurdle would-be tacklers. But generally, he would rather hit you!

With his old school, grind-it-out, flatten your opponent approach to the game of football, Schmitt is the quintessential Steeler.

He would be a god in the Steel City.

Moreover, Schmitt’s punishing style of play is absolutely wasted in Seattle, the land of Bill Gates and Microsoft.

The only thing soft about Owen Schmitt is his heart.

He loves his family, the game of football, and the fans of his adopted hometown of Morgantown, WV.

I have no doubt that he would also quickly grow to love the fervent fans who are ninety miles north of there. And they would quickly love him back.

Schmitt’s work ethic is second to none. In addition, Owen simply will not accept mediocrity from himself, once repeatedly banging himself on the head with his helmet following a shanked punt attempt.

Owen shows up to work every day. He doesn’t take any time off. And he never leaves the job halfway finished.

That is the tradition of the Steel City; it is also the history of Owen Schmitt.

It is about time the Steelers bring Owen to Schmittsburgh!

Pitt, Morgantown, Mountaineers, and Mom

RG Yoho — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:44:09 -0400

This year, the lowly Pitt Panthers will make another return visit to Morgantown.

Although it may sound strange at first, whenever I think of a night game in Morgantown with the Pitt Panthers, I will forever think of Mom, a woman who didn’t even care that much for football.

Please allow me to explain:

In the latter part of 2003, my mom was near death. A diabetic on regular dialysis treatments, she suffered from a bad heart along with a host of other ailments. She was an extremely old woman of a measly 65 years.

Mom spent the last six weeks of her life at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Parkersburg, West Virginia, CAMC in Charleston, West Virginia, and Ohio's Cleveland Clinic. Her final days were spent in The Arbors, a hospice facility in Marietta, Ohio.

The night West Virginia crushed the Virginia Tech Hokies in Morgantown, I didn’t get to use my game tickets because I spent the evening in the Cleveland Clinic, where my mom was having major heart surgery.

The weekend of the Pitt game, I had scheduled a day of vacation on Saturday to take my 13-year-old daughter to the game. That was the one football game she had absolutely insisted on seeing!

On Friday, I received a phone call at work, telling me to hurry over to The Arbors. I don’t even remember which family member called, but they told me to hurry because Mom was bleeding to death. They said she might not make it through the hour.

I left work, rushed over there, and was immediately ushered in to see my mom. That afternoon, she amazed everyone by rallying from her condition. The nurses in the facility couldn’t believe it. One of them whispered to me, “We can’t understand how she’s still alive.”

However, I have often seen people with serious medical conditions rally at the end. It seems that it often happens that way. It’s almost like the Lord mercifully gives them a final chance to make amends or to say their final “goodbyes.”

That evening, Mom called each one of her children and grandchildren individually into the room and spoke to us. I will forever treasure the last words she shared with me that night.

In those last six weeks in the various hospitals and facilities, it was the first time she has spoken a coherent word to me. It was also the first time that I was confident that she knew I was there beside her.

She spoke about my days in college, the struggles I had in completing them, and how hard I worked to finally get that diploma. She told me that she was proud of me.

Then she learned that I had originally planned to take my daughter to the Pitt game on Saturday.

Mom, the child of divorced parents, said, “That is so nice! I always wanted so much to spend more time with Daddy, but Mom wouldn’t let me.”

My wife and I started for home later, but were called back to the facility before we arrived. Mom had slipped into a coma, out of which she would never return. We spent the night there at the hospice.

In reality, Mom never actually told me to take her granddaughter to the football game. Perhaps I only selfishly wanted to go. Maybe I read more into her statement than was actually there.

However, Dad insisted that I take her and go. “She wanted to go to that game,” he said, “There’s no reason for her to sit around this place watching her grandma die. Go ahead and go to Morgantown!”

So, with a heavy heart and misty eyes, we left for Morgantown that Saturday afternoon.

It was a terrific game by the Mountaineers! And several times during that chilly evening contest, I felt guilty for occasionally forgetting Mom’s condition and for actually enjoying the action on the field.

We returned to the house from Morgantown at approximately 2 o’clock on Sunday morning. I slept until 3:30, got up, dressed for work, and made a quick detour by The Arbors. I softly kissed Mom on the cheek, told her that I loved her, and rushed off to my job.

There was no response; nor did I expect one.

A little while after 11:00 that morning, my sister-in-law called and told me that Mom had passed away.

Perhaps, no matter what our age, we are all children when Momma dies. But for the first time in my life, I was a lonely child faced with the idea of living in a world that didn’t have Mom in it.

To this day, I often wonder if I did the right thing of going to that football game with my daughter. However, the two of us share one great memory of that weekend that didn’t involve my mother’s death! And for that, I am certainly grateful.

But every two years, late in the year when the weather turns cold, when the cursed Pitt Panthers come to Morgantown, I think of Mom.

My daughter and I are going to the game together again this year. And before the kick-off, I will take her hand as we stop by a small brick outside Touchdown Terrace and remember the dear, sweet lady who brought me into the world and made my life special.

The brick reads:

"In Loving Memory"
"Glenna S. Yoho"
"Wife/Mom/Grandma”

I miss you, Mom!

The Fleeting Talent and Glory of Brett Favre

RG Yoho — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:33:55 -0400

At the end of his weekly hosting of Sunday’s highest rated political talk show, the late host Tim Russert used to say: “If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press.”

Yet in the world of sports, people may soon start saying: “If it’s spring, it’s Brett Favre coming out of retirement.”

Following his yearly farewells tours, Brett Favre has seen more sequels on big screens wearing a football helmet than someone else did wearing a hockey mask.

But before you think I am mindlessly sticking it to Brett Favre, you need to know what I truly think of the man.

The former Green Bay quarterback is a warrior and a winner. Moreover, Favre is undeniably one of the fiercest competitors the game of football has ever seen.

Brett will always have his legacy.

Favre has his victories. He has the records. He has the Super Bowl rings. And we all know he eventually has a bust waiting for him in Canton, Ohio.

As someone who is essentially forced to retire from a job he has liked for over 25 years, I think I can better understand Favre's difficulty in walking away from the sport that has long been his life.

It’s not easy for soldiers to walk away from a battle anymore than it is for athletes to walk away from the game. After all, where can Favre go to find another profession that will simulate those feelings and emotions that he experiences weekly on the gridiron?

His life has been built around competition.

Perhaps Favre’s latest comeback is motivated by something other than a genuine love for the game. To me it doesn’t matter.

Only he can truly answer that.

How difficult it must be for professional athletes to walk away from their professions at the ages that most of us are only starting to finally enjoy the fruits of success at our own jobs!

Even though they may still have something to contribute, these are young men who are often too aged to play the games from which they have long derived an income.

Perhaps that is why so many of them often hang around too long, thereby tarnishing their once golden images in the process. No doubt you can think of many an athlete who has hung on well past their prime.

As a fan, it is often a tragic thing to watch.

I don't think any of us can even begin to imagine the inner conflicts these professional athletes must face when they see their incomparable skills slowly begin to diminish.

Like the triumphant generals in the days of old, for those who have stood in the stadium and heard the cheers and received the accolades, perhaps it is that final loss of glory that is most fearful of all.

"For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning;

that all glory is fleeting."
- Gen. George C. Patton

Major Harris-- How I Landed This "Major" Book Deal

RG Yoho — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:59:52 -0400

Early in 2007, I first came up with the idea of writing this book on former Mountaineer football great, Major Harris.

As a part of my wildly conceived master plan, it was my intention to have the book published by the beginning of the 2008 football season. I also expected to have this book on the shelves during the twentieth anniversary of West Virginia’s undefeated 2008 football season.

Like West Virginia’s 1988 season, the timing would have been perfect!

However, there was one “major” problem with my plan.

At that time I had no clue of how to reach Major Harris. In fact, I was not even certain where he lived. And all of my attempts to reach him or learn his phone number had been largely unsuccessful.

Still I was not deterred.

It was my desire to write a biography about a man who I’d never met.

A relatively unknown writer who had never written a sports book was seeking a book deal with a famous former athlete—it seemed like a daunting and possibly unrealistic task. However, those who know me well know that I can be singularly devoted to the pursuit of a goal.

Moreover, I have never been afraid of being told “no.”

Still unsure of how to make this difficult dream a reality, I was watching a football game between West Virginia and Syracuse in late 2007. That year was also the twentieth anniversary of Syracuse’s undefeated season, a season in which the game and the outcome of their season were decided on the last play of the game.

Before going to one of their commercial breaks, the announcers said they would be discussing that historic 1987 football game and interviewing one of its participants, former West Virginia quarterback Major Harris.

Of course there was no way I was going to miss that.

During the course of the interview, they asked Major about his life and what he was currently doing. Harris stated that he was helping to coach football at his old high school.

Racing to my computer, I immediately looked up the address of his old high school from the internet. Then I prepared a letter to Major Harris and stated my case for writing his book. A couple of days later, I mailed the letter to him, in care of the school.

It boldly started with these words:

Dear Mr. Harris,

I am the best writer you’ve never heard of…

About a week later, my phone rang. On the line, to my surprise, was the voice of a man who identified himself as Major Harris.

During the course of our phone conversations, I learned that somebody had already talked to Harris about writing a book about him, a book that would actively focus on that special 1988 football season.

Major said he’d already given this man the go ahead to write his biography. He’d given his word. For that reason, he didn’t want to do anything that would undermine the other writer’s efforts.

Immediately, I found myself greatly impressed by this fine aspect of Major’s character. Despite my enthusiasm for the project, I had no desire to harm his good name.

It was then I decided that this was just another one of my great book ideas ruined by my perpetually bad sense of timing. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be.

Then another year passed.

One evening I was reading the local paper and learned that Major Harris would be making an appearance only minutes from my home.

I had patiently waited for the book on Major to be published by the other author. It never came. Nor did I even think there even was one.

Perhaps there was still some hope for me to make this dream a reality.

I arrived at the mall quite some time before Major’s appearance. It was there I talked his agent, who showed up with the footballs, photos, and memorabilia to be autographed.

Major had yet to arrive.

Once again, I presented my plan to write about Major’s life while his agent listened. Later, Major joined us. Then the two of them invited me to join them at the restaurant after they were done.

Any self-respecting Mountaineer fan who wouldn’t jump at the chance to dine with a football legend such as Major Harris isn’t fit to don the blue and gold! Obviously I was excited by the invitation…and the possibilities for a book agreement.

When I left that restaurant, I gladly shook hands with the two of them and stood watching as they drove away. Then I immediately got on the phone to my lovely, but occasionally skeptical wife to share with her the good news…

Her devoted, but occasionally annoying husband finally was going to be successful in his desire to pen the authorized biography of Major Harris.

Hard Times and Hard Choices

RG Yoho — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:10:04 -0400

One of our Bleacher Report readers recently asked me why I haven’t written anything lately. The following column is the explanation for why sports has recently taken a backseat to the rest of my life,

On the first business day of the new calendar year, my workplace announced that they were eliminating half of our workforce. The part that concerned me the most was not the fact that they were going to be idling six of our smaller production lines.

That was not the case at all! They are not simply mothballing these lines; they are removing them completely.

Although I would continue to have a job, my wife and I were clearly devastated by this news! This clearly let the air out of a couple of people who were just excited to learn that their son and daughter-in-law were expecting our first grandchild.

Faster than Mountaineer quarterback Pat White could sprint for daylight, our entire world changed.

Moreover, I suspect that when the current contract expires in November 2010, they will remove the remaining lines so that nobody can ever start this plant up again and compete with them in the marketplace.

I just turned 50 years old this past month and have just completed 25 years, making me eligible to retire, if you choose to call it that. I would just take my yearly contribution toward medical costs.

In the course of our latest “Joint Venture,” these deceitful corporate vultures eliminated our defined benefit pension this past year.

They also deliberately issued false information that led our employees to believe the sales forecasts for 2009 would be much greater than expected.

It was all an elaborate ruse designed to keep anybody from leaving before 2008 ended, in order that they might do most of the eliminating themselves.

Therefore, I've decided to make the biggest gamble of my life. I am electing to take the severance package and walk.

I actually didn’t think I cared that much about my place of employment. However, now I think I actually care a great deal about this facility.

And after investing a quarter of a century in that job, I just am not prepared to watch its final moments circling the bowl.

My decision will also let some other employee keep his job for awhile and maybe get himself on better footing until the inevitable happens.

April 24is supposed to be my last day.

Now before you think everything is bad for us, there is some light at the end of the tunnel that may not actually be a train.

Before the past year ended, a once famous college athlete granted me permission to write his biography for him. And this is a project I have been seeking for some time!

My wife is certainly uncomfortable with the present situation, but quickly coming around to the idea. She would also tell you that she is equally scared of the prospects if I stay. Both of us believe there will be no severance the next time.

Although I have applied for several jobs, I am primarily out there seeking a profession that will utilize my writing and/or broadcasting experience.

Perhaps it is time I gamble on myself and attempt to earn a living doing something that I have always dreamed of doing.

Perhaps this setback may be an opportunity in disguise. We shall see.

Somebody told me there is a Chinese blessing/curse that says, "May you live in interesting times."

Things are certainly getting interesting!

Puttting the Best Face on Bleacher Report

RG Yoho — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:10:05 -0500

If you have ever been on a sports message board, then you know the rudeness and venom that are routinely spouted off by some of the participants.

We have all seen the message board “tough guys,” the ones who seek to intimidate everybody who dares to disagree with them. They are rude and arrogant little men, starved for praise and attention.

Occasionally they even threaten bodily harm on those who fail to bow down before their “great wisdom” and “matchless sports knowledge.” Often they ruin the message board experience for everyone involved.

You can even see the same thing here on Bleacher Report.

The Internet is clearly a wonderful invention; however, the anonymity it provides often brings out the worst in people. That is why I have chosen to place my name and face on my writings—all of them!

One of the bulletin boards that I routinely post on and communicate with other fans has my nickname on it. Yet if you look at my profile, you will find my name and face for everyone to see.

My face may not be pleasant for you to look upon, but I do not hide it from anybody who chooses to read the things I write. Maybe my appearance keeps some from reading my opinions. My friends often suggest that I have a face made for radio.

But I am quick to add that my late mother never grew tired of looking at me. Some of that may be directly attributable to the fact that mothers often favor their children and that, in her later years, mom’s eyesight was failing due to her diabetes.

But I digress.

Accountability is certainly a great thing. And the lack of accountability on the Internet is often the reason why these cyber thugs spew filth on message boards and type hateful responses to articles, things they wouldn’t have the courage to say in person.

Nobody knows who they are. Nobody can hold them accountable. And there is no public stigma attached to their multiple instances of bad behavior.

In my daily life, I generally try to be friendly and personable to those around me. It has always been my goal to be a good neighbor and an asset to my community. Moreover, I think this same attitude is shared by the great majority of those on Bleacher Report.

However, the willingness to form strong opinions and to boldly share them with others does not make someone a bad person. That quality must never be confused with rudeness. In fact, it is exactly the prescription for good writing.

Whether or not you choose to agree with my opinions, I am certainly not ashamed of them. And because I can be readily identified as the writer, it often motivates me to be a little more careful about those things I choose to post on-line.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally write or post something that would have been better kept to myself. I have often said or written things that I wish I could take back. Yet, I am confident those instances occur much less frequently because I choose not to camouflage my identity behind a nickname and an avatar.

Sometimes when we are tempted to give in to our worst urges and behavior, we instead choose to surrender to our better angels. This rarely happens when someone is not worried about the consequences or exposure that the boorish and thoughtless words might bring their way.

Accountability often brings out the best in people in much the same way that anonymity brings out the worst in them.

No doubt there are writers and readers on Bleacher Report who choose to keep their identities secret. That is certainly your decision to make. Perhaps there are also some great reasons why you have chosen to do so.

It is you who must look yourself in the mirror when you are shaving or putting on your makeup. I am just telling you what I have chosen for me.

Bleacher Report has flourished because there are a host of devoted fans out there with strong opinions about sports. Some extremely talented writers are among them. Their willingness and skill to share their opinions with others makes this a good forum for those who love sports.

These writers bring a lot to the table.

Share your opinions, respond to the articles, and let your voice be heard. But please don’t let your anonymity make you an unwanted guest at the feast.

Bengals-Eagles: The NFL Ties One On

RG Yoho — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:44:51 -0500

When the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles ended in a 13-13 tie, it once again highlighted one of the reasons why the National Football League will never match the collegiate game for excitement.

The NFL allowing a football game to end without a winner is just about as stupid and pointless as when Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig allowed the All-Star Game to end in a tie!

If a sporting event can end in a tie score, then what is the point in even playing the game?

After years of ties in college football, the NCAA finally had the brains to do away with the practice. It was one of the best rule changes they ever made. In addition, it brought a level of excitement and suspense to the game that the NFL can only hope to match!

Unlike Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb, I actually knew that NFL games can end in a tie. Perhaps the reason I had forgotten is the fact that it rarely happens. Normally, the winner of the coin flip is the winner of the game. They quickly advance the ball down field and promptly kick a field goal.

Game over! And the other team never even touches the football.

That isn’t a game of skill; it’s a game of chance.

The NFL has two major problems with its overtime format. Along with the fact that a game that goes into overtime can end in a tie, there is also the problem that an NFL game can be won with only one team ever getting the ball.

What is fair or competitive about that?

If they are simply going to settle the game with a coin flip, perhaps they should just eliminate the running, passing, blocking, and tackling as well. Maybe the NFL could determine the winner in overtime with a throw of the dice or a spirited spelling bee.

The National Football league needs to follow the lead of the NCAA and establish an overtime format much the same as they currently play in college. However, instead of the NFL placing the ball on the 25-yard line as they do in college, the professional game could place the ball on the 50.

Each team would get a chance to score a touchdown or kick a field goal. Then on the third overtime attempt or any successive ones, each team would be forced to go for the two-point conversion. Now that would make for an exciting game and the fans would love it.

It would also forever end the pointless exercise of games being neither won nor lost!

Football is a rough and violent game played by tough and skilled professionals. It is also a uniquely American game. That is why a National Football League game should never be won in overtime by a single coin toss and a lone, soccer-style free kick.

Football fans deserve better. The game deserves better.

Moreover, the NFL's "sudden death" overtimes can never match the thrills and excitement of college football if they continue to tie one on!

Football and Family—The Two Are Inseparable!

RG Yoho — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:00:24 -0500

A couple of years ago, I made the statement to my wife that my priorities in this life were faith, family, and football—in that order. She immediately questioned my order on a couple of them.

I made the case that family and football are almost the same thing.

When I was a child, my father and older brother cheered for the Cleveland Browns. My younger brother and I were fans of the Bengals. After church on Sundays—and I did say after church—we would sit there and watch the games on television.

In two football games every year, the Bengals and the Browns played each other. During these games, there was a lot of fun, laughs, and good-natured ribbing. I guess you could say we were “talking trash” even before they actually coined the term for what we were doing. These were truly some of the best times I remember as a child, all of us together in one room at one time.

Football and family were inseparable. They went together like sausage and pepperoni.

Every year, I scratch and scrape to purchase a pair of season tickets to watch West Virginia football. From my earliest days, my dad instilled in me a love for Mountaineer football. Clearly they are my favorite team.

Although I occasionally take a friend to one game a season, my other ticket is generally used by a member of my family. My children go with me. My dad goes with me. My wife usually pulls rank on everyone else by claiming the homecoming game as exclusively her own.

Football does not just belong to me; It belongs to my family.

It is my hope that one day that I can also introduce my grandchildren to the wonders of Mountaineer Field and the love that I have for my team. Football and family are inseparable.

Outside Touchdown Terrace in Morgantown, there is an engraved brick that honors my late mother. It was a Christmas gift to my father, something to immortalize a wonderful woman in a place my family has so many fond memories. I never go to Morgantown without seeing that brick and thinking of my dear mom.

Football and family are inseparable.

I remember the game in 1984 when Doug Flutie, the eventual Heisman winner, failed to beat the West Virginia Mountaineers in his last visit to Morgantown. After Boston College went ahead 20-6 right before halftime, the Mountaineers won the game 21-20. My dad took me to that game.

I remember the great touchdown run by Major Harris against Penn State in 1988 on a broken play. The Mountaineers won that game 51-30. I took my dad to that game. And we still talk about it twenty years later.

West Virginia defeated Syracuse in 1988 in the final game of the year to complete an undefeated season. I took my brother-in-law to that game and watched the Mountaineer players come back out of the locker room and do a victory lap around the field and shake hands with the people in the stands. It was a scene I will never forget.

On a chilly day in Morgantown in 1993, Don Nehlen’s Mountaineer squad beat the hated Miami Hurricanes 17-14. My brother-in-law, a Miami fan, was there to watch it with me.

My wife and I were at the Louisville game in 2005, when West Virginia waged a furious comeback in the fourth quarter. When the starting quarterback was injured, Pat White entered the game and became a legend. The Mountaineers won that game in three overtimes. She was new to the idea of being hugged by total strangers.

My daughter and I were in Morgantown in 2006, when Jarrett Brown, the back-up quarterback to Pat White, led the Mountaineers to a triple overtime victory over Rutgers.

The last two road games that West Virginia has played in Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium, my son and I were there to see those two Mountaineer victories. I have never been to a Mountaineer game in Cincinnati with anyone else. That is something special that we share.

My other son went with us, and introduced his young wife to Mountaineer football, in a victory over Connecticut one night in chilly Morgantown.

These great moments in Mountaineer history are remembered fondly by me, not just because they happened to my favorite team. I remember them because I shared these great moments with precious members of my family.

Football and family are inseparable.

The long passes, the great runs, the super catches, the goal line stands, the interceptions returned for touchdowns, the sacked quarterbacks, and the sounds of the packed stadium—all of these things are forever imprinted on my mind.

However, I am also unable to forget the ones who shared these moments with me.

It matters not what football team you root for, many of you also share dozens of your favorite football memories with your loved ones. The great games and the marvelous memories—they go hand-in-hand.

The memories take you to another time. The memories take you to another place. And best of all, the memories often take you home.

That is because football and family are inseparable.

Charlie Weis—Return to Wounded Knee (Humor)

RG Yoho — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:24:41 -0500

Reports out of South Bend are saying that the damage to Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis’ knee was much more extensive than originally believed.

His knee was injured two months ago, when an Irish player was blocked into the coach during a punt. He suffered a torn ACL, a broken femur, and other damage.

The Notre Dame football program has languished with a wounded Charlie Weis on the sideline.

Since the injury, Weis has been unable to resume his extensive weight and flexibility training. And without his example, the Notre Dame players have seen their football team fail to live up to early expectations.

In an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen said that his practice has suffered with Weis on the sidelines.

“What am I supposed to do with Charlie laid up?” Jimmy asked. “I have nobody who can adequately run the pass patterns. Charlie was the one guy I could count on to go deep!”

With Weis on crutches, Notre Dame Football isn’t the only program that is suffering from a letdown. This injury has also made its mark on the entertainment industry. Morning television is also feeling the crunch of the coach’s collision.

Despite his daily pairing with the attractive Kelly Ripa on the set of their television show, Notre Dame alumnus Regis Philbin has even lost all desire to continue his training or take his place on the stool next to Ripa.

“Charlie was my inspiration for living,” the disappointed Philbin said. “Looking at the man’s muscular physique was the one thing that kept me going. For me, he truly was the eye of the tiger!”

Ripa told Bleacher Report, "Since Charlie's injury, Regis has become Rudy in reverse."

Father John Jenkins, president of the university, has publicly stated his anger with the coach, leading some to believe the coach’s ouster is imminent.

“I told Charlie to be careful,” Jenkins explained. “He’s just not quite fast enough anymore to go racing down the sidelines, matching the speed of his special teams.”

The outcome of Weis’ injury has even led to changes in football broadcasting. Since the coach went down, former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz has been so upset about the incident that he has recently quit slurring his words.

Colleague and friend Mark May was quoted recently: “Since the injury, Lou has not been the same. The spitting has stopped and I no longer have to clean my suits nightly. I wish Charlie Weis a fast recovery, because I certainly miss the old Lou!”

It is vitally important that Coach Weis fully recovers from his knee injury. With the sinking fortunes of his football team, the former Patriots’ assistant coach is going to need a healthy pair of knees if Notre Dame is to return to their days of football glory.

The Notre Dame assistant coaches have yet to be fully briefed on how to station the spy cameras and listening devices to intercept the opposition play calls.

It has been said that “speed kills,” but nowhere does that phrase hold anymore truth than at Notre Dame, a place where players are timed with calendars, not stopwatches.

And what's this team to do without Charlie Weis, the Richard Simmons of South Bend, to lead them in running the bleachers and doing their calisthenics?

The Associated Press has reported that “Weis doesn’t expect to be at full speed until about six months after the surgery.”

Six months is not a long time, but without a healthy Weis to put them through their paces, that may be much too late for Clausen and the Irish.

And what will happen to Regis and Kelly, along with Mark and Lou?

Mountaineer Field—Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here

RG Yoho — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:21:57 -0500

Although West Virginia has lost only one night game at Mountaineer Field since Don Nehlen retired, that is certainly no guarantee that West Virginia will win this game with Cincinnati on Saturday. Still, I have to like our chances.

As the “wizards” of Wall Street are repeatedly telling us: “Past performance is no indicator of future results.” So the games of the previous seasons may have no affect on the outcome this Saturday.

However, the point to be made here is that Mountaineer Field is an extremely tough venue for any visiting team to win a football game. It is even a bigger challenge in a night game. The crowds are raucous and partisan.

But nothing puts a crowd into a frenzy quicker than a tough, aggressive, and opportunistic defense.

A great scoring play will get the crowd out of their seats for a moment. Goal line stands and third-down stops will keep them standing and screaming for the whole game!

And this Mountaineer team has a defense—young, tough, and getting better by the week.

If you have followed football for any time at all, then you have heard it said that “defense wins championships.” Over the years, I have repeatedly seen the truth of that statement.

As a long-time West Virginia Mountaineer fan, I was used to seeing some outstanding defenses under Coach Don Nehlen. Then along came Coach Rich Rodriguez with his spread offense, which placed more value on scoring points than defense.

I won’t say that Nehlen cared nothing about offense or that Rodriguez cared nothing about defense. However, I have repeatedly said that if Rodriguez had any of Nehlen’s defenses to go along with his 2006 and 2007 Mountaineer squads, then West Virginia would have two National Championships in football.

When the defenses aren’t playing well for the West Virginia Mountaineers, you are routinely bombarded with people calling for the head of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Casteel and the elimination of the 3-3-5 defense. When the defense is playing up to expectations or possibly exceeding them, then the 3-3-5 is lauded.

As any coach could tell you, that is the nature of the business. It matters not what you have done for me; it matters what you have done for me lately!

Increasingly, I have come to believe that good defense doesn't have as much to do with playbooks and schemes as it does with "mean."

It doesn't matter what the formation, every team needs a guy who routinely can be counted on to put a wallop on the quarterback. Also, a hard hitter or two is necessary in the defensive secondary.

And I am not talking about dirty hits; I am talking about tough, clean, and effective ones! I am talking about hits on the quarterback and receivers that leave them thinking about it later in the game.

If you have some guys who can administer those hits during a game and other teams can experience them first-hand or see them on their upcoming game films, it will make them cautious and tentative during a football game.

If the receiver is trying to run a pass pattern while wondering where a certain defensive back might be, then he might very well drop the pass he would normally catch.

In addition, a quarterback won’t be nearly as effective if he is wondering about the presence of a defensive end who knocked out his mouthpiece in the first quarter.

Like Don Nehlen, Coach Bill Stewart is clearly a disciple of defense.

While not abandoning the idea of a high-powered offense, Stew’s hiring of Steve Dunlap and Dave Lockwood has shown that he is committed to putting athletes on the field who can quickly put the ball back in the hands of the Mountaineer offense.

That is how real West Virginia Mountaineer football ought to be played!

When our defenses have been good, we have "hitters" out there: Ryan Mundy, Eric Wicks, Marc Magro, Grant Wiley, Mike Lorello, Darryl Talley, and Tim Agee.

This Mountaineer team has found the players who will administer some earth-quaking, lighting-flashing, bone-jarring, tooth-loosening, ball-fumbling hits on someone! Anyone.

And since we started doing that, we have seen this team start becoming all that it can be this season!

Therefore, the resurgence of a tough Mountaineer defense is going to make it even tougher for visiting teams to win a game in Morgantown.

In short, it should be a bad week for the Bearcats! Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

Notre Dame Is the Parasite of Big East Football

RG Yoho — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:10:07 -0500

Had Pittsburgh not beaten Notre Dame in football recently, it could have set up another nightmare scenario that would have possibly left the second-place Big East team out of the Gator Bowl in order to take the Fighting Irish. That would have been a travesty.

Once more, Notre Dame would be sticking it to their "good friends" in the Big East.

After Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College defected to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese was forced to accept Notre Dame as a player in their bowl contract negotiations.

With the future makeup of the conference still in limbo, Tranghese couldn’t have successfully negotiated these bowl tie-ins without the prestige that Notre Dame football could bring to the table.

However, since the addition of Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida—and with its string of three straight BCS bowl victories—Big East football has rightfully earned its place among NCAA’s major conferences. They no longer need Notre Dame.

Therefore, I believe Notre Dame should be given an ultimatum by the league and the gutless officials of the NCAA: Get in a conference, or get out of the BCS bowl picture!

Other than their big name, you cannot give me one good reason why Notre Dame should be treated any different than any of the other football independents. Why should these lovable losers from South Bend be granted exclusive BCS status when other non-BCS conferences have to play their way into these games?

In 1995, Notre Dame joined the Big East when they thought the prestige of the conference would help their pathetic roundball program gain some much-needed credibility. They also needed the conference affiliation to get a boost to their non-revenue sports.

However, due to their unrivaled greed and arrogance, the Irish refused to enter the Big East Conference in football.

They were more than willing to siphon off the prestige of the league when it suited their purposes, yet they are unwilling to contribute anything significant to the league in football.

In fact, these parasites of the Big East have made themselves a sweetheart deal that allows them to snatch away prestigious bowl bids from the same conference that they need for everything else.

After they get done licking all of the meat from it, the Irish routinely toss the Big East a bone. Realizing that the rest of the league may be getting a little tired of their arrogance, they grudgingly agree to schedule some football games with the conference.

How magnanimous of the Golden Domers! Perhaps we should all bow down before them.

However, we all know that Notre Dame is pleased to pad their football record by sticking to their slate of service academies. Other than their occasional challenging, nationally-televised game with a big-money school like USC, the Irish want nothing to do with a competitive schedule, the likes of which they would face with a full slate of Big East games.

They have also conspicuously avoided a confrontation with West Virginia, the league’s best team.

The simple fact is that nobody is scared of Notre Dame anymore in football. Of course they have the premier name, the storied history, and the big NBC contract. However, they bring very little else to the table. Their legacy has gone the way of leather helmets.

In fact, Notre Dame needs a conference in football much more than any conference needs Notre Dame!

They simply are not champions anymore—of anything!

It has been over two decades since they won a National Championship. They have never won a BCS bowl. They are not conference champs. They are not bowl champs!

They are simply a parasite that bleeds the Big East conference dry and then steals bowl bids from them in the increasingly rare seasons that the Irish actually win enough games to qualify.

The Big East needs to get serious with Notre Dame!

If I were the commissioner, I would offer the Irish the chance to keep all of the cash from their Notre Dame Broadcasting Company contract. Everything else they must bring to the league.

Should they fail to meet these demands, then I would immediately grant their basketball team and non-revenue sports the same status that they desire for football...independents without a league home. In addition, I would no longer include Notre Dame in any further bowl contract talks.

The Notre Dame football program is a blight on the college football landscape and an insult to every non-BCS conference. They are also a parasite that feeds off the Big East conference and brings absolutely nothing to its host.

The time has come for the Big East and the NCAA to cut off their feed source!

A Survivor's Guide to Morgantown, West Virginia

RG Yoho — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:21:26 -0500

Frankly, I get sick and tired of every would-be sportswriting hack who comes on here and writes these columns about how the Mountaineer faithful are belligerent to visiting fans in Morgantown.

I honestly think these shallow-minded hacks choose to wallow in this cesspool of unfounded allegations for no other reason than to get a lot of cheap visits for their columns.

If you look at the numbers, it obviously works.

Of course, these kooks of the keyboard will also share with us the obligatory Deliverance references. These tired, antiquated clichés are usually written by people who are less than two generations away from picking a banjo themselves. No doubt they also harbor some secret fantasies for Ned Beatty as well.

I have traveled to enough football stadiums to know that college football fans are pretty much the same everywhere. Alcohol is usually a staple. The only significant differences often involve the fervor they put into tailgating or the cuisine that they serve.

Now let me give you an earth-shattering newsflash: Hometown crowds routinely love their team and do not share that same affection for the opposition. A realization of this fact can certainly make your stay in Morgantown much more pleasant and enjoyable.

Another observation I have made is that drunken, rowdy students generally have an IQ that is directly proportionate to their blood-alcohol level. It is wise to try to avoid them. This rule applies equally to all college sports venues.

I used to tell my children that you do not have to respond every time a donkey brays. Don’t you remember your own college years? Face it, a lot of college students are donkeys! Just because they insult you doesn’t require a response. Silently walk on.

Even should you prevail and fail to be arrested, it is unlikely that the BMOC made bulletproof by Budweiser will gain any meaningful insight from the beating.

If your team happens to beat the Mountaineers in Morgantown—unlikely as it may be—cheering is certainly appropriate. Wildly dancing around, pointing your middle finger at the West Virginia fans, and calling them a “sorry bunch of losers” is generally considered to be in bad taste. It may also tend to draw unwanted attention your way.

It is not wise to enter the stadium and begin talking trash to the fans seated in front of and behind you. The reason for this should be obvious. It is not a good policy to create a hostile environment when you are surrounded.

Even Tonto was wise enough to recall his bloodline when he and Kemo Sabe were surrounded by hostile Indians.

Perhaps it is also not a good idea to choose to move your belongings on game days. Leaving an unattended couch on your vehicle might be too much of a temptation to the victorious Mountaineer fan with a lighter. I have heard that spontaneous combustion can often be a problem for sofas in Morgantown.

Should you notice flames coming from your couch, I would suggest you quickly find another place to sit.

Largely due to the fact there are no major professional sports in the state, proud Mountaineer fans are extraordinarily devoted to their team. It is this quality that makes the non-college, ticket-buying public in Morgantown greatly appreciate the hardcore fans of other teams.

Mountaineer fans are some of the finest people in America! They root hard. They are spirited and fun loving. Their tailgating is legendary. On game days, they love nothing more than their friends and family, their state, and their beloved Mountaineers.

However, I don’t know a single one of them who wouldn’t immediately come to a visiting fan’s aid if he were actually accosted for nothing other than being in town for a football game!

Only the couches have anything to fear in Morgantown!

When Auburn came to town recently, I witnessed great numbers of Mountaineers and Tigers living in perfect harmony. Many of them were sharing beverages, swapping stories, and joining their voices together in the school songs of each state.

That is generally the rule—not the exception!

If you truly love college football, then there is no better atmosphere in America than Morgantown, West Virginia on game day! Come on in. Enjoy yourself. Ignore the drunken students, share a drink with the regulars, and enjoy a leisurely ride through the beautiful, picturesque mountains on the way home from your team’s spanking.

It is certain that you will never forget the experience.

My Mountaineer Presidential Endorsements

RG Yoho — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:56:58 -0400

With the presidential election taking place this Tuesday, I thought it was time that I made my endorsements for president and the members of the executive branch. No doubt some of you will question my politics, but these are just some of the guys I want running my administration.

If you like these picks, then you should see the guys I plan to put in the House and the Senate. Gridlock will be a thing of the past. But a lock on the gridiron will be something you can count on every week.

President- Don Nehlen (Don had the one thing a candidate for president must have. The man knew how to run.)
Vice President- Bill Stewart (One heartbeat away from the head job, Stew knows what it is like to step in at a moment’s notice.)
White House Chief of Staff- Ryan Mundy (He knew how to walk into a new position and immediately get a team working together.)
Secretary of the Treasury- Pat White (No matter what the economy, the guy is just money in the bank!)
Secretary of Defense- Owen Schmitt (This man hits himself with football helmets—and he likes it! Do you really think anybody is stupid enough to take him on?)
Secretary of State- Again…Owen Schmitt (If you listened to his speech after the Fiesta Bowl, nobody loves the state anymore than he does.)
Secretary of Housing- Steve Slaton (The guy just knows how to take it to the house.)
Attorney General- Darryl Talley (Nobody was ever any better laying down the law!)
Secretary of the Interior- Reed Williams (Even when he’s wounded, he has no tolerance for trespassers.)
Secretary of Health and Human Services- Pat McAfee (When your kick-off coverage looks ill, he always comes to your aid.)
Secretary of Commerce- Grant Wiley (Nobody know more about hard work than this guy.)
Secretary of Homeland Security- Mortty Ivy (He definitely knows how to stop any of your hostile advances.)
Secretary of Energy- Dorrell Jalloh (Nobody is better at knowing just when to light up things on a scoreboard.)
Secretary of Agriculture- Scooter Berry (He knows something about bringing the beef. His assistant would be Johnny Dingle. The two just seem to go better when working in tandem.)
Secretary of Transportation- Quincy Wilson (He knew how to carry the freight and was good at clearing obstacles from the highway.)
Secretary of Education- Noel Devine (Just when your defense thinks it knows everything, he takes you to school.)
Director of Management and Budget- Major Harris (He could quickly get you out of a deficit and rack up some big numbers.)
Head of the EPA- Brandon Hogan (When footballs are flying toward the secondary, he knows how to clear the air.)

Listen, Mountaineer fans! You might not agree with my presidential endorsements, but I wouldn’t recommend you voting against them. Some of them may not like it.