Bleacher Report - WVU Football

Finally No. 1: West Virginia Proud...Uh Er Not?

Scott Pauley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:32:40 -0500

The West Virginia Mountaineers have finally received the credit they deserve.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite the look I was going for.

According to SI.Com —Sports Illustrated online—the fans in West Virginia have been voted No. 1, when it comes to the rudest fans at a home game.

I am not so sure that I can agree with that. What I can agree with is the fact that the student section—Mountaineer Maniacs—can get a little out of hand.

However, even the Maniacs do quite well at showing hospitality during the actual game.

I have never seen the Old Gold clad youngsters—in recent years—disrespect the visiting team nor its’ fans, during the respective, collective activities.

Allow me to refer to a recent column of mine dated Oct. 25, 2009, “UConn: Welcome to Wild, Wonderful, Well-Mannered West Virginia—The Fans.”

Now this is just a smidgen of the entire article that I wrote exclaiming my appreciation of the WVU fans—including the Mountaineer Maniacs.

" …I have never been as proud—of all of the Mountaineer fans—as I am, following the game in Morgantown on Oct. 24, 2009. The visiting UConn Huskies had just lost their star corner back, Jasper Howard, to a violent incident the prior Saturday.

"After a record-setting victory performance against Louisville, Howard was stabbed to death, following a Homecoming Dance on the UConn campus.The UConn team and fans came to Milan Puskar Stadium with more than heavy hearts—having not even laid to rest the body of their fallen teammate, friend, and brother. The Mountaineer fans, including the student section—Mountaineer Maniacs—were more than affable…"

I don’t know who was included in the voting for the SI.com. It was apparently “fans” from various schools and conferences.

I did not get asked to vote. I did not even know this poll was taking place.

Many folks may say that there is no bad publicity. I can agree to a certain extent.

However, when the publicity is negative toward the Mountaineer Faithful, it hurts.

For, I am one.

I did not play any sports for WVU so; I cannot take credit for contributing to the major success of the football team. Nor can I take credit for a trip to the “Elite Eight”.

As a matter of fact, I did not attend WVU so; I cannot take credit for helping gain the title of No. 1 party school, either—on more than one occasion.

Nevertheless, I am a Mountaineer!

We are good people. Don’t let some poll, dreamed up by CNN, influence what you think about West Virginia.

Come see us! You’ll be quite surprised! We love each other and we love you, even if you beat us.

We should be No. 1.

We’ll let you decide the category.

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Cincy 24, WVU 21: Two Calls Doom Mountaineers

Frank Ahrens — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:20:44 -0500

By now, everyone's hashed out the two bad calls that cost West Virginia a chance to upset a Top five team at its home field and stay in the chase for the Big East Title:

—The Cincy fumble at the goal line that was reversed and turned into a touchdown.

—WVU's call on 3rd-and-9 when it was driving in the fourth quarter for a tying touchdown.

The first call is 50-50. The ball certainly didn't break the plane of the goal line, but it may have touched it. I don't know if depressing but not puncturing the meniscus of the goal line counts as a touchdown, but I was never good at fluid dynamics. Evidently, the Big East refereeing crew was.

The second call, even though Coach Stewart defended it, is really indefensible. Not the call—a running play on third-and-long, especially if you've already made up your mind to go for it on third down. Not the specific call—a power run off-tackle. What is indefensible is running it with your 175-pound slot receiver/scatback, Jock Sanders, and not your bruising 225-pound fullback, Ryan Clarke, who had been punishing the Cincinnati defense all game. That's the problem.

Despite the loss, WVU played probably its best game of the season in all three phases. The defense held Cincy to its lowest point total of the season, which is impressive.

The offense recorded more first downs than Cincy and moved the ball throughout the game. The special teams did not give up another 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Mardy Gilyard, as it did last season, so that's progress.

What's inexplicable is that the kickoff team was flagged twice in a row for the same penalty—lining up with only three men on one side of the kicker, BECAUSE they were told to by the special teams coach, Bill Stewart. He said after the game that his "hand was caught in the cookie jar" because he told the team to intentionally break the rules. It ultimately didn't matter in the game but it looked stupid on television.

The real problem with this game—and with this team at this point in the season—is that it has been so determined to mix up the run and the pass and diversify the offense, that it no longer has an identity. More importantly, it no longer has one thing it does exceptionally well, and that's a problem.

Is it a running team? If so, is it a power or speed running team? We've seen both, but neither is consistent, thanks to the spotty play of the offensive line.

Is it a passing team? Well, it seemed like it until the deep ball went away after the Marshall game. Allow me to deviate a bit here and reserve my worst vitriol of Wes Lyons.

ESPN this week noted he was one of the league's biggest disappointments this year and that could not be said better. He would not have been a disappointment—Mountaineer fans have become accustomed to Lyons being the most invisible 6'8" guy on the field—had the coaching staff not touted him coming out of spring and summer practice.

This will be Lyons' breakout year, the coaches enthused. He's a game-changer. He has a special rapport with quarterback Jarrett Brown. No one can cover him in the slot. Blah, blah, blah. And, just as autumn has come once again, Lyons has disappeared in the offense. He is so uninvolved in the offense, that I have expect him to be caught listening to music or reading a book on the sideline. Or even lined up at wide receiver.

I don't know if he doesn't run good routes, I don't know if he can't run fast enough to separate, all I know is that every time he's show in closeup on TV, he has that blank-eyed, I-couldn't-care-less look on his face. Why Stewart is allowing Lyons to keep a scholarship from a more deserving, harder-working player who actually wants to play football, I will never understand.

Another problem with this team that I've discussed before is its habit of recruiting "athletes" and then finding out where to play them. The team currently has three former quarterbacks playing out of position and starting: B. Hogan at one cornerback, Keith Tandy at the other and Bradley Starks at wide receiver.

Hogan's wild inconsistency will not be belabored here. Nor will Tandy's embarrassment in the South Florida game. Starks has shown flashes, but he is still learning wide receiver so he's not a consistent threat. WVU needs to start recruiting top players at their position instead of losing at least a year—and some games—training them to play new positions.

There are only two regular games left in this season, which is turning out to be a transitional season, just like last season. Next year, Stewart and his staff will have their players playing: Eugene Smith at quarterback, Ryan Clarke and probably Shawne Alston at running back if Noel Devine goes to the NFL, Logan Heastie at wide receiver, Tavon Austin at slot or running back and so on. Maybe that's when we have to judge Stewart and his staff, and accept a nine-win transitional season last year and hopefully better than a seven- or eight-win season this year.

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Ohio State's Columbus, West Virginia's Morgantown: A Tale of Two Cities

Tim McGhee — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:07:00 -0500

It was the best of times, it was the, well, really...it wasn't too bad.

Amazingly, Charles Dickens still applies after 150 years. However...

One city got a fair shake from the officials. The other, well, uh, not so much.

The replay guy in one city stayed on Google searching for 3-D images of Jennifer Love Hewitt while his counterpart looked for and got the perfect opportunity to directly affect those in the other city by playing kingmaker in a third city.

How bad was it? This bad: even ESPN's Mark May, not known to be a friend of West Virginia, stood up for the Mountaineers.

Let's try to leave the armed robbery alone for now.

Hell, no.

Despite West Virginia's propensity to consistently hand over their wallets in the form of turnovers and poor play calling, that intrusion by the attention-seeking, top-ranking-team suck-up was a seven-point swing. This is not to mention the momentum that permeated through the Cincinnati crowd and was vacuumed out of the Mountaineers at a bad time.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame (what?!!!) got boned in a similar fashion at Heinz Field, the home of the future opponent of Cincinnati which will essentially be the Big East championship ga—don't get me started.

Too late.

There is enough evidence of (can't use foul language in the B/R forum) in the $crew Everyone (else) Conference and the Big Easy (for two) Conference to warrant an NCAA investigation.

An investigation by those backing the Bowl Championship Series where money talks and three losses or more walks? Yeah. Right.

In one city, they boo the coach. In the other city, they boo the coach.

Tough room.

In one city, the coach is booed by those (read: many) who think his play calling is much too conservative.

In the other city, the coach is booed because that city just doesn't like any coach.

In one city, the coach has led the team to a conference championship and a berth in the granddaddy of them all, but is still booed.

In the other city, talent has been squandered (refer to Mountaineer Ryan Clarke, pictured) in that city's inability to finish off quality opponents, resulting in the coach being the recipient of major boos.

Neither of them really deserve the boos, but such is life in major college football.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

That's Dickens' last line in his historical novel A Tale of Two Cities. And, that's the difference between the Rose Bowl and the PapaJohns.com Bowl.

I heartily recommend Hangover Easy on Neil Avenue in Columbus. The Pabst Blue Ribbon is exquisite on game day. If PBR was good enough for my good friend during his time at a top-notch engineering school, it's definitely good enough for me here in the 21st century.

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WVU vs. Cincinnati: Wanted A Good Home for Big East Officials

Scott Pauley — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:38:06 -0500

First of all, I want to take nothing away from the Cincinnati Bearcats.

I want to take nothing away from the WVU Mountaineers.

However, I want to take everything away from the Big East officiating crew for the Friday night game in Cincinnati.

This game could have ended in a very different way, with the Mountaineers on top.

The contest gets off to quite a decent start. The officials flipped the coin and it landed. Not a bad start, EH?

Well, that’s when the officials really showed their aspirations of working in the SEC and getting paid to help the undefeated remain undefeated.

See, I like to “just let the kids play.” However, we often notice that the officials don’t work with that ethic.

Yes, there are times when the officials make calls that we may not see on TV or from the stands.

The sly fox holding penalty, the double clutch snap.

Howbeit, there are many calls that make me think the guy just wants to talk on the loudspeaker.

“Look mom no hands.”

Well, at about the 5:15 mark in the second quarter, Isaiah Pead was thinking the about the same phrase as he fumbled the football before crossing the goal line, and still ending up with the touchdown.

After watching the replay of this handy-dandy play, one will see that Pead was bobbling the ball as he hurled himself into the air and attempted to reach the ball into the end zone.

The outcome—a fumble and WVU recovery.

But wait!

Cue referee with headset.

“The previous play is under review.”

No big deal. It’s obvious that he was fumbling the ball and there is no way there is enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.

But wait!

There is an officiating crew who hasn’t gotten enough attention, and a replay official that would like to score $30,000 from the West Virginia coaching staff.

The call on the field is overturned and Cincinnati gets a free touchdown.

“Look mom, no brain.”

Fast forward to about nine minutes left in the third quarter. West Virginia has the ball on third down with 11 yards to go for a first down.

Jarrett Brown throws the ball to Alric Arnett. Arnett fails to catch it.

Why does he fail to catch it? One might ask.

It seems Cincinnati’s Drew Frey had dinner with the officials. It’s an obvious case of pass interference.

Would one of the great officials call the penalty? NO!!!

I realize the officials have a tough job and I am sure that Coach Stewart will say the same thing when asked about these blown calls.

Nevertheless, they very well may have cost the Mountaineers a victory over Cincinnati, a Big East title, and a BCS bowl berth.

Though there isn’t much that can be done about this game, one may believe there should be stricter penalties on officials.

Should they be fined when blowing calls? Could Bill Stewart, Urban Meyer, or Nick Saban cause the NCAA to look a little closer at the bad calls?

Apparently not, it might hurt the feelings of the men in stripes.

Let the kids play ball but, let them play to win.

If a team loses, let it be because they blew the play, not the officials.

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West Virginia vs. Cincinnati: Still Proud To Be a Mountaineer

Scott Pauley — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:09:06 -0500

The Mountaineers of West Virginia put up quite a fight in their 21-24 loss to Cincinnati Friday night.

Being a lifelong WVU fan, this kind of game really tears at the heartstrings. Of course I wanted WVU to win the game and go on to win the Big East title.

However, watching the Mountaineers contain the No. 5 Bearcats and holding them to 24 points helps me take this loss in stride.

If I were to be honest, I would mention that I really didn’t expect the Mountaineers to win the game.

Although, I have never gone into a game thinking they couldn’t win. That’s just what we Mountaineer fans do.

There have been the little games that WVU should have won, but didn’t and the big games they shouldn’t have won, but did.

When a new coach comes to any team and leads it to victory in a way such as Bill Stewart has done with the Mountaineers, well, it’s just something of which to be proud.

I have been proud of the Mountaineers efforts over the last couple of seasons.

I am proud of the way the players have handled themselves during coaching changes.

I am proud of the way the team hasn’t given up during the big games and the little games.

I am proud of the wins. I am proud of the losses. I am proud of the way West Virginia has represented the Big East in bowl games.

I love Mountaineer Football.

That is why I can still be happy.

In the past I have found myself taking a WVU loss, really hard. I find that after such a game, I get quiet, my true demeanor becomes hidden in silence, and I even get a little grumpy.

Near the end of the Cincinnati game I received a text on my cell phone from my wife who was watching the game while she was stuck at work.

Here is what it said: …Just remember you love me and I am not the enemy!

It made me laugh. However, it made me think.

It seems like my wife gets the wrong end of the deal when the Mountaineers lose. To her I apologize and exclaim my love.

I now say this to the Mountaineer fans: it’s time to buck up and get behind the Bearcats.

With two more wins, Cincinnati will be undefeated and be showing the all the naysayers that the Big East is in the BCS to stay.

The whole league should be proud of the efforts put forth this year in football.

Cincy, Pitt, South Florida, Rutgers and yes, West Virginia have all had a great season.

No, the season isn’t over but, that just leaves more time for greatness.

Whether you hail from the North, South, West or East, you are the Big East.

So, Mountaineer faithful, let’s show the rest of the nation why we are proud to be Mountaineers!

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Upon Further Review: WVU Defeats Cincinnati

Andrea Nay — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:54:35 -0500

in·dis·put·a·ble, adj.
beyond dispute or doubt; undeniable

Fifth-ranked Cincinnati beat* No. 25 West Virginia 24-21 Friday night under perfect skies in southern Ohio. If we can have an asterisk next to records tainted by doping, we can have an asterisk next to results tainted by blind replay officials.

With five minutes left in the first half, down 14-7, UC's Isaiah Pead reached for the goal line and lost control of the ball.

It wasn't a touchdown. It was a fumble.

The refs said so.

The announcers said so.

Lou Holtz said so.

Even Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly refused to call it an outright score when questioned at halftime.

Yet, somewhere up there in the box the replay team claimed to find indisputable video evidence that Pead did not fumble and, in fact, crossed the plane, bringing the score to 14-14.

What video were they watching?

ESPN's three different angles made it perfectly clear the call on the field was correct.

Usually, I'm not one to blame losses on refs. If you're playing well enough, one botched TD should not be a game-breaker.

This time, I'm not accepting the "play harder" line.

WVU did play harder. Bill Stewart's team held the undefeated Bearcats to 17 points (call in question notwithstanding), caused two turnovers (including the first lost fumble of UC's season), and executed a nearly perfect series with less then a minute left to bring the score to 24-21.

If the game were cleanly played and officiated, I'd tip my hat to Kelly's squad and wish them the best in their quest for a national title. If.

Instead, I'm calling out ESPN, the Big East, and/or the NCAA for orchestrating what amounts to a WWE performance.

This isn't the first example of an undefeated BCS contender getting an assist.

West Virginia, stand strong and file a formal inquiry.

If the conference fails to admit fault and discipline the replay team, a boycott would be appropriate.

Story: Andrea Nay
Photo: Getty Images

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