***You have entered the Mountaineer Football Chat Room***


3_3_5_lover: Hey, remember when every single significant assistant coach that worked for Rich Rodriguez left with him to Michigan except for me?

bombs_away_suckas: YEAH


3_3_5_lover: Water under the bridge!

DickRod: MY MAN!


3_3_5_lover: See you suckers later. Casteel OUT.


***3_3_5_lover and DickRod have left the chat***


bombs_away_suckas: WHO WERE THOSE GUYS?


MrSmithGoesToTheEndZone: That was your defensive coordinator. Don't you know who he is?

bombs_away_suckas: AH YES. THE GUY IN CHARGE OF WHEN I'M TAKING A BREAK FROM RUNNING FOOLS INTO THE GROUND.


MrSmithGoesToTheEndZone: Um, yeah, I guess. So what are you going to do?

bombs_away_suckas: I GUESS I'LL BRING IN ANOTHER ONE.

bombs_away_suckas: I MEAN HOW HARD CAN IT BE.

bombs_away_suckas: /on phone

bombs_away_suckas: HEY JD! WHASSUP HOMIE


cantseeDeForestfromthetrees: Not much, how's it going, Dana?

bombs_away_suckas: CAN YOU HOLD AN OPPOSING DEFENSE TO LESS THAN 71 POINTS?


cantseeDeForestfromthetrees: Ummmm... Sure.

bombs_away_suckas: YOU'RE HIRED.

bombs_away_suckas: TELL YOUR TRAVEL AGENT YOU WANT TO GO TO A PLACE CALLED "WEST VIRGINIA" AND THEY'LL LET YOU COACH BALL. I SWEAR, IT'S PARADISE.


cantseeDeForestfromthetrees: Well, ok then. See you shortly. /hangs up

bombs_away_suckas: SO THAT'S TAKEN CARE OF.


MrSmithGoesToTheEndZone: Come on, Coach. You can't just get one guy. You need some assistants, too.

bombs_away_suckas: THEY CAN ASSIST ME IN FINDING SOME GOOD HOOCH AND EVEN BETTER HOOCHIES. AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT AMIRIGHT


MrSmithGoesToTheEndZone: Oh, Lord.

bombs_away_suckas: FINE, FINE. I'LL BRING IN SOME OTHER GUYS.

bombs_away_suckas: YOU WANT TO COACH D?


Venables_Diagram: Nah, I think I'm gonna go back to Oklahoma. Or Clemson.

bombs_away_suckas: HA! GOOD, THEY'LL NEED IT.

bombs_away_suckas: HOW ABOUT YOU?


feelin_randy: Well, I'm not really sur...

bombs_away_suckas: ZZZZZZZZZZZZ NEXT


Dolla_Dolla_Bill: I tell you what, you need someone who can coach some DEEfense, you see? Who can get these boys to MATCH THE MOUNTAINS, JUT THEIR JAWS, BOW THEIR BACKS. And the Good Lord willing, we might just hold the other team under 50 per game.

bombs_away_suckas: HAHAHA YEAH RIGHT. GO BACK TO CBS SPORTS NETWORK ONE TIME A YEAR.


Dolla_Dolla_Bill: Glad that's over. I was more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin chairs.

bombs_away_suckas: IS HE EVEN SPEAKING ENGLISH?


MrSmithGoesToTheEndZone: Well, it looks like there's only one more candidate.

bombs_away_suckas: BRING HIM IN. I GUESS.

HuggUlongtime: So if I take this shitty gig, does that mean the University will cover my bar tabs all year round?

bombs_away_suckas: MY MAN!!

I live life by a few hard and fast rules.

1) Don't eat seafood if you're nowhere near an ocean.
2) Wear tennis shoes to major sporting events- you never know when a riot could break out and you might need to run.
3) Never take a job where you stare at the clock all day.

And most importantly...

4) Any time WVU puts 70 points on the board in a BCS Bowl game in the same week the basketball team beats a top-10-ranked Big East team, you need to write an article for Wemustignitethiscouch.com.




At this point, you'd think the nation would start to think that WVU kinda shows up for these BCS games.


The week starts off full of promise. Two WVU men's basketball games are scheduled, including Saturday's game against #9-ranked property of WVU Georgetown. More significantly, the football team is headed to the Orange Bowl for their first appearance in a BCS game since the last time they had a full season with a head coach not named Bill Stewart. (This is not a coincidence.)

Going into the Orange Bowl, most reasonable analysts believed WVU's game with the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers was an even match-up of teams featuring similar strengths and weaknesses. (Strengths- offense, weaknesses- defense.)

All week long, WVU fans heard stories about Clemson's unstoppable offense and playmakers like Tahj Boyd and Sammy Watkins. In the pre-game specials before the Orange Bowl on Wednesday, WVU was essentially presented as The Team Clemson Is Playing. Robert Smith of ESPN's College Football Live predicted that the game would be a blowout for Clemson. Kirk Herbstreit predicted all week long, including in the moments before the game was to start, that the Mountaineers would get "crushed." The only on-air personality to pick the Mountaineers to win during the entirety of the hours of coverage by ESPN was Lou Holtz, a native West Virginian, and even he indicated that he thought Clemson was actually more talented.

Perhaps most telling of the national psyche around the game was The Map, ESPN Sportsnation's poll of national users indicating that literally every state in the United States expected Clemson to beat WVU... except West Virginia.

So what happened?

The game looked as if it was going to be a back-and-forth affair, with both teams scoring at will throughout most of the first 17 minutes of the game or so. Then Clemson turned into a turnover machine in the second quarter, giving up a fumble recovery on WVU's goal-line that led to Darwin Cook tackling the Orange Bowl mascot after a 99-yard return for a touchdown.





It was all fun and games after the fumble recovery for a TD, but Darwin Cook didn't know that Obie the Orange was a girl:





Clemson QB Tahj Boyd didn't want to be left out of the turnover party, so he promptly threw an interception to Pat Miller (I always liked that guy!) and fumbled after being donkey-punched by Bruce Irvin.

These turnovers were made all-the-more important by the fact that WVU was scoring touchdowns. After all of them.

Clemson had no answer for WVU's "quick" play, where Tavon Austin comes across the formation and Geno Smith taps him the ball from a shotgun snap. The Mountaineers scored 4 of their 10 ( ) touchdowns on this one simple play that led to the BCS's first-ever post-game mention of the Colorado School of Mines.

As this play counts as a pass, Geno Smith finished with 401 yards (Orange Bowl Record) 6 passing TDs (BCS record) and 1 rushing TD. Tavon Austin finished with 11 catches for 117 yards and 4 TDs(BCS Record), and broke the unofficial BCS record for "Holy-crap-what-did-he-just-do"s.

WVU called the dogs off in the third quarter as ESPN's game announcers like Ron Jaworski were saying things like, "Clemson might want to run the ball. WVU might put 90 on them." However, an interception by backup QB Paul Millard and Clemson's decision to go for a 2-point conversion following a meaningless late TD seemed to anger Holgorsen into heaping even more of a beatdown onto the ACC Champions.

(Ordinarily, I disapprove of running up the score on anyone. However, I wholeheartedly endorsed the Mountaineers attempting to score as much as possible for several reasons:

1) 70. Folks are going to remember that number loooong after they forget any of these other non-championship BCS games.
2) It was against the ACC, a conference that has raided the Mountaineers' conference twice with no regard for the stability of that conference or the teams in it.
3) After those raids the ACC has refused WVU's request for admission on multiple occasions for various reasons. (Academics, television exposure, etc.)
4) The national media's attitude of disrespect in the days and weeks leading up to this game regarding the Mountaineers and their chances.)

In the end, the Mountaineers came out and laid down an asswhipping so epic that it spawned a week's worth of jokes like this one from Fark.com:

Quote:

WVU gave up 33 points and still managed to win by 37 points.

The Mountaineers set so many all-time NCAA bowl records that ESPN Big East Blogger Andrea Adelson needed an entire blog post to cover them all. Some highlights:

WVU now holds the record (in all bowls, not just BCS Bowls) for:
1) Most points in a quarter (35)
2) Most points in a half (49)
3) Most points in a game (70)

The ACC fell to 2-13 all-time in BCS Bowls, and WVU holds more BCS victories alone (3) than the entire ACC Conference.

After the game I tweeted that the Big East could thank the Mountaineers for restoring their legitimacy again by letting WVU go peacefully to the Big 12.






Around the same time the football team began thumping the ACC Champs' collective heads against the sidewalk, the basketball team was applying their own beat-down to Rutgers. WVU downed Rutgers 85-64, as Truck Bryant rebounded from a horrific game in WVU's loss to Seton Hall to score 29 points, and Kevin Jones' 14 point, 14 rebound performance led the way for the Mountaineers.

Almost as if the basketball team was doing Mountaineer fans a favor by allowing them to turn off the game to watch the Orange Bowl, WVU ran up a big lead on Rutgers and never let go even as Rutgers made a push to close the gap. The Mountaineers did, however, succeed in putting up enough points (83), that every sportswriter in the state had to look to some other angle to describe how many points the football team scored.





"OOOOOOH yeah, Jude. I'm gonna make you say something nice about me!"


After spending the week dousing ourselves in champagne and reveling in jokes about the insane 70-points that Dana Holgorsen and company put up, Mountaineer fans were playing with house money going into yesterday's basketball game against #9-ranked Georgetown.

The Hoyas had an 11-game winning streak snapped as they lost to the Mountaineers for the 5th straight time.

Both teams had turnover problems in the first half leading to a 2-point Mountaineer lead at halftime. WVU's struggles came against Georgetown's full-court pressure and Mountaineer inexperience in the backcourt dealing with such pressure.

Kevin Jones was again spectacular with 22 points and 16 rebounds, and is doing little to dispel the notion that he's a strong contender for Big East MVP at this point in the season, as well as national player of the year. He's now 5th in the nation in rebounding and 15th in points per game.

Truck Bryant struggled in the first half (4 turnovers) and didn't shoot well for the game (7-16), but displayed clutch free throw shooting (9-11) down the stretch to put the game out of reach late, finishing with 25 points. Gary Browne was the only other Mountaineer in double figure with 12 points, but he seems to have solved his free throw woes from earlier in the season, as he went 6-for-6 from the line.

With a 3-1 record in the Big East and a resume-padding win over a top 10 team, Mountaineer fans are beginning to dream that the Mountaineer basketball team, though young, might have their own magical season in them this year.

That optimism will be put to the test on Monday, as WVU travels to another top 10-ranked Big East opponent, this time the #8 UConn Huskies, who are coming off of 2 straight losses in conference to Seton Hall and the same Rutgers team that WVU beat down on Wednesday.




(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

KJ got his 22 points in a variety of ways, including this buzzer-beating running hook.


So you would think that would be enough of a gift for Mountaineer fans from the Sporting Gods, right? Two basketball wins (including a top 10 upset) and an epic beatdown in a BCS Bowl would make any week special.

But just to show that we all did something REALLY right to deserve good fortune, we were also given the gift of an 0-2 week for Pitt Basketball with losses to Cincinnati and (gasp) DePaul, and for good measure, we also got to witness the Pitt football team lose their bowl game 28-6 to Mighty Southern Methodist University.

Happy New Year, indeed.

The Mountaineer basketball season plows ahead with surprising success given the vast amount of youth on the team, and the football team looks to finish their own season with a respectable national rank and big prospects for next season.

"The victory caps a great season and helps us lay the groundwork for the future," Coach Holgorsen said in this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article. "The win puts our program in a shining moment for now, but we believe better things are ahead."

It's hard to imagine any better weeks for West Virginia University athletics than the one we just had. So if better days are coming, this is going to be fun.

By Dusty

In its last season in the Big East (whether league meatball John Marinatto wants to admit it or not), West Virginia will represent the Big East in the BCS for the third time in the last seven years.

Despite not looking anything like a BCS team for large portions of the season, WVU (9-3, 5-2 Big East) survived considerable odds to earn a three-way share of the league title.

After losing to Syracuse and Louisville in regular-season play, the Mountaineers had given up their bowl destiny, needing a victory at South Florida plus two wins from Cincinnati, who were facing long adds by depending on a backup QB who willingly goes by the name Munchie.

After Cincy dispatched Syracuse to keep West Virginia's hopes alive, the 'Eers rallied from 7 points down in the final minutes of a 30-27 win over USF. The key play came with 13 seconds left, with WVU facing 4th-and-10 from beyond field goal range and with no timeouts. Geno Smith found a diving Stedman Bailey for a 26-yard completion, moving the ball well inside the range of Tyler Bitancurt. The ensuing chain movement stopped the clock just long enough for Smith to spike the ball and setup Bitancurt's 28-yard game-winner.

"I wasn't thinking about much of anything. I was just trying to stay calm and focused," Bitancurt told the AP in this story. "I've kicked one to win a game as time expired, but never to win a Big East championship."





It was WVU's first win in Tampa since 2005, earning the Mountaineers a piece of the league title as a final insult before departing the sinking league for the greener pastures of the Big 12. Incidentally, WVU's victory made them the14th program in NCAA history to record 700 victories with the win.

Cincinnati then followed suit on Saturday, completing their two-game mini season by holding off Connecticut to earn a share of the league title with WVU and U of L. Thanks to Big East by-laws, that created a mini-conference in which all three teams were 1-1.

The next tiebreaker went to the BCS standings, which were released Sunday with WVU at No. 23. No other Big East team was ranked in the top 25.

It had to be a double-edged sword for Cincinnati, whose victory enabled the Mountaineers to claim the league's BCS spot from two league loyalists. Marinatto and company had a no-win situation between rooting for WVU's legitimacy as the league's most respected team (though admittedly one who is suing the league to get out) or the national beating it would take by having a 7-5 Louisville team stinking up the national spotlight.

After considerably less drama than the three weeks that preceded it, the Mountaineers were invited to their first-ever Orange Bowl appearance against Clemson. WVU could have also faced old Big East rival Virginia Tech, but the Hokies clearly wanted to keep the Black Diamond Trophy longer and decided to tank to the Tigers for the second straight time, losing 38-10.

Clemson is making its fourth Orange Bowl appearance, the first since winning the national championship following the 1981 season.

Virginia Tech, meanwhile, received a pretty good consolation prize, thanks to a soon-to-be void rule that a conference can't have more than two BCS teams. The guideline left Arkansas and South Carolina out in the cold, and the Sugar Bowl chose the Hokies to take on Michigan in a blatant cash-grab, taking a pair of two-loss teams (that travel well) over higher-ranked one-loss teams Kansas State and Boise State (that likely wouldn't put butts in seats).

Those same Hokies - did I mention they beat just one Top 25 team all year? - were housed by Clemson twice en route to the Tigers' ACC title win.

“It's really an exciting opportunity for West Virginia University's football program to be able to go to the Orange Bowl for the first time,” first-year head coach Dana Holgorsen said in a school release. “… It's going to be a great matchup, we're Co-Big East champions and they're ACC champions.”





Back where we belong- the BCS.


The game should have plenty of scoring as both offenses have a multitude of weapons. The two teams average a combined 900 yards per game (WVU 460 vs. 440 from Clemson). They combine to average over 600 yards passing and nearly 70 points.

West Virginia is ranked 19th in the country with an average of 34.9 points per game while Clemson is 27th at 33.6.

“Offensively I think that's what people want to see,” Holgorsen said. “But the only way you can win the game is if defensively, you stop people. I think the turnover margin is the biggest thing in football.

“I think we're pretty good defensively and Clemson's pretty good defensively and the one that gets the most stops and creates the most turnovers will probably be the one that wins the game.”

The tale of the tape continues to be close down the line offensively.

West Virginia ranks No. 7 nationally in passing offense (at 341.8 yards) to go along with a 17th ranking in total offense, averaging 459.6 yards.

The Tigers are 21st in passing at 284.8 yards per game while averaging 440.6 yards per game, good enough to rate them 29th in total offense.

Geno Smith has passed for 3,978 yards and 25 touchdowns, setting school records along the way and ranking him ninth in the country in total offense (325.6 ypg.). The junior also rated 22nd in passing efficiency with a rating of 148.38.

Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are the first receiving duo to produce 1,000-yards season in tandem. Austin has 1,063 yards and four scores (plus two kick-off return TDs), while Bailey has 1,197 yards and a team-best 11 scores.

Austin passed Steve Slaton's 2006 school record of 2,104 all-purpose yards in a season in the season finale win over USF.

Dustin Garrison leads WVU's ground game, which has often been the offense's weakest link. The freshman has 742 yards on the season.

After an 8-0 start, Clemson was briefly in the national title picture, before losing three road games at Georgia Tech (31-17), N.C. State (37-13) and South Carolina (34-13).

The Tigers are led by quarterback Tajh Boyd, a former WVU verbal commitment who has completed 271-of-450 passing for 3,541 yards and 30 touchdowns. Boyd closed the year at No. 18 in the country in total offense (289.5 yard per game) and 30th in passing efficiency (145.00 rating).

Clemson's Sammy Watkins set a school record for single-season receiving yards this year, finishing with 77 catches for 1,153 yards and 11 touchdowns.




Sammy Watkins is a baaaaad dude.


DeAndre Hopkins complements Watkins with 62 catches for 871 yards and four touchdowns.

In the ground game, junior Andre Ellington broke the 1,000-yard barrier, becoming just the 12th player in school history to do so, and the first to break it since C.J. Spiller in 2009.

Defensively both units have often been suspect; WVU has been torched for 30-plus points five times versus six such outbursts given up by Clemson.

The Tigers are 59th in total defense with an average allowed of 379.4 yards, while the unit ranks 80th against the run with 176.5 ypg. surrendered to opponents.

WVU has fared somewhat better, ranking 27th with 340.3 yards by opponents, including a 51st rating with 140.8 yards given up on the ground.

“I think we match up pretty good,” Holgorsen said. “I think offensively, we're two pretty exciting teams and defensively, the only way to win a championship is if you have good quality defense.

“I think our fans are going to be excited about coming to South Florida - both Clemson's fans and West Virginia's fans. We should have an unbelievable crowd and a great atmosphere for a great BCS matchup.”

Clemson is making its 34th bowl game appearance in its history; the Tigers own a 16-17 all-time bowl mark.

West Virginia is making its 31st bowl appearance with a 13-17 all-time record in bowl games.

The Orange Bowl will take place Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. The game will air on ESPN.

By Dusty

Two games remain that will decide West Virginia's postseason football fate, over only one of which the Mountaineers can actually exercise any control.

After rallying to hold off Pittsburgh Friday night, 21-20, in what will likely be the last Backyard Brawl for at least a couple of years, No. 20 WVU moved back into the polls and moved closer to a potential BCS bowl berth that accompanies a Big East championship.

It was West Virginia's third straight victory over the Panthers and the 15th in the last 22 meetings versus the Panthers since 1990. The win was even sweeter for die-hard Pitt haters as the Panthers will have to win Saturday against Syracuse just be bowl eligible.





An artist's rendering of what WVU did to Pitt on Friday. (More specifically, what Stedman Bailey did to them.)


The Mountaineers (8-3, 4-2 Big East) have one game remaining at unranked South Florida (5-6,1-5) Thursday night. Those same Bulls could have made things much easier on WVU had they simply knocked off Louisville this past weekend, a victory that would have put WVU's destiny back into its own hands. But USF couldn't hold an early lead, falling 34-24 and guaranteeing the Cardinals (7-5, 5-2) at least a share of the Big East conference title.

Now WVU needs a win against South Florida to force at least a two-way tie for the Big East title. But the rub in that setup is that the tie would be with Louisville, which would win a tiebreaker over the Mountaineers thanks to the Gold and Blue home field meltdown against the Cardinals three weeks ago.

Thanks to the Mountaineers' generosity, Louisville stands to be the latest in a lengthening line of BCS blowouts-waiting-to-happen, following Pittsburgh (35-7 loss to Utah in 2004/05); Cincinnati twice (losing 20-7 to Virginia Tech in 2008/09, and 51-24 to Florida the next year); and Connecticut (a 48-20 victim of Oklahoma last year).

To keep that from happening, WVU must take care of business with USF and then tune into the Cincinnati game at UConn Saturday at Noon. If the Bearcats can pull out the victory, they would join the Cards and WVU in sharing the league title three ways.

In that scenario, in which WVU beat Cincy, the Bearcats beat U of L, and the Cards knocked off WVU, the BCS bid goes to the highest-ranked team in the BCS ratings, per Big East rules.

If Cincy can't pull out the win, get ready to laugh along with the rest of the country as Clemson or Virginia Tech devastates the Cards in the Orange Bowl, giving the Big East yet another black eye in the national spotlight.

The Mountaineers, meanwhile, will be buying somewhat upscale clothes at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.

As expected, WVU coach Dana Holgorsen is keeping his team focused only on what can be controlled on the gridiron.

"We (don't) talk about it. We haven't talked about it all week,'' Holgorsen said in this Charleston Gazette article. "There was nothing we could do to help South Florida beat Louisville or what Cincinnati does or whatever. I mean, we can't control any of that.

“We've been talking about it [in team meetings] for two weeks as far as just worrying about what you can control. And the only thing we could do was doing our best to beat Pitt.''





Shawne Alston powers over Pitt for the game-winning touchdown.
Photo by Couch Member dubv


West Virginia looked like even that was a long shot early on against the Panthers, falling behind 20-7 in the second quarter thanks to a boatload of inept penalties, continued special teams miscues, and turnovers.

But WVU never gave in, using an adjustment on the right side of the offensive line to key two touchdown drives to take the lead. Freshman Quinton Spain and sophomore Curtis Feight took over duties on the right end, and Shawne Alston took advantage by punching in two touchdowns, including the game-winner.

After rushing for minus-2 yards in the first half, WVU adjusted the O-line with the duo taking over for Tyler Rader and Pat Eger to finish with 115 yards on the ground. Certainly not setting the world on fire, but it proved to be significant progress for a ground game that's struggled all year.

Spain and Feight will start against USF Thursday, which has allowed 105 yards rushing to opponents with an average of 2.7 yards per carry.

The Mountaineer's passing game was stalled somewhat from its usual stat-sheet fireworks, but junior QB Geno Smith still managed to break several records with his 241 yards on 22-of-31 passing. Smith finished with one touchdown, while his totals set new school single-season records for passing attempts, completions, yards, and total offense.

On the receiving end of the lone TD strike was Stedman Bailey, who finished with three catches for 80 yards, mostly from the 63-yard score. Bailey's stats moved him into the top spot for single-season receiving yards.

Receiver Stedman Bailey set the season record for receiving yards and finished with three receptions for 80 yards and a 63-yard touchdown. Tavon Austin caught 10 passes for 102 yards.

The WVU defense entered the Backyard Brawl with just 16 sacks total, but the unit blasted the Panthers' Tino Sunseri for 10 sacks, nine coming at crucial times down the final 25-play stretch.

Julian Miller led the way with a school-record tying 4 QB stuffs, all coming on his Senior Night and his birthday. Miller was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his effort, the second time in three weeks he's won the honor. He had 12 tackles total and two crucial sacks on Pitt's final drive, adding to his FBS-leading 27.5 career sacks.

After a rough early start, the defense held Pitt to just 4-of-20 success and matched the most sacks it's ever had in a Big East game. Pitt also had to settle for two field goals despite gaining field position deep in WVU territory after a fumbled punt return and turnover when a Mountaineer punt hit a WVU defender.





"You bitches enjoy the ACC."


The unit helped West Virginia over its three turnovers, along with its nearly 13-minute deficit in time of possession. The Mountaineers won despite converting just 2-of-12 third downs.

Oddly enough, the team's turnaround began with special teams. Former starter Corey Smith took his job back after Michael Molinari shanked a couple of punts for 22 and 27 yards to set up the Panthers. Smith averaged 57.2 yards on four kicks, totaling punts of 57, 50, 62 and 60 yards with two kicks inside the 20 of the opposition and one on the Pitt 2.

The 60-yard booted helped back the Panthers up too far to rally in the game's final drive in the last two minutes.

"It's a one-game season and we've got to make sure we come out focused and ready to play," Smith said in this ESPN article. "We can't have any letdowns."

South Florida started the season 4-0, including a victory at Notre Dame, but the Bulls have fallen off dramatically as of late, losing six of seven games. The Bulls need a win Thursday to avoid missing a bowl for the first time since 2004.

West Virginia beat USF 20-6 in Morgantown last year, but the Mountaineers have lost two in a row in Tampa. West Virginia lost 30-19 in 2009 and 21-13 in 2007 in its last two games at USF.

The Bulls have lost three straight at home, and will likely need former walk-on quarterback Bobby Eveld to lead them out of that skid.

Eveld, who replaced injured senior B.J. Daniels two weeks ago, completed 20 of 35 for 210 yards, a TD and an interception in last week's loss against Louisville. The sophomore looked sharp early in helping USF to a 14-point lead, but he couldn't rally past a stiffer U of L defense in the second half.

For WVU, Smith leads the Big East with 3,741 passing yards and 25 touchdowns with only five interceptions. USF's defense has allowed opponents 22 points per game, while WVU is averaging more than 35 points per contest.

The Mountaineers and Bulls kick off Thursday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

There's a new football coach in Morgantown since the last WVU Basketball Season Preview article, but losses to Syracuse and Louisville make it necessary to run the same intro to the 2011-2012 WVU Basketball Season Preview that has appeared for four straight years now:

Quote:

This year's preview is particularly important since the Mountaineers have more freshmen on their roster than you'd find at the end of a semester's worth of fraternity paddles. Additionally, it appears as if this might be the last year of Big East play for the Mountaineers, with the University's lawsuit to leave the conference early to join the Big 12 next season. (At least they certainly seem to think it's happening next year...)





I can't imagine seeing this leaked picture of WVU's practice facility floor made a whole lot of folks in the Big East happy...


While it is admittedly a bit of a cop-out to release a "preview" article after four games have already taken place, my defense is twofold:

1) I am lazy.
2) How could you possibly know how so many freshmen would play without seeing them a few times?

The important thing is that the finest WVU Basketball Prediction Article In the Land has returned once again to break down both the players on the team and the predictions of success (or lack thereof) for the Mountaineers this season.

So let's get to it.

(All statistics provided by statsheet.com unless otherwise noted.)


Overview

Last season was a bit of a roller coaster ride for Mountaineer fans. The highs were high (wins over ranked teams like Purdue, Georgetown, Louisville, and eventual NCAA Champion Connecticut- in March no less) and the lows were low (2 losses to Marquette, including the opening game of the Big East Tournament, losses to Miami and... ugh... Marshall).

The season ended about how it should have, with a win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament over Clemson coming on the back of sheer willpower, and a loss to eventual Final 4 team Kentucky after WVU led by 8 points at the half.

The Mountaineers weren't very consistent last year, as evidenced by the fact that they didn't have a winning streak longer than 4 games all season.

They also couldn't shoot the ball worth a damn, as evidenced by their 69.8 points per game and 42.9 field goal percentage, good for 141st and 207th in the nation, respectively.

Key contributors gone from that team are Joe Mazzulla (a 12th year senior who couldn't shoot but played solid defense), Cam Thoroughman (hustle player with little to no actual basketball ability), Casey Mitchell (a streak shooter if ever there was one), and John Flowers (highly-motivated energy player with occasional shooting ability). WVU also loses Dalton Pepper (transferred), Jonny West, and Dan Jennings (who left midway through last season after basically quitting on the team.)

Notice that I didn't name a single person that ever made an All-Big East team in that list, and you'll see that while WVU is bringing freshmen galore into the fold this year, they'll essentially be replacing role players.

So let's get to the guys still on the team this year...


Starters

- Kevin Jones, F (senior)

It seems like just yesterday that this sweet-shooting 6'8'' forward came into our lives and has been a consistent presence in the paint ever since.

He cleans the boards, he's a good defender, and he's got that ability to step away from the basket that every fan dreams of in a power forward.

It doesn't hurt that he's a great player, but KJ is one of my favorite Mountaineer basketball players of all-time mainly because his attitude and work ethic make it nearly impossible to dislike the kid. You never see him dogging a teammate or a referee, feuding with his coach, fighting with an opponent, or any other negative trait many current players have.

Jones was listed on the preseason Wooden Award list (top 50 college basketball players) and the All-Big East First Team. (He's the only Mountaineer on either the First, Second, or Third All-Big East teams, for what it's worth.) He was also named as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, given annually to a student athlete for contributions in community, classroom, character, and competition. (Mountaineer fans might recall that Da'Sean Butler won the award in 2010.)

KJ briefly considered entering the NBA draft last Spring, but made a savvy decision by deciding to return to school rather than joining a league that is apparently not going to have a season this year.

As for his on-the-court accomplishments, KJ actually took a small step backwards last year, perhaps as a result of being forced into a role he's never been quite suited for- that of the go-to guy.

KJ mostly suffered last season from a diminished ability to hit the 3-ball that made him one of the Mountaineers' most effective weapons in their Final Four run in 2010, when he hit over 40% from behind the line. Last year saw KJ hitting only 30%, a marked drop. His free throw percentage also dropped from 66% to 60% (I've never understood why a guy that can shoot as well as KJ from the outside doesn't have a higher FT%).

Never the most athletic guy on the floor (as evidenced by his cringe-inducing missed dunk last week), KJ makes his living by out-hustling and out-positioning opposing teams on the block while collecting rebound after rebound. He's also developed a nice post-up game which allows the Mountaineers to have two low-post threats on the floor when he's partnered with Kilicli on the other side of the floor.

Unfortunately with that new-found ability to post-up comes new-found double teams on the block, and at this point, the Mountaineers haven't demonstrated that they have ANY idea of what to do when that happens, with KJ and The Turk turning the ball over with regularity in that situation. Huggybear will surely have a solution to this problem shortly.

All said, Kevin Jones is a rock in the middle of the Mountaineer frontcourt that has consistently performed to the level of an all-time Mountaineer, and his ability combined with his attitude make him an absolute joy to watch on the basketball court. In short, Kevin Jones makes me proud to be a Mountaineer fan.




Seriously, do a Google images search and try to find a picture where Kevin Jones isn't smiling.


- Darryl "Truck" Bryant, G (senior)

Truck is what he is. He's progressed very little from his freshman season to this point, so you know what you're getting as the season plays itself out. Somewhere between 11-15 points per game, 34% from the floor, and almost as many turnovers as assists.

I know it seems harsh to say, but just look at this chart from statsheet.com:




First and foremost, ignore the 2011-2012 portion of this chart (the far right points) as 3 games is hardly enough of a sample size to either criticize or praise any player.

Notice that as Truck's minutes increased, so did his points, which is to be expected. But his shooting percentage has gone down every single season he's played.

The most troubling statistic with Truck has always been his assist-to-turnover ratio, typically the go-to stat when it comes to point guards.

- Freshman season- 1.3 assists for every turnover
- Sophomore season- 1.5 assists for every turnover
- Junior season- 1.4 assists for every turnover.

Put in perspective, a good point guard in college basketball is usually around at least 3 or 4 assists per turnover. Truck was 37th in the Big East alone in this category last year.

Again, 3 games is too small of a sample size to judge any player, but so far this season it doesn't look like Truck's learned ANYTHING since his freshman season. He's still a walking turnover machine, still jumps into the tallest player on the floor looking for foul calls (sometimes he gets them, sometimes he doesn't), and still commits dumb fouls with regularity.

One positive side of Truck is that he seems to be one of the few players on the Mountaineers this season that is capable of even hitting the rim from 3-point territory, so his outside shooting could provide Kevin Jones and Deniz Kilicli some room to operate inside.

Mountaineer fans will just have to grit their teeth this year and hope that Good Truck comes out more often than Bad Truck, or a Bad Season could be a serious possibility.





It's not an unusual sight for me to turn to the bottle after Truck leads a fast break.


- Deniz "The Turk" Kilicli, C/F (junior)

A crowd favorite (for obvious reasons), The Turk gives the Mountaineers one of the most dangerous low-post scoring threats in the Big East (and maybe in the nation). Noticeably hairier and more athletic this year, Kilicli has a knack for scoring in the post that you just don't see with many collegiate players.

Though right-handed, The Turk shoots almost exclusively with his left hand from the post, and strangely, every defender he's ever faced seems surprised by this. He has a plethora of moves down there which leave many post defenders confused and prone to foul, so it would be helpful if he started hitting more than 57% of his free throws.

Kilicli has frustrated many Mountaineer fans at this point in his career for his propensity to commit silly fouls that put him in foul trouble and limit his minutes on the floor. He also grabs fewer rebounds than someone his size playing almost 30 minutes a game should gather. (Only around 4 per game.)

He seems to have improved on both levels so far this season, but again, a 3-game sample is hardly enough to draw any major conclusions.

If the Mountaineers are to return to the NCAA Tournament this year, they'll need both Kilicli and KJ scoring consistently from the post, as the perimeter options are untested and unknown for WVU this year. Like KJ, Kilicli also needs to work on what to do when the double-team comes, as he's prone to turning the ball over in that situation.

And if he's scoring as consistently from the post as he's capable of, those double-teams should be coming early and often.


- Jabarie Hinds, PG (freshman)

The most highly-touted freshman in Morgantown since Devin Ebanks, Jabarie Hinds is an exciting point guard that gives Mountaineer fans hope for strong backcourt play for years to come.

Hinds, from Mt. Vernon High School in NY like Kevin Jones, is a lefty with amazing speed and athleticism that has already been on display through his first 3 games as a Mountaineer. He's already better on a fast break than Truck Bryant is, (both in terms of finishing and dishing the ball off) and perhaps understandably, has pushed Truck into more of a shooting guard role this season (which perhaps suits Truck better anyway).

Hinds has the potential to be an elite perimeter defender. His athleticism allows him to pester opposing ballhandlers on defense in such a manner that he reminds me of Joe Mazzulla in terms of tenacity and speed, only with more lateral quickness. (This is intended as a major compliment.) Through 3 games, he's averaging 3 steals a game and looks like he's going to be annoying the living hell out of opposing guards for a long, long time.

As with any freshman point guard, Hinds is going to struggle with turnovers, both in regular sets and when facing full-court pressure from other teams. His shot from the outside could be inconsistent, but he has already demonstrated an ability to slash and score that hasn't been seen from the Mountaineer backcourt in quite some time.

While it's early and I don't want to get my hopes up, it also appears that the Mountaineers have successfully replaced Cam Thoroughman with Hinds as Mountaineer Player Whose Mouth Is Hilariously Agape In Every Picture. Behold:






Regardless of Hinds' propensity for open-mouthed photographs, as someone who has been frustrated with point guard play since the departure of Darris Nichols, I'm extremely excited to watch this kid lead the Mountaineers' backcourt for the next few years.


- Keaton Miles, F (freshman)

Keaton Miles is another highly-touted freshman starting for the Mountaineers this year that oozes potential. Though he's had a hard time putting it on the floor through his first three games as a Mountaineer (shooting a ghastly 1-8 with a few airballed three-pointers), Miles is a 6'6'', 4-star forward from Lincoln High School (Dallas, TX) that demonstrated versatility and extreme athleticism in high school.

Understandably, his first few games at the D-1 level haven't exactly demonstrated his ability, but according to all accounts from his high school days, Miles provides an array of scoring options from 15-feet and in, allowing his athleticism to get to the rim for scoring opportunities. At this point, he looks like Coach Huggins might be blowing his mind with some new offensive sets and he doesn't seem comfortable quite yet.

Miles does already demonstrate an ability to defend both the post and perimeter, using his size and athleticism for solid positioning. He also should be an asset on the boards that KJ and The Turk aren't already scooping up themselves.

In a refrain that will be fairly common both this season and in this preview column, Miles has plenty of potential, but the Mountaineers' success on the floor this season will require him to meet at least SOME of that potential sooner rather than later.


Role Players

- Gary Browne, PG (freshman)

Oddly, the two most capable freshmen off the bench for the Mountaineers are both named Brown(e), leading to approximately 4,000 times this season my wife will probably say, "Now which Brown is that again?"

This Brown(e) is a very capable point guard from Puerto Rico who actually has a considerable amount of experience in high-level competition for someone his age. As this ESPN Insider article notes, he was named Puerto Rico's player of the year in his junior season before heading to the US and Arlington Country Day School in Florida for his senior season. Last year, he was the leading scorer for the U-18 Puerto Rican National Team as a 2-guard, demonstrating ability as a scorer from long-range, though point guard is his natural position.

As this article from WVIllustrated.com notes, "Through four games, he's the team's third-leading rebounder behind Kevin Jones and Deniz Kilicli. As a backup point guard." (Though that almost speaks more to the lack of rebounding after KJ and The Turk than Browne's specific skill set.)

Browne has been the first player off the bench for the Mountaineers so far this season, demonstrating unusual poise for an 18-year old point guard. He's also gotten the attention of his teammates, as noted in this article from wvmetronews.com after Browne's solid performance in Tuesday's Moorehead State game:

“Gary Browne has improved a lot. He’s had a tough time. Coach has really been on him the last couple of games, but he’s our point guard,” said forward Kevin Jones. “He has to go out there and lead us and he’s stepped up really well for us tonight and we are going to need for him to keep improving in order for him to lead us.”

If Truck Bryant is struggling with either poor play or foul trouble (which you can probably tell from the above preview that I expect to happen a decent amount), expect to see plenty of Gary Browne.





Like Jabarie Hinds, Gary Browne looks to give the Mountaineers a solid option in the backcourt for years to come.
Photo by wvillustrated.com


- Pat Forsythe, C (freshman)

One of the first legitimate centers in Bob Huggins' tenure at West Virginia is 6'10'' freshman Pat Forsythe out of Brunswick, OH. One of the youngest members of the Mountaineer basketball team (he just turned 18 in July) Forsythe was not highly recruited until before a workout tape surfaced before his senior year that had recruiters floored, then the offers started rolling in.

Forsythe might not be done growing, as he sprouted 2 inches going into his senior year which saw him average average 22.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 66% from the floor.

It seems apparent through the Mountaineers first four games that Forsythe is about as raw as an uncooked steak (in his first game he finished with 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 blocks, 0 assists, and 5 fouls in 14 minutes of game time), but he has already shown glimpses of his potential to hit the boards and alter some shots.

And believe me, with absolutely ZERO shotblocking coming from anyone I've named in this preview so far, any help Forsythe can provide in that respect would be welcomed.



- Aaron Brown, F/G (freshman)

The other Brown is a sweet-shooting lefty that has already demonstrated his ability from the outside in the first four games this season, hitting 4 of 9 from 3-point range. (His barrage of outside shots in the first game against Oral Roberts caused my first, "Who the hell is THIS kid?" of the year.)

Brown is a 6'5'' forward/shooting guard out of Penn Wood High School in Philadelphia, PA, where he averaged 19 points and just over 7 rebounds in his senior year.

Brown should give the Mountaineers an outside threat this season to compliment the inside game of KJ and The Turk, and should see enough minutes to contribute.

If nothing else, it should be entertaining to watch him dealing with Coach Huggins, as he reported in this interview that he wanted to come to WVU because "[Coach Huggins] is
just real laid back and I like that about a coach."





"LAID BACK???"


- Kevin Noreen, F (redshirt freshman)

Noreen is the only guy coming off of the bench that Mountaineer fans had ever seen before this season, playing in 6 games last season before undergoing surgery on his right knee and qualifying for a medical redshirt. The most remarkable thing about his contributions last year were that there were no other freshmen on the Mountaineer roster available to contribute even that much.

In limited action, the 6'10'' forward seemed adept at hitting the glass on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, with a nice touch around the rim. It seemed that he might have a chance to mesh well with the Mountaineers last season before his injury, even though he only appeared in spot duty. So far this season it seems like Forsythe is Coach Huggins' first option off the bench, with Noreen available if necessary.


- Paul Williamson, G (freshman)

A walk-on freshman from Logan, West Virginia, no one really expected much from Paul Williamson this year, perhaps even Paul Williamson, who admitted that he was surprised to hear Coach Huggins call his name to come into the third game of the season against Alcorn State.

"I was kind of just stunned,'' Williamson said in this very good Charleston Gazette article. "I can't even explain it. I was just kind of stunned that he called my name so early.

"At first it just went through my mind like, 'Did he just say my name?' And then he said it again and I thought, 'Oh my gosh.' I took my shirt off and I went up and I was trying to calm myself.''

Williamson calmed himself to the extent that he drained the first shot of his NCAA career, a 3-pointer, then another one shortly thereafter. Just for good measure, he hit another pair in the next game against Morehead State, leaving him 4-6 in 2 games this season.

While his defense leaves something to be desired, Williamson can see himself in the role vacated by Jonny West's graduation- that of a deadeye shooter in spot situations. (And as noted in Aaron Brown's preview section, the Mountaineers can use all the outside shooting they can get.)

Williamson had a chance to play in other lower-level D-1 schools on scholarship, but instead chose to walk on to his home state team. For what it's worth, he's earned high praise from his home state fans and his home state coach:

"Paul comes in and listens and tries to do what he is supposed to do," says Bob Huggins in this article from wvillustrated.com. "Paul can make shots and he is going to play hard and you know what he is going to give you."





Two words- Fan. Favorite.


- Dominique Rutledge, F (Junior)

Dominique Rutledge is a highly-touted junior college transfer standing 6'8'', 240. Unfortunately, he's already found his way into Coach Huggins doghouse in his short time in Morgantown so far, earning a suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Rutledge's path to the Mountaineers is a somewhat confusing one. Originally ruled academically ineligible after committing to St. Joe's out of high school in 2007-2008, he spent 2008-09 at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College and 2009-10 at Miami Dade before going to Western Texas College, where he didn't even play in games, but just practiced with the team.

According to quotes from Western Texas College coach Jason Sautter from this article, "He played at Miami Dade and his grades weren’t where they needed to be and so he contacted us and said that he heard I’m not the easiest guy in the world to be around but I stay on top of guys and make sure they do what they’re supposed to do."

That same article gives a handy scouting report of Rutledge from none other than Coach Sautter himself:

“He can handle the ball. He can play the four or the five. He can guard anywhere from a three to a five. If he has to guard a two, he can.

“He’s very consistent from 15 feet in. If he has to shoot a 3 he can hit that as well. He’s not afraid to bang, not afraid to run. He can pass it. He can handle it. He can play a little inside-out. He has good hands and rebounds very well.”

So far in the season, it doesn't look like Rutledge has earned the trust of Coach Huggins, playing only 6 total minutes in all four games. Mountaineer fans hope that whatever it was that caused him to get suspended has been addressed, as WVU players butting heads with Coach Huggins don't typically stay around very long. Just ask Noah Cottrill and Dan Jennings.


- Tommie McCune, F (Freshman)

McCune is another long (6'8''), skinny (205 pounds) freshman with potential but not much in the way of ability to contribute for the Mountaineers right away. He's also already seen some trouble in Morgantown after being charged with shoplifting in August, but has apparently satisfied the Mountaineer coaching staff that he's responsible enough to earn a few minutes in the games so far this season.

McCune, a freshman out of Saginaw, Michigan, has a nice touch around the basket and an unusual ability to handle the basketball for a forward his size. If he can stay out of trouble and hit the famous Huggins Weight Gain Program (which is certainly more effective than the Jude Weight Gain Program from college, which consisted of potato skins and cases of Natural Light), then he should be ok.


Season Predictions

I feel like if you've made it this far in the WVU Basketball Season Preview, you're probably aware that we've gotten pretty effing good at this prediction business on the Couch. And if nothing else, we're pretty effing good at telling you how effing good we are, so I'll fill in the uninitiated:

- 2005-2006, correctly predicted not only that WVU would finish 3rd in the Big East, but also nailed the EXACT SEED that the Mountaineers would have in the Tournament (6).

- 2006-2007, correctly predicted an 8th place-finish in the Big East and an NIT run (WVU finished in a 3-way tie for 7th in the Big East and won the NIT)

- 2007-2008, correctly predicted WVU's exact number of regular season wins (22), their exact finishing place in the Big East (they finished tied with Marquette for 5th at 11-7), and their inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. (To be fair, I missed their seed by 3.)

- 2008-2009- 1 game off the final record, 2 spots off the Big East rank, and 1 seed off the NCAA Tournament appearance.

- The magical 2009-2010 season, unquestionably my best work. 1 game off the final record, nailed the Big East 2nd place finish, called the Big East Tournament Championship (I'm not making this up, it's on record), and the NCAA Tournament seed while saying it would be a "season for the ages."

- As compared to that insanity, last year was a step back. I missed the final record by a single game (again), correctly predicted WVU would finish 6th in the Big East (they tied with Cincinnati), but missed on the NCAA Tournament seed, predicting an 8-seed when they got a 5. (In my defense, it was an unusually bad season for college basketball. Normally a 20-10 team wouldn't sniff a 5-seed.)





Thank you, Mr. President. At least someone appreciates greatness when they see it.


(PS- At this point I am also compelled to mention that Couch Contributor PB has correctly predicted WVU's exact record two seasons in a row. See the previous links to verify. His prize for this precision is this shout-out. We are cheap bastards here at the Couch.)

So let's get to this season's predictions. Granted, we have a little bit of an unfair advantage after seeing 4 games already, but I seriously doubt anyone's really learned anything in these first four games that they didn't already know about the team. "What, the freshmen are going to be hit and miss? THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING!!"


Dan

So long Big East Basketball, we hardly knew ye. Off we go to establish rivalries with...Kansas State? Texas? The Permian Panthers?

Regardless, like our gridiron warriors, this doesn't appear to be a successful season for Kevin Jones and others as they attempt to perform a victory lap around the conference schools. But I didn't have to tell you that after the Mountaineers already dropped an exhibition game to Western Eastern Southern Northern Kentucky

That said, I see Huggins' squad going 17-16 while channeling the Ghost of Gale Catlett and losing our opening round Big East Tournament game. Perhaps we can win another NIT championship, assuming the tourney still exists and that Darris Nichols has an additional year of eligibility.


Norm

This year's Mountaineer basketball team will drive us (and Huggs) absolutely crazy. The team is young and exceptionally talented, however, with that youth will come mistakes.

This team, at times, will look as though the National Championship is just a formality and the turn right around and look as though they have never even seen a basketball before.

That having been established, Bob Huggins is an excellent teacher of the game of basketball, so this team will most definitely improve dramatically as the season progresses, let's just hope that until that happens we haven't eliminated ourselves from post-season contention.


PB

This is going to be a tough year for the Mountaineers. With only 3 players on the roster with any significant playing time, Huggin's squad is, in a word, young. Real young. Literally Justin Beiber young.

I have no doubt they will get better as the season progresses, but the schedule gets harder as they get into the later stages as well. Big East play is going to be a season-long trial by fire for the many many freshman on this team.

Playing for Coach Huggins is also a trial by fire in and of itself. Huggs may need to buy a few additional treadmills. Ultimately, these kids will come together and be a really good team. This year, however, I will be happy just getting an NCAA bid.

Record prediction- 19-12





The Couchers are predicting a bit of a fall from grace for the Mountaineers this season.


Jude

Ok, I know I'm the only one.

From just about every season prediction article I've found concerning the Mountaineers comes predictions of doom and gloom and NIT appearances.

I just don't see it. Not yet, anyway.

I realize there are freshmen galore on the floor for the Mountaineers, and there will be some bumps in the road for those freshmen. But compare this team to last season's, which had so many returning players with experience. Isn't it reasonable to expect that a top 10 recruiting class could replace guys like Mazzulla, Thoroughman, and Flowers? Doesn't anyone remember that there were sizable stretches during last season when the Mountaineers demonstrated almost no SKILL and all HEART? When they couldn't throw the basketball in the ocean?

Sure, there will be games when opposing teams press the Mountaineers and too many turnovers happen and they can't recover. There will be times when your head will explode because something as simple as an inbounds play goes horribly awry.

But there's also aspects that these freshmen bring to the court that last year's team simply couldn't, from outside shooting to fast breaks to perimeter defense.

It may be rocky to start, but I'm putting my money on Huggs to straighten it out in time to get this team to the NCAA Tournament just like every other Mountaineer squad he's ever coached.

Record- 19-12
Big East 7th place finish
NCAA Tournament appearance as an 8-seed

Enjoy the season, everyone.