I was in L.A. for a friend's wedding last weekend and missed WVU's victory over Rutgers. I live in an age where I've been trained to believe that I can get any content I want whenever and wherever I want and when I can't, it's really frustrating.
My friend in L.A. has Time Warner cable and Internet. On the TV, apparently you can no longer purchase individual games on the ESPN GamePlan so I would have had to have purchased the entire season ($129) to see the game. I couldn't watch it on the Internet, because ESPN 360 is not supported by Time Warner ISP.
So, I had to watch it, play-by-play, on ESPN's GameCast. (Which is very close to how the public had to follow out-of-town baseball games prior to the TV and radio—each play was transmitted by ticker tape, and wooden men were moved around a big board on a wall. To see a fine recreation of this, rent "Eight Men Out.")
At the same time, I was texting a buddy who was in the stands at Mountaineer Field watching the game live and another in Charleston, W.Va., watching it on TV. I told my friend in L.A., "All I need now is to be on the phone with someone who's listening on radio and I'll have all media platforms covered."
So, that's a long way of saying that I haven't seen the game, so I only know what I read and what I saw on the ESPN highlights. (Also, my DirecTV proprietary DVR failed to record the game. I'll be calling them tomorrow.)
To wit:
Pat White's first touchdown pass to TE(!) Tyler Urban was perfectly executed, and was reminiscent of White's touchdown pass to Darius Reynaud in the Fiesta Bowl.
White's touchdown pass to Jock Sanders was all Sanders, from the moment he leaped to reel in White's high pass to the slalom moves he put the enter left half of the Rutgers defense, a run that was reminiscent of Major Harris's slalom through the Penn State defense in 1988. (Members of that team were on hand at Mountaineer Field on Saturday.)
Scooter Berry wins defensive MVP honors for the first half of the season with his bat-down of Mike Teel's pass on fourth-and-five.
Maybe he'll be a great corner some day but Brandon Hogan got burned for another touchdown. This time, and you can see it in the ESPN highlights, he froze in no-man's land, unsure whether to go forward or backward, allowing the Rutgers receiver to run behind him to the back corner of the end zone to catch the pass.
Now, a couple of observations:
It seems every game so far brings a call by Coach Bill Stewart that is so puzzling, sports writers can't wait for the game to end so they can ask, "What were you thinking?" Against Colorado, it was clock management.
Against Rutgers, it was two
comments (4) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
The only way WVU can restore the Rodriguez-era luster -- at least to some degree -- is to win out. It has to sweep an exceptionally weak Big East and it has to beat Auburn. Even that won't be enough unless West Virginia wins in style, meaning with an explosive offense and swaggering defense. Otherwise, all those talented kids who suddenly found WVU cool -- for everything from its uniforms to its emotional play to its breakaway touchdowns -- won't give the Mountaineers a second look. Actually, they won't have the opportunity, because WVU won't get the national TV spots that helped thrust it into the college football stratosphere. I'm betting against any of that happening. As that megabucks booster in Arizona said, you don't replace an architect with a housepainter. Rodriguez was a football genius; Stewart, based on his first half-season as a major-college head coach, is a journeyman. But won't it be sweet if I'm wrong?
about 1 month ago
I hate being left out in the cold as far as being able to watch something I really want to watch. I'm a big NASCAR fan, and when it coincides with the NFL it's sometimes hard to find a TV to watch a Sunday race on. If NASCAR.com doesn't host it, I'm out of luck, and it's an empty feeling.
about 1 month ago
Franks comments on the offensive line are on the money. Something is going on there that is tremendously different from the past few years. And with the #2 rushing QB in college history, you shouldnt have to bring in your backup QB to make a 3rd and 1....as far as Rodriguez genius status, I'm not buying it. Ill give him his due, but he fell into Slayton starting when Gwaltney was injured, and his record was not that great before White-Slayton tandem began starting every game.....
about 1 month ago
I think WVU should have thrown megabucks to lure Trickett back from FSU. With Rodriguez gone, he might have returned. His offensive lines were awesome ... On the Rodriguez genius thing, I think the fact that WVU beat the SEC and Big 12 champs in BCS bowls attests to that. He turned a journeyman -- to use that word again -- program into what would have been a perennial power had he stayed. He proved you don't need lots of 4- and 5-star recruits to beat traditonal powers. You need an innovative offense, lots of fast guys, a stout defense and -- just as importantly -- the ability to get into the kids' heads. Yes, he was a petty eogmaniac. But you can't really dispute his brilliance as a football coach (and stupidity off the field).
write a new comment