Vice President Slams Rich Rodriguez At Miners Memorial
Vice President Joe Biden was among the attendees at the memorial for the 29 miners who were killed in a West Virginia explosion earlier this month. The vice president managed to work in a Rich Rodriguez blast, who left West Virginia University for Michigan after the 2007 season, saying
“They loved hunting, fishing, riding horses and four-wheelers. They hated the way Coach Rodriguez left West Virginia for Michigan.”
Looking for a rim shot at a memorial, real smooth.
West Virgina Bob Huggins Takes Food & Support To Mining Families
So Caring
West Virginia University men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins made a surprise visit to the families of miners who have been killed or are missing following an explosion in his home state. Huggins, who is affectionately known as “Huggy Bear,” arrived by helicopter to give support and deliver food.
The families have been waiting word on their loved ones since Monday’s blast at Upper Big Branch Mine. Twenty-five miners have been killed and two are injured. Rescue crews are working to try to reach four who are missing.
Huggins is among the state’s most recognizable and perhaps popular residents. Last week, he led the Mountaineers to their first Final Four since 1959.
West Virgina Celebrates Final Four Appearance With John Wall Dance
What is West Virginia doing stealing Daniel Tosh’s “I’m Better Than You Na-na Na-na Boo-boo, Stick Your Head in Doo-doo” segment?
WTF: Steve Nash
Steve Nash Starring In Rudy J's Favorite Show: True Blood
There’s the story of when Jerry West was at West Virginia University and had his nose broken on a play. Barley able to breathe West dribbled over to the sideline and grabbed a towel to whip the blood off his face while continuing to dribble the ball only to go on to score 19 more points in beating the University of Kentucky.
We’ve already seen Phoenix Suns Steve Nash with the bloody nose when he collided with San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker and now comes the bloody lip when his mouth caught the elbow of Indiana Pacers guard Earl Watson and a tooth went through Steves upper lip in the first quarter. Nash received seven stitches; four on his upper lip and three on the inside of his mouth. Nash eventually returned to the game and finished with 20 points, nine assists, and four rebounds and went 1 for 4 from long range.
Primetime College Football: Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
TALENT
The 47th annual Gator Bowl will see the West Virgina Mountaineers take on the Florida State Seminoles in the iconic coach Bobby Bowden’s last game. Bowden’s historic 44-year career as a head coach reluctantly comes to a close.
The Seminoles (6-6) are in postseason play for the 28th straight year, but it was a difficult season for the affable Bowden. Florida State failed to win more than two in a row and fell for the sixth straight time to Florida, 37-10 on Nov. 28, to finish third in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Two days later, Bowden, 80, said he hadn’t decided on his future and still had career options – one of them being to remain the head coach. After meeting with university officials Dec. 1, though, Bowden said the Gator Bowl would be his last game.
Regardless of the .500 season, Bowden’s accomplishments while building a powerhouse over 34 seasons in Tallahassee are staggering. Following several near-misses in the 1980s, he won national titles with the Seminoles in 1993 and most recently in 1999, when they went unbeaten and became the first to go wire-to-wire as the top-ranked team in the AP poll. Another big achievement is a string of 14 straight seasons, ending in 2000, during which Florida State won at least 10 games and finished ranked in the top five. The Seminoles were 152-19-1 in that span.
He has a 315-97-4 record with Florida State.
Florida State has long had a plan in place for Bowden’s successor, naming offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher in 2007. But first, Bowden will get a send-off in a bowl game where he’s yet to lose. The Seminoles are 4-0 under him in the Gator Bowl, including double-digit wins over West Virginia in 1982 and 2005.
The Mountaineers have won four consecutive bowls since that last loss to Florida State and two of those victories have been under coach Bill Stewart, who is among the many ardent Bowden supporters.
West Virginia (9-3) appeared to be out of the mix for a New Year’s bowl following late-season losses to South Florida and Cincinnati. However, with three-point wins over then-No. 8 Pittsburgh and Rutgers to close the regular season, the Mountaineers finished tied with the Panthers for second in the Big East behind the 12-0 Bearcats.
The Mountaineers’ best player is running back Noel Devine, who finished second in the Big East with 1,372 yards and fourth with 12 touchdowns. Jarrett Brown was third in the conference with 2,129 passing yards, but threw only 11 TDs with eight interceptions in 12 games.
Brown’s counterpart is EJ Manuel, who has started the last three games after Christian Ponder was lost for the season due to a separated shoulder. Manuel has appeared in six games, throwing for 616 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions.
His top targets are Rod Owens and Bert Reed, who tied for fifth in the conference with 58 receptions, but Owens had only three touchdowns while Reed had none. Jarmon Fortson topped the team with four TD catches. Jermaine Thomas led the Seminoles ground game with 711 yards and 7 TDs.
PICK: Florida State University Seminoles
Primetime College Football: Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Somewhat TALENT
The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl previously called the Motor City Bowl before this season takes place in Detroit for the 13th time and this year it will see Ohio University Bobcats, who are making just their second postseason appearance since 1968, take on the Marshall Thundering Herd who will be lead by interim coach Rick Minter. The Thundering Herd gave West Virginia assistant John “Doc” Holliday a five-year contract to coach the team.
Marshall is no stranger to this bowl, as the team played in the first four Motor City Bowls posting a 3-1 record. Overall the Herd are 5-3 in bowl games, but have not played in one since 2004 when the team was defeated by Cincinnati, 32-14, in the Forth Worth Bowl. Marshall opened its season with four wins in its first six games, but lost four of its last six games to finish 6-6 overall and 4-4 in conference.
The Thundering Herd was nothing special offensively this season, as the team produced just 21 ppg. Marshall did enjoy success on the ground averaging 138.8 ypg and the majority of the yards came by Darius Marshall, who led the squad with 1,054 yards and 11 touchdowns on an impressive 5.1 yards per carry. At quarterback Brian Anderson was very inconsistent this season passing for 2,561 yards with 14 touchdowns but almost matched in 13 interceptions. Receiving most of the catches where Antavio Wilson who had 57 receptions and 706 yards and Cody Slate who hauled in 50 catches for 607 yards and 4 touchdowns.
The Thundering Herd also dealt with plenty of problems defensively and surrendered on average 392.5 yards per matchup. The Herd gave up 145.1 ypg on the ground and 247.4 ypg through the air and allowed 19 passing touchdowns. The most alarming stat is that the Herd are allowing opponents to convert on 40 percent of their third down attempts. Mario Harvey is the lone bright spot on the defense with 105 tackles and 5 sacks.
As for the Bobcats, this will be just their fourth-ever bowl appearance, but the team’s second in the last three years. Ohio has lost all three of its bowl matchups, including a 28-7 loss to Southern Mississippi in the 2007 GMAC Bowl. Ohio started off the season 2-2 but turned things around by winning seven of its last eight regular season games but lost in the Mid-American Conference title game to Central Michigan 20-10 to finish 9-4 overall and 7-1 in conference.
Frank Solich’s Bobcats where led by Theo Scott who passed for 2,258 yards and 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Scott had numerous wide receivers to choose from like Taylor Price who has 52 catches for 735 yards and 5 scores and LaVon Brazill who has 50 catches for 689 yards and 6 touchdowns. On the ground Ohio was lead by Chris Garrett who ran for 591 yards.
Ohio has been lead by a defense that held opponents to 21 ppg and collected 20 interceptions while also forcing 36 turnovers. Noah Keller is the heart and soul of this defense with 138 tackles but Dak Notestine is leading the team with 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks while Gerald Moore has grabbed 6 interceptions.
Before heading over to the Conference-USA the Thundering Herd were part of the MAC, so these two schools are no strangers to each other. Ohio currently holds a 29-17-6 edge over Marshall in the all-time series, but the Thundering Herd have won 10 of the last 12 meetings.
PICK: Ohio University Bobcats
University of Cincinnati Hires Central Michigan’s Butch Jones
26-13 Overall
The University of Cincinnati went right back to Central Michigan University for its next coach and hired Butch Jones to replace Brian Kelly, who came from Central Michigan three years ago.
Jones familiarity with the Big East and the wide-open offense were major factors in getting him to Cincinnati. He worked under Kelly for one year at Central Michigan before going to West Virginia as offensive coordinator for two years under Rich Rodriguez. The Mountaineers had one of the nation’s top offenses while he was there in 2005-06. When Kelly left for Cincinnati, Jones went back to Central Michigan. Jones announced he added Kerry Coombs to his coaching family. Coombs will work with the secondary, just as he did this season under Brian Kelly.
The Chippewas had some of the best offenses in their history under Jones, who led them to the Mid-American Conference title this season and their first national ranking. Central Michigan is preparing to face Troy in the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 6. The Bearcats are preparing to play Florida on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl with Jeff Quinn being the coach.
He’s 26-13 at Central Michigan, with Mid-American Conference championships in 2007 and 2009.
Most Viewed College Football Season On ESPN Since 1994
All For This
ESPN averaged a 1.9 U.S. rating and 2.9 million viewers for college football coverage during the 2009 season, up 12% in ratings and viewership from last year 1.7, 2.6 mil, and the most-viewed college football season on ESPN since 1994 which turned out 3.1 million.
The top game of the season on ESPN was USC/Ohio State on September 12, which drew a 6.3 U.S. rating and 10.6 million viewers. USC/Ohio State ranks as the most-viewed college football game ever on ESPN, regular season or postseason.
Meanwhile, ESPN2 averaged a 1.0 U.S. rating and 1.5 million viewers for its college football coverage, up 11% in ratings and viewership from last year 0.9, 1.4 mil, and the most-viewed college football season ever on the network.
ESPN2′s top game was Pittsburgh/West Virginia on the day after Thanksgiving, which drew a 2.5 U.S. rating and 4.1 million viewers. The game stands as the most-viewed college football game ever on ESPN2.
In addition to the records set by USC/Ohio St. and Pittsburgh/West Virginia, ESPN and ESPN2 set other milestones during the 2009 season including the third-most viewed game ever on ESPN Miami/Florida St., 8.4 mil, the most-viewed Thursday night game ever on ESPN Texas/Texas A&M, 6.7 mil and the most-viewed Saturday game ever on ESPN2 Florida/Kentucky, 3.6 mil.
Primetime College Football: Panthers vs Mounties
TALENT
Pittsburgh’s shocking upset of West Virginia in Morgantown two years ago was a positive end to an otherwise disappointing season. There have been few low points for the Panthers since.
Pittsburgh will try to avoid looking too far ahead when it visits West Virginia on Friday night in the 102nd meeting of the teams’ intense rivalry. Pittsburgh (9-1, 5-0 Big East) attention is focused on their annual showdown with the Mountaineers, a game often referred to as the “Backyard Brawl.”
Pitt has won the last two meetings with West Virginia (7-3, 3-2), including a 13-9 victory in Morgantown in 2007, which kept the Mountaineers from playing for the national title.
Coach Dave Wannstedt acknowledges the Panthers’ 2007 win over the Mountaineers as a turning point for his program. Pittsburgh had come into that game 4-7. In the two years since, the Panthers have gone 18-5, and they have been a consistent presence in the Top 25.
West Virginia, meanwhile, saw coach Rich Rodriguez leave two weeks after that upset defeat. The Mountaineers went 9-4 under Bill Stewart last season and have spent only two weeks in the rankings this season. This is the first time since 2003 that the teams have met with the Panthers in the Top 25 and the Mountaineers unranked.
Dion Lewis, the freshman running back leads the Big East with 129.1 rushing yards per game. Lewis needs only 38 more yards to surpass Pitt’s LeSean McCoy for the Big East’s freshman rushing mark.
Handing off the ball to Lewis is quarterback Bill Stull, has silenced doubters with his effective play this season. Stull has completed an efficient 66.3 percent of his pass attempts and has thrown 18 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions. Stull’s favorite targets are wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin and tight end Dorin Dickerson. Baldwin is obviously the deep threat, catching 40 balls for 840 yards, while Dickerson is a red zone target, with 10 of his 43 catches resulting in a touchdown.
The Mountaineers are sure to test Pitt’s run defense, as they are churning out 183.5 ypg on the ground this season. WVU is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has scored 23 of its 35 offensive touchdowns on the ground.
The speedy and elusive Noel Devine leads the run game, although the 5-8, 176- pounder has been slowed by some minor injuries of late. Still, Devine has enjoyed a standout campaign with 1,098 yards and 10 scores, and his 5.7 yard per carry average is indicative of his explosiveness.
Helping to take some of the pressure off Devine is quarterback Jarrett Brown, who has proved too be an effective runner in his own right, gaining 366 yards and five scores on the ground. Brown has had success with his arm as well, hitting on 65.1 percent of his tosses with 11 more touchdowns. Jock Sanders is clearly the favorite target of Brown, as his 62 catches are nearly double the next closest player on the roster.
Friday is West Virginia’s final home game. It’s trying to go undefeated in Morgantown for the first time since 1993.
PICK: University of Pittsburgh Panthers
Milwaukee Bucks Joe Alexander Wants To Be Traded
Fraud
Could a new city and team be what the former 2008 No. 8 overall draft pick Joe Alexander needs to jump start his career or could the former West Virginia standout be a player that could never play on highest level in the first place? I’m going with the latter and I consider myself an Alexander fan.
The Milwaukee Bucks decided two weeks ago not to pick up his third year option on his rookie contract, and that has lead Alexander to say he wants to be traded. Alexander’s 2010-11 option for $2.76 million was not picked up by the Nov. 2 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
It has lead Alexander to say if they don’t want him than they should trade him. But in fairness to the Bucks decision Alexander is hardly healthy and when so he isn’t making himself into a force during practice that he should command playing time.
The Bucks and I had high hopes for the 6-foot-8 Alexander when they selected him and they did so ahead of players such , selecting him ahead of players such as Brook Lopez, Jason Thompson, Anthony Randolph, and JaVale McGee. Instead, Alexander became the highest first-round pick ever to have his rookie contract option declined after his first season.
Such high demands for a player that hasn’t given anything back.
Primetime College Football: Mounties vs Bearcats
TALENT
Cincinnati has endured plenty of uncertainty surrounding its quarterback situation this week, but coach Brian Kelly hopes the offense continues its smooth sailing on the field regardless of who is under center.
While Zach Collaros makes his fourth straight start as the Bearcats chase the first 10-0 start in school history, injured starter Tony Pike is also expected to see action Friday night when their pursuit of a spot in the BCS title game continues against visiting West Virginia.
Each quarterback has proved he can effectively run the Bearcats’ spread, no-huddle offense, which ranks third nationally with 482.6 yards per game.
After Pike led Cincinnati to the Big East title and the Orange Bowl last season, the 6-foot-6 senior threw 15 touchdown passes and just three interceptions in six starts this year to gain some early Heisman Trophy buzz and help the Bearcats (9-0, 5-0 Big East) to six relatively comfortable victories.
But after the strong-armed Pike reinjured his previously broken non-throwing forearm against South Florida on Oct. 15, Collaros added a new dimension to Cincinnati’s offense by running for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in the 34-17 win. In three starts since then, Collaros has shown he can also pass effectively, going 66 for 82 for 1,028 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception.
The sophomore helped Cincinnati rack up a school-record 711 total yards in Saturday’s 47-45 win over Connecticut, after which Kelly said he was no longer committed to Pike as a starter. Collaros threw for 480 yards and a touchdown and ran for 75 yards and two scores. The prolific offense has been the primary reason why Cincinnati remains in the national championship conversation and has a chance for the best start in the program’s history. The 1951 team also began 9-0 but lost its 10th game.
The Bearcats also need to keep winning in order to defend their conference title, as they remain tied with Pittsburgh atop the Big East, but they may need to tighten their defense after the unit’s worst performance of the season.
UConn scored more points than Cincinnati’s previous three opponents combined, including 21 in the fourth quarter to narrow the deficit. The Huskies ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns. That could be a problem if West Virginia is able to use star running back Noel Devine, one of 16 players nationally who has topped 1,000 yards rushing.
Devine injured his ankle in a 17-9 win over Louisville on Saturday, forcing the Mountaineers (7-2, 3-1) to rely on defense to outlast the Cardinals. Quarterback Jarrett Brown suffered a similar injury in the game, but West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said he’s optimistic both players will play this week.
The bigger challenge for the Mountaineers, however, will likely be slowing down a Cincinnati offense which Stewart has called a “juggernaut.” A pair of opponents have already totaled at least 300 yards through the air against West Virginia, which must win this game to maintain any shot at the conference title.
The Mountaineers will have some positive history on their side. They were the last team to win at Nippert Stadium, 28-23 over then-No. 21 Cincinnati on Nov. 17, 2007, when West Virginia was ranked fifth.
The Bearcats have won 11 in a row at home, and they won 26-23 at West Virginia last Nov. 8 even though their offense was held to 260 yards – its lowest total in the last two seasons.
PICK: University of Cincinnati Bearcats
Primetime College Football: Mounties vs Bulls
TALENT
West Virginia has needed second-half comebacks to win its last two games, the Mountaineers hope to assert themselves as serious Big East title contenders in a visit to South Florida, is trying to rebound from back-to-back losses to the league’s other top teams. Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0) are trying to keep up with reigning league champion Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, both of which are more highly ranked and also unbeaten in conference play.
West Virginia will face both of those teams in November, but first it must focus on the Bulls, who helped derail the Mountaineers’ national title hopes the last time the teams met in Tampa. South Florida’s 21-13 win on Sept. 28, 2007, was West Virginia’s only road loss in an 11-2 campaign.
Coach Bill Stewart’s Mountaineers have averaged 15.0 points in their last three games against the Bulls, going 1-2. West Virginia won 13-7 at home last season despite being out gained 326-280. The Mountaineers have trailed Marshall 7-3 before winning 24-7 two weeks ago, and they were behind Connecticut on Saturday before Noel Devine’s 56-yard touchdown run with 2:10 to play gave them a 28-24 win. The game was an emotional one as UConn played for the first time following the death of cornerback Jasper Howard, who was stabbed in an on-campus incident the previous weekend.
West Virginia’s conference-best running game has keyed the Mountaineers’ current four-game winning streak, as Devine is averaging 148.0 yards per game in that stretch. Devine is seventh nationally in total rushing, had 171 of his 178 yards in the second half against UConn.
Quarterback Jarrett Brown was unspectacular against the Huskies as he returned from a mild concussion, and the Mountaineers may try to rely on Devine again. South Florida (5-2, 1-2) ranks first in the Big East defending the pass but seventh against the run, allowing 132.4 yards per game.
After giving up 189 rushing yards to Cincinnati in a 34-17 home loss Oct. 15, the Bulls allowed 214 to Pitt en route to a 41-14 road defeat Saturday as All-American defensive end George Selvie had just one tackle.The Bulls also struggled offensively against the Panthers, as redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels went 4 for 8 for 54 yards and two interceptions.
The Bulls are 21-6 at home since the start of 2005 and they could provide a strong test for West Virginia, which is just 1-1 on the road. The Mountaineers won at Syracuse but lost 41-30 at Auburn on Sept. 19.
PICK: University of South Florida Bulls
Primetime College Football: Buffaloes vs Mounties
TALENT
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Dan Hawkins in under fire over the recent 1-2 start by the program. Hawkins proclaimed during the summer that his Buffaloes would win 10 games this season and after an opening game loss to instate rival Colorado St Rams 23-17 and an embarrassing 54-38 loss to Toledo Rockets
The Rockets gained 319 yards through the air and 305 on the ground against the team from the Big 12 and the hopes for a 10 win season were dashed right out of the gate for Hawkins.
Colorado Buffaloes junior starting quarterback Cody Hawkins is only completing 52% of his passes on the season for 755 yards five touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has been sacked eight times this season. Despite a big offensive line the Buffaloes are only averaging 3.1 yards per carry from the ground. Running back Rodney Stewart is the leading ball carrier for the Buffaloes with 175 yards and on 38 rushing attempts with two rushing touchdowns.
West Virginia last year’s 17-14 overtime loss in Boulder was the second of a terrible twosome for the Mountaineers, who were drilled at East Carolina the week before. This year brings the opportunity for redemption, and they already got revenge on East Carolina earlier this season. The payback opportunity arrives when Colorado comes to Morgantown and West Virginia is looking to rebound off a turnover filled 41-30 loss to the Auburn Tigers.
Head coach Bill Stewart’s team sits at 2-1 on the season with a notable 35-20 victory at home to East Carolina. West Virginia senior quarterback Jarrett Brown is hitting on 68% of his passes on the season for 798 yards five touchdowns and an alarming 5 interceptions on the season, the Tigers picked him off 4 times in his last game.
The Mountaineers are led on the ground by running back Noel Devine who brings 6.3 yards per carry average on 51 rushing attempts to the Colorado game. West Virginia’s defense is very good against the run this season limiting teams to just 83 yards per game on the ground. In their loss to Auburn the team accumulated over 500 yards of total offense and was 10 of 15 in third down conversions.
The Buffaloes and the Mountaineers share quality running games however they share equally terrible quarterbacks that allow defenses to stack the box cause they don’t fear the passing attack of either team.
PICK: West Virginia University Mountaineers
