Post by dehayes35 on Sept 4, 2008 8:35:03 GMT -5
sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&page=dash0801&sportCat=ncf&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines
The whole article is above, but I've pasted the most interesting parts below - especially the last part where RR is called out as being a liar:
Debuts To Boo:
Rich Rodriguez (12), Michigan. When you lose the school's all-time leading rusher (Mike Hart), all-time leading passer (Chad Henne), two NFL wide receivers (Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington) and the No. 1 overall NFL pick (offensive tackle Jake Long), struggle is inevitable. Factor in a completely foreign offensive scheme, and it figures to get worse. Michigan lived down to the grimmest of expectations in being dominated by Utah in the Big House. To make matters worse, Michigan paid the Utes a reported $800,000 to come in and kick sand in its face. How the rest of the season looks: At Notre Dame Sept. 13 could be a swing game between losing season or bowl eligibility.
Debuts To Cheer:
Bill Stewart (19), West Virginia. How enjoyable was Saturday for Mountaineers fans? They got to see the coach who jilted them lose in his first game at Michigan. They got to see overhyped archrival Pittsburgh lose to a MAC opponent. And they got to see their own team mug Villanova by 27 points, as quarterback Pat White threw five touchdown passes. The bad news was a defense that gave up 399 yards to the FCS Wildcats. How the rest of the season looks: two tricky road games loom, at East Carolina on Saturday and at Colorado Sept. 18. If they win both, 11-1 could be in the offing.
The Rest Of The Fake-Punt Story
Last week, The Dash told a few memorable headset conversations related by coaches. One of them turned out to be apocryphal.
Rich Rodriguez's reminiscence about hearing nothing from his assistants on the headsets when he called the memorably bold fake punt for West Virginia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl was a joke. The reality of the situation was relayed to The Dash last week by Tulsa assistant coach Herb Hand (31), who was an assistant with the Mountaineers then.
According to Hand, who was in the booth during that game, he reminded Rodriguez to look for the fake punt call. Bill Stewart (now the coach at WVU) chimed in that it had been open earlier in the game.
So when West Virginia faced its fateful fourth-and-6 near midfield against Georgia, clinging to a three-point lead, the West Virginia cognoscenti convened via headset. Butch Jones, now the coach at Central Michigan, told Rodriguez the play would work. Hand concurred, then asked offensive coordinator Calvin Magee to sign off on it as well. Rodriguez made the final call.
The result was a fake by committee that resulted in a first down that secured the victory.
The whole article is above, but I've pasted the most interesting parts below - especially the last part where RR is called out as being a liar:
Debuts To Boo:
Rich Rodriguez (12), Michigan. When you lose the school's all-time leading rusher (Mike Hart), all-time leading passer (Chad Henne), two NFL wide receivers (Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington) and the No. 1 overall NFL pick (offensive tackle Jake Long), struggle is inevitable. Factor in a completely foreign offensive scheme, and it figures to get worse. Michigan lived down to the grimmest of expectations in being dominated by Utah in the Big House. To make matters worse, Michigan paid the Utes a reported $800,000 to come in and kick sand in its face. How the rest of the season looks: At Notre Dame Sept. 13 could be a swing game between losing season or bowl eligibility.
Debuts To Cheer:
Bill Stewart (19), West Virginia. How enjoyable was Saturday for Mountaineers fans? They got to see the coach who jilted them lose in his first game at Michigan. They got to see overhyped archrival Pittsburgh lose to a MAC opponent. And they got to see their own team mug Villanova by 27 points, as quarterback Pat White threw five touchdown passes. The bad news was a defense that gave up 399 yards to the FCS Wildcats. How the rest of the season looks: two tricky road games loom, at East Carolina on Saturday and at Colorado Sept. 18. If they win both, 11-1 could be in the offing.
The Rest Of The Fake-Punt Story
Last week, The Dash told a few memorable headset conversations related by coaches. One of them turned out to be apocryphal.
Rich Rodriguez's reminiscence about hearing nothing from his assistants on the headsets when he called the memorably bold fake punt for West Virginia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl was a joke. The reality of the situation was relayed to The Dash last week by Tulsa assistant coach Herb Hand (31), who was an assistant with the Mountaineers then.
According to Hand, who was in the booth during that game, he reminded Rodriguez to look for the fake punt call. Bill Stewart (now the coach at WVU) chimed in that it had been open earlier in the game.
So when West Virginia faced its fateful fourth-and-6 near midfield against Georgia, clinging to a three-point lead, the West Virginia cognoscenti convened via headset. Butch Jones, now the coach at Central Michigan, told Rodriguez the play would work. Hand concurred, then asked offensive coordinator Calvin Magee to sign off on it as well. Rodriguez made the final call.
The result was a fake by committee that resulted in a first down that secured the victory.
