Post by elp525 on Sept 13, 2011 5:09:53 GMT -5
Tuesday September 13, 2011
by Mike Casazza
Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After seven-plus quarters, 89 points and 824 yards of Dana Holgorsen's brand of football, we still don't know what we should think.
"Are we far from a finished product?" he asked after the game Saturday. "I assume we're far from a finished product.
"I don't know if we're supposed to score every time we snap it."
That last part shouldn't be debatable, but such is Holgorsen's reputation.
The reality right now is a young offense without a lot of college football experience is trying to execute a new system, even if that system is renowned.
We don't know what might have happened in that final quarter against Marshall, but we figure the offense was in a groove and could have scored one or two more times.
We don't know how good things could have been against Norfolk State because the offense chose to disregard the opponent and the opportunity in the first half. We saw 55 points on the board but a scowl on everyone's faces and have to figure it wasn't very satisfying.
Opinions are still uneven. Believers are still unaccounted for.
The attendance dipped almost 9,000 from the first game to the next, and about 6,000 people had tickets and simply didn't come to the game on a rather pleasant day here
Since the start of 2004, when a hot finish to the 2003 regular season caused the Mountaineers to be ranked No. 10 in the preseason, only two crowds have been smaller than Saturday's 51,911.
One was last season against Rutgers on a dark, cold afternoon. The other was quarterback Pat White's finale in 2008 on a snowy December night.
Even the head coach admits some uncertainty. He has no clue how explosive his team can be, even after 35 points in 20 plays Saturday - because he saw only 10 points on 33 plays before that.
Holgorsen just doesn't know how far his Mountaineers are from what they need to be.
"I really don't know where we're at right now," he said with an uneasy chuckle Monday. "This next week will tell a lot."
This much is certain: No. 18 WVU had better be better. There can't be another slow start in the season's first road game.
There has to be a running game come noon Saturday to keep the Maryland defense honest, or defenders will drop back and guard against passes with no respect for 2.4 yards per attempt - exactly what the Mountaineers are averaging right now.
If the trend continues, the Terrapins will be trouble, and upcoming, third-ranked LSU will be very eager to get its shot.
Things can change between now and kickoff at Byrd Stadium, but fans don't have enough evidence yet to trust that they will.
They can be discouraged by Saturday's first half - and remember, many thought the train was on the tracks after the offense eventually clicked against Marshall. They can be forgiven for booing because if the circumstances were different, they would have had company.
"I'm sure they had some pretty good reasons," Holgorsen said. "I would have booed, too."
Norfolk State can't be compared with Maryland, but you can wonder if the simple and significant errors of the first two games have been identified and can be avoided the rest of the way.
Holgorsen is not an apologist. He will unabashedly defend, promote and rely upon his system.
When things are going badly, the only adjustments he'll make are the players who are standing in the way of the desired outcome.
His predecessor, Bill Stewart, was different. That guy would have walked into the locker room Saturday, praised the opponent, rolled up his sleeves and tried to find a way to win 27-19.
The new guy says he didn't do that when he lectured in the locker room.
"You really want me to repeat it?" he said.
It can't be seen here, but don't doubt that he shamed his team, dressed down the players and challenged them to blow out the Spartans.
Holgorsen knew the Mountaineers were down but told them it had "more to do with what we were doing than what they were doing."
He called the same plays. He wanted the players to be different.
"You guys better get back out there and fix it," he said.
They did - and with the first 28-point quarter since starting off with one against Mississippi State in 2007 and the first 45-point half since leading Rutgers 59-0 at halftime in 2001.
What does that mean? No one knows. Yet.
"We'll find out a lot this week," Holgorsen said. "Obviously, when you go up against a good team on the road, they'll expose some things, and we're going to continue to show some things that get exposed."
by Mike Casazza
Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After seven-plus quarters, 89 points and 824 yards of Dana Holgorsen's brand of football, we still don't know what we should think.
"Are we far from a finished product?" he asked after the game Saturday. "I assume we're far from a finished product.
"I don't know if we're supposed to score every time we snap it."
That last part shouldn't be debatable, but such is Holgorsen's reputation.
The reality right now is a young offense without a lot of college football experience is trying to execute a new system, even if that system is renowned.
We don't know what might have happened in that final quarter against Marshall, but we figure the offense was in a groove and could have scored one or two more times.
We don't know how good things could have been against Norfolk State because the offense chose to disregard the opponent and the opportunity in the first half. We saw 55 points on the board but a scowl on everyone's faces and have to figure it wasn't very satisfying.
Opinions are still uneven. Believers are still unaccounted for.
The attendance dipped almost 9,000 from the first game to the next, and about 6,000 people had tickets and simply didn't come to the game on a rather pleasant day here
Since the start of 2004, when a hot finish to the 2003 regular season caused the Mountaineers to be ranked No. 10 in the preseason, only two crowds have been smaller than Saturday's 51,911.
One was last season against Rutgers on a dark, cold afternoon. The other was quarterback Pat White's finale in 2008 on a snowy December night.
Even the head coach admits some uncertainty. He has no clue how explosive his team can be, even after 35 points in 20 plays Saturday - because he saw only 10 points on 33 plays before that.
Holgorsen just doesn't know how far his Mountaineers are from what they need to be.
"I really don't know where we're at right now," he said with an uneasy chuckle Monday. "This next week will tell a lot."
This much is certain: No. 18 WVU had better be better. There can't be another slow start in the season's first road game.
There has to be a running game come noon Saturday to keep the Maryland defense honest, or defenders will drop back and guard against passes with no respect for 2.4 yards per attempt - exactly what the Mountaineers are averaging right now.
If the trend continues, the Terrapins will be trouble, and upcoming, third-ranked LSU will be very eager to get its shot.
Things can change between now and kickoff at Byrd Stadium, but fans don't have enough evidence yet to trust that they will.
They can be discouraged by Saturday's first half - and remember, many thought the train was on the tracks after the offense eventually clicked against Marshall. They can be forgiven for booing because if the circumstances were different, they would have had company.
"I'm sure they had some pretty good reasons," Holgorsen said. "I would have booed, too."
Norfolk State can't be compared with Maryland, but you can wonder if the simple and significant errors of the first two games have been identified and can be avoided the rest of the way.
Holgorsen is not an apologist. He will unabashedly defend, promote and rely upon his system.
When things are going badly, the only adjustments he'll make are the players who are standing in the way of the desired outcome.
His predecessor, Bill Stewart, was different. That guy would have walked into the locker room Saturday, praised the opponent, rolled up his sleeves and tried to find a way to win 27-19.
The new guy says he didn't do that when he lectured in the locker room.
"You really want me to repeat it?" he said.
It can't be seen here, but don't doubt that he shamed his team, dressed down the players and challenged them to blow out the Spartans.
Holgorsen knew the Mountaineers were down but told them it had "more to do with what we were doing than what they were doing."
He called the same plays. He wanted the players to be different.
"You guys better get back out there and fix it," he said.
They did - and with the first 28-point quarter since starting off with one against Mississippi State in 2007 and the first 45-point half since leading Rutgers 59-0 at halftime in 2001.
What does that mean? No one knows. Yet.
"We'll find out a lot this week," Holgorsen said. "Obviously, when you go up against a good team on the road, they'll expose some things, and we're going to continue to show some things that get exposed."
