Post by elp525 on Oct 5, 2011 4:46:19 GMT -5
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
By Jenn Menendez
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
W.Va.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen sent a strong message to the Mountaineers fan base Tuesday: Show up.
Holgorsen, in some of his most candid remarks this season, closed his weekly news conference by calling out the fair-weather fans for the low turnout at the Bowling Green game last week, a figure that barely topped 46,000 poncho-covered souls.
"You only get seven opportunities a year. What's so hard? It wasn't too cold for our players. It wasn't too cold for our coaches, managers or trainers. So why'd we have 20,000 people less this week than last?" asked Holgorsen.
"No matter what the excuses were, our players didn't buy into it. Obviously our fan base did."
It was 45 degrees and raining for most of the game in which West Virginia slowly dismantled the Falcons defense with its most complete game this season.
No thanks to the crowd, according to Holgorsen.
Players agreed.
"I agree with him 100 percent," said quarterback Geno Smith. "We play hard for them. We work hard for them. An atmosphere like the LSU game intimidates."
Defensive end Bruce Irvin said he feels it on defense when the crowd is electric.
"The fans are a big part of the game. When they get loud, it distracts the offense and messes up the rhythm," said Irvin.
"You want to be considered a big-time program, you've got to have sellout games, man, that's the bottom line.
"We consider ourselves a big-time program. We want 62,000 fans in the seats. That's how big programs do it."
Holgorsen has been fairly direct and candid all season when addressing everything from blocking to poor special-teams play. Occasionally, he has called out a player for being lazy.
"I don't know. I just call it like I see it. I'm just going to go ahead and say what I think," he said.
"All I heard about was how much this meant to everybody across the state of West Virginia. This was the NFL team in town. 'We're going to be there to support ya.' Having 40,000 people at a game doesn't do it."
For contrast, he pointed to the sold-out night game against LSU Sept. 24, and how the Tigers turned around to play Kentucky in a 35-7 blowout in front of some 95,000 last week.
At Mountaineer Field, meanwhile, the Bowling Green game started with an announced crowd of 46,603 -- but that number dwindled considerably by game's end.
"LSU played well in front of 62,000 of our people and then turned around and went home and played a 1-4 Kentucky team at noon with 95,000 people there.
"You want to talk about an elite program? That's one. I don't know about this place," he said.
Ultimately, he charged fans not to make excuses for not showing up.
He asked them to put in the same effort the team does.
"We do our best every week to fix what we do on offense, defense, special teams," he said.
"What's everyone across the state of West Virginia doing to fix the fact our players had to show up and play against 40,000?"
•
NOTES -- At least 20 new players got a shot to play on the kickoff team Saturday as a quasi-tryout. Said Holgorsen: "We were firing people left and right, trying new people, firing and re-hiring, replacing and moving people around. There's nothing like live work on that unit which you can't get in practice." ... Two former football players, Canute Curtis and multi-sport athlete Joseph Harrick, will be among the 2011 Sports Hall of Fame class that will be inducted Saturday in a 9:30 a.m. ceremony before the game against Connecticut.
Next
• Game: No. 16 West Virginia (4-1, 0-0 Big East) vs. Connecticut (2-3, 0-0), Morgantown, W.Va.
• When: Noon, Saturday.
• TV: None locally.
By Jenn Menendez
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
W.Va.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen sent a strong message to the Mountaineers fan base Tuesday: Show up.
Holgorsen, in some of his most candid remarks this season, closed his weekly news conference by calling out the fair-weather fans for the low turnout at the Bowling Green game last week, a figure that barely topped 46,000 poncho-covered souls.
"You only get seven opportunities a year. What's so hard? It wasn't too cold for our players. It wasn't too cold for our coaches, managers or trainers. So why'd we have 20,000 people less this week than last?" asked Holgorsen.
"No matter what the excuses were, our players didn't buy into it. Obviously our fan base did."
It was 45 degrees and raining for most of the game in which West Virginia slowly dismantled the Falcons defense with its most complete game this season.
No thanks to the crowd, according to Holgorsen.
Players agreed.
"I agree with him 100 percent," said quarterback Geno Smith. "We play hard for them. We work hard for them. An atmosphere like the LSU game intimidates."
Defensive end Bruce Irvin said he feels it on defense when the crowd is electric.
"The fans are a big part of the game. When they get loud, it distracts the offense and messes up the rhythm," said Irvin.
"You want to be considered a big-time program, you've got to have sellout games, man, that's the bottom line.
"We consider ourselves a big-time program. We want 62,000 fans in the seats. That's how big programs do it."
Holgorsen has been fairly direct and candid all season when addressing everything from blocking to poor special-teams play. Occasionally, he has called out a player for being lazy.
"I don't know. I just call it like I see it. I'm just going to go ahead and say what I think," he said.
"All I heard about was how much this meant to everybody across the state of West Virginia. This was the NFL team in town. 'We're going to be there to support ya.' Having 40,000 people at a game doesn't do it."
For contrast, he pointed to the sold-out night game against LSU Sept. 24, and how the Tigers turned around to play Kentucky in a 35-7 blowout in front of some 95,000 last week.
At Mountaineer Field, meanwhile, the Bowling Green game started with an announced crowd of 46,603 -- but that number dwindled considerably by game's end.
"LSU played well in front of 62,000 of our people and then turned around and went home and played a 1-4 Kentucky team at noon with 95,000 people there.
"You want to talk about an elite program? That's one. I don't know about this place," he said.
Ultimately, he charged fans not to make excuses for not showing up.
He asked them to put in the same effort the team does.
"We do our best every week to fix what we do on offense, defense, special teams," he said.
"What's everyone across the state of West Virginia doing to fix the fact our players had to show up and play against 40,000?"
•
NOTES -- At least 20 new players got a shot to play on the kickoff team Saturday as a quasi-tryout. Said Holgorsen: "We were firing people left and right, trying new people, firing and re-hiring, replacing and moving people around. There's nothing like live work on that unit which you can't get in practice." ... Two former football players, Canute Curtis and multi-sport athlete Joseph Harrick, will be among the 2011 Sports Hall of Fame class that will be inducted Saturday in a 9:30 a.m. ceremony before the game against Connecticut.
Next
• Game: No. 16 West Virginia (4-1, 0-0 Big East) vs. Connecticut (2-3, 0-0), Morgantown, W.Va.
• When: Noon, Saturday.
• TV: None locally.
