Too little too late. Why, why, why? Diatribe & Poll Ques

i dont think our scout team could duplicate the team speed of the wvu offense for one thing and we tend not to do well againist offenses we rarely see. we didnt do a good job holding onto the ball and wrapping up on tackles. the fake punt was the worst, next to their last touchdown, we had basically turned the game around and i think won in OT. one last thing about using the helmet to knock the ball out on a tackle like wvu did. it is fine when you do it from the side, but someday it will be head-on and neck down and somebody will end up with a broken neck. a forced fumble is a good thing , but at what price ? GO DAWGS !!!

bchristian wrote: Why weren't they prepared for this inferior team? quote]

Inferior how?

Schedule Strength? Maybe...

Let's see...here's a table from an article published in May 2005
cbs.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8521762

Rating by Conferences
Rnk Conference Rating
1 Big East 1.2955
2 SEC 1.1887
3 Big 12 1.1750
4 ACC 1.1544
5 Pac-10 1.1294
6 Indep. 1.0883
7 Big Ten 1.0716
8 WAC 0.9094
9 M. West 0.8908
10 MAC 0.7853
11 C-USA 0.7362
12 Sun Belt 0.6661

...or how 'bout we look at the final strength of schedules for both teams
teamrankings.com/ncf/27powerratings.php3

#66/119: Georgia (10-3)
#77/119: West Virginia (10-1)

Not too far apart now, were we?

On paper? Sure, you have more blue chippers. But the game ain't played on paper!

Listen up. I was stationed at Moody Air Force Base from 1984-1989 and WVU vs. Georgia was always a hot topic of debate when I talked football with the locals. In the end, we all agreed on two things...we've never played one another in our program's histories and all the smack-talkin' has gotta' be proven on the turf.

And the Mountaineers proved it...on that day in this year.

Y'all have a great tradition...between the hedges...silver britches...the ol' bulldog.

Y'all been playing since 1892.

WVU's been playing since 1893.

This was our first meeting ever...and the beginning I hope of another great tradition for our program.

A tradition of beatin' down you loud-mouthed, grit-eatin', good ol' Southern boys.

Pure some Sugar on me!

:twisted:

Well, normally i'd be steamin' with these fans rubbin' it in my face, but you know, wvu1981, you do have every right to talk it up. WVU beat the Dawgs fare and square and you fans should be proud. But be careful. Karma will come back around and payback is quite the bitch. Enjoy the Sugar Champion title while you guys are still a good football team.
CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT FALL, YA'LL! GO DAWGS!

Well, normally i'd be steamin' with these fans rubbin' it in my face, but you know, wvu1981, you do have every right to talk it up. WVU beat the Dawgs fare and square and you fans should be proud. But be careful. Karma will come back around and payback is quite the bitch. Enjoy the Sugar Champion title while you guys are still a good football team.
CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT FALL, YA'LL! GO DAWGS!

Thank you, jacketexterminator24. That's all I'm asking for--just a little due is all. Anyone who says WVU was inferior to UGA this year just doesn't know their NCAA football.

Now for your due: You fellas down there Georgia way have ALWAYS fielded solid teams and this year's was no exception. Plus I always envied the fact that Georgia has the state population and top-notch high school programs to field their team mostly with native talent...man, I still remember taking a West Virginia buddy of mine to a Valdosta High School game. My buddy played RB in HS...he took one look at the VHS OL and said...this is the State College team, right? :shock: 'course that was back in '87 before the steroid scandal. :oops: Anyway the point being is that WVU has to hit the recruiting trails pretty hard to field a competitive team. Heck, Schmitt was a walk-on outta' Wisconsin JUCO!

But take heart Bulldog fans: according to one fella in Austin, TX it looks like UGA may have gotten themselves in a sugary tangle with the next national champion.

www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/...1/13bohls.html?imw=Y

COMMENTARY: KIRK BOHLS

Picking the pre-preseason Top 25 in college football

Friday, January 13, 2006

Nine days removed from the greatest Rose Bowl in history, the last of the multicolored confetti has floated back to the ground and Austin has finally come back down to earth.

Right. Who are we kidding?

This party may not end until, well, what time is Texas' season opener next September?

That's fine by us, but we ask for a brief timeout before the Longhorns are worshipped one final time on Sunday night as we offer our annual pre-preseason Top 25 football forecast.

And who better to climb college football's highest mountain in 2006?

The Mountaineers, of course.

Bear with us here. Every team we looked at has warts, but remember that Oklahoma was ranked 19th in the preseason when it won the title in 2000.

In a tight decision, we settled on West Virginia just ahead of 2003 BCS champion Louisiana State and resurgent Notre Dame. Filling out our top five are Ohio State and Florida.

There's not much not to like about the Mountaineers, whose bowl performance made them look like the strongest team in college football that didn't play in the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl, in which the Buckeyes beat the Fighting Irish. West Virginia put up a 28-0 lead on eighth-ranked Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and held on for a riveting 38-35 victory in the second-most exciting postseason game.

West Virginia has everything a team needs to stake its claim to No. 1:

Good head coach. Rich Rodriguez is quietly building a monster in Morgantown. Did you see his gutsy fake punt call to seal the win over Georgia?

Solid quarterback. Pat White turned down a baseball offer from the Angels and a football scholarship from LSU and quickly took over the reins of the offense. He's part of the new generation of mobile quarterbacks.

Sensational running back. Like White, Steve Slaton burst upon the scene as a freshman, showed a quick burst through the hole and broke Tony Dorsett's Sugar Bowl record with 204 yards rushing. This guy's a star.

Top receivers. The team's three best are back.

Winnable schedule. The Mountaineers trade in Virginia Tech for Mississippi State and will sleepwalk through Marshall, Buffalo and Maryland. Only possible potholes come at Louisville and Pittsburgh.

Less competition. West Virginia is easily the class of the Big East, and with the talent losses at Texas and Southern California, no dynasty remains intact.

LSU can make a strong case for winning its second crown in four years after ripping Miami 40-3 in the Peach Bowl. Eleven starters return, with quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell (coming off a shoulder injury and wrist surgery) and Matt Flynn back for their junior seasons. Running back Justin Vincent should be full speed after knee surgery, but he'll have to fend off Alley Broussard, returning after knee surgery as well.

Les Miles does have to rebuild his defensive line since only former Longhorn Chase Pittman returns. He'll also have to find two new linebackers, and the schedule is torturous with trips to Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Notre Dame has the likely Heisman Trophy favorite in quarterback Brady Quinn, the most underrated receiver in college in Jeff Samardzija and 17 returning starters. But the Irish are still too slow and lacking in defensive playmakers, and they have a grueling slate with USC, UCLA, Penn State, Michigan and Georgia Tech.

Had Ohio State not been gutted on defense — where all three linebackers, including A.J. Hawk, are gone as well as perhaps all four defensive backs — the Buckeyes would have entered September at No. 1. They do return quarterback Troy Smith, game-breaker Ted Ginn Jr. and running back Antonio Pittman but will miss wideout Santonio Holmes.

Florida lost star receiver Chad Jackson to the NFL but returns veteran quarterback Chris Leak among 14 starters. Now that Urban Meyer knows the SEC is a little tougher than the Mountain West, he'll be restocking with the best high school talent in the nation.

Auburn could make a bid with returning quarterback Brandon Cox, a strong secondary and a weak nonconference schedule. Texas will be much better than most expect because of 14 returning starters, including every skill position player — ahem — except one. (And tight end David Thomas.)

USC lost three guys who could be NFL All-Pros soon. Still, it could reach the national championship game given the wideouts, the defensive returnees and an influx of great recruits. Don't count on Oklahoma staying down with the cocksure Rhett Bomar at quarterback and Adrian Peterson hellbent for contact, the Heisman Trophy and an NFL pass after next year.

Most of all, remember, this is January.

However, given the fact that its been more than two weeks since WVU clinched their Sugar Bowl victory and our guest seeks more validation, allow me to tip my hat and offer congrats! As the 2006 Sugar Bowl victor, WVU has earned the right to proclaim their prowess to all that care to listen. Again, my deepest and sincere congrats on a job well done!

WVU has now arrived and all the accolades and prognastication to follow are richly deserved. That being said, allow me to offer a slight but significant piece of advise. Now that you've been there, act like it! Comments such as "A tradition of beatin' down you loud-mouthed, grit-eatin', good ol' Southern boys." do very little other than suggest a sense of poor sportsmanship. Now I realize that this was posted in the heat of the moment, however, the reality is that there was no beat down and WVU had to hang on by the very skin of their teeth to claim victory.

Nonetheless, you've asked for acknowledgement or "due" and I've given that. Likewise, you've venture down the precarious path of espousing future victories based on the prognastications of others...Alas, this can be the very kiss of death...IFO, believe that WVU will be a top 5 preseason pick and with their favorable schedule, may find themselves in yet another BCS bowl...perhaps even the NC. WVU certainly proved that their young talent is capable of winning when it counts...more validation!!!! However, proof will be determined on the field of play and not from the pen of a sportswriter. Nonetheless, I wish WVU much luck this year. FWIW, see the below noted link for some opposing viewpoints:

Link: www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/TQ/Tuesday_Question.htm


The Dawgs will reload for 2006 and may very well stray from their consecutive streak of 10+ wins. Having the rich tradition that we have has provided many with the understanding that for every peak, there is a valley. One day soon, I hope that our two schools will meet again, perhaps with more at stake than a sugary repose...and then my friend,...we shall see!

GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're right NC_Dawg! I did go a bit overboard. But hey, I admit it: I actually learned to love grits, greens, and cracklin' cornbread while stationed in Valdosta. Thursdays at Moody's dining hall was Southern Night, mmm mmm good! :wink:

Also, I said "may" have tangled with the next national champion...I stay away from predictions. It is that Karma thing ya' know! It was just one TX fella's opine. And believe you me, us WVU fans aren't used to this...of course I'm sure you know we had the longest bowl losing streak coming into this game.

WVU has a long road ahead. Maryland is a great rivalry game wherein both teams usually rise to the occassion. Pitt and Louisville will hunger for redemption. ...and we'll have to keep our young guns healthy, hungry...and scholarly.

Anything can happen in this game, and that is why I do love it so.

Go Dawgs!

Let's Goooo Mountaineers! Let's Gooo Drink Some Beers!