22 Jan 11 West Virginia Football: Bill Stewart Starts 3-0 For The First Time

In its heyday, the West Virginia University and Maryland rivalry signaled a turning point in the season for both schools. Whichever team won this game ultimately had a very successful season. After a two-year hiatus, one wonders if the old adage holds true. As a die-hard Mountaineer fan, I certainly hope so. Maryland, and Ralph Friedgen, had no answers to the Mountaineer attack on Saturday. Moreover, Maryland had no retort to the Mountaineer defense either. For one of the few times in the Bill Stewart era, WVU fans everywhere had reasons to rejoice over theBaltimore Ravens jersey
offensive play. Jeff Mullen dialed it up, and the lads brought it home. Friedgen took responsibility for the loss."They played a lot better than us in the first half and that's my fault," Friedgen said. "Crowd noise was a factor, but once we adapted to that, we came back and fought hard in the second half." Courtesy of the Associated Press. Much has been made of Jeff Mullen and his ability, or lack thereof, to coordinate the WVU attack. After three games, the Mountaineers are still undefeated, a solid sign that Mullen is very capable. Suddenly, Geno Smith, Noel Devine, and Tavon Austin are the new triplets. One can only wonder how the original triplets, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin feel about that development. Add insult to injury to the originals, being supplanted by players from West Virginia no less. In their day the triplets were the toast of football, that day has come and gone. While not the toast of football, yet, the new triplets are something to behold. Smith posted the following numbers Saturday, 19 completions from 29 attempts for 268 yards and four touchdowns. At one point Smith was 10-for-10 with 173 yards, and three touchdowns. That was before the second quarter was three minutes old. Smith finished the game with a 65 percent completion percentage, impressive by most Buffalo Bills jersey
quarterback standards. Smith entered the game with a 72 percent completion percentage; unbelievably Smith may actually be human. Austin showed seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdown receptions. Suffice to say that the Austin experiment at wide receiver is a success. Austin is projected to break the 1,000-yard barrier as a receiver. Noel Devine posted a yeoman like performance with 27 carries for 131 yards, if those stats can be called yeoman like. The irony is, when speaking of Devine, they actually are. Devine has yet to truly break out in a game this year. Having witnessed Devineability starting as a freshman through his senior year, it is only a matter of time before lightening strikes, and Devine explodes in a game. The Saturday game against Maryland gave WVU fans something else to protest. The Mountaineers did an about face and started strong, something they had not done in their first two games. Only to finish weak, the WVU football team has yet to play a complete four quarters of football. Although, leading 28-0 in the third quarter lends itself to a sense of security. Still, having watched the Mountaineer football team, one gets the sense that the team is looking for a challenge. Arguably, the biggest test of the Mountaineer football team in 2010 waits in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Nevertheless, that is a story for another day. WVU has started 3-0, the first time that has happened in the Bill Stewart era. Impressive by most fan standards, yet, it is not enough for Mountaineer Nation. Mountaineer fans are some of the most loyal in all of college Carolina Panthers jersey
football. Understand that reality seldom is part of the equation when said fans evaluate the latest Mountaineer performance. WVU still represents the team with the most wins in the FBS without a national title. Mountaineer fans await their day to regale themselves in college footballultimate destiny. Fair or not, patience is no longer an accepted response to Mountaineer football. Rest assured Bill Stewart and his lads are aware, and are preparing to rectify the situation. As fans, we need to step back and enjoy the ride; it will all be over soon enough.