The University of West Virginia released a video today with a few highlights from last season and really tried to get fans excited about the 2012 season. It put in numerous hints on how new and great it’s going to be. It was hard for me not to get chills watching as I prepare myself for Milan Puskar stadium in the fall. I also couldn’t help but post the video on my facebook and twitter accounts and just as I had hoped, I got some feedback.
It was proposed to me by a former sports radio show host that WVU football will NOT be as successful in the Big 12 right away as will the basketball program….
WHAT?! No offense, and I honestly mean that (this is just how I see it), WVU football is going to be top notch this season. Let me point some things out:
Offense- Who is WVU losing on offense? Exactly. No One. It’s not like the Baylor situation where you’re losing everything that made your offense go. No. It’s the exact opposite. Everything that made the Mountaineer offense go last year is coming back to make it go even better this year. The same offense that scored a bowl game record 70 points is coming back to Morgantown. WVU is losing nothing that isn’t replaceable with even or better talent. Smith-Austin-Bailey, best offensive core in the Big 12. Add in a healthy Dustin Garrison, along with Shawne Alston and the other two young backs (Buie and Roberts) and you have one heck of an offense.
Coach Holgersen- Do we forget where Dana came from? The Big 12. Do we forget how much success he had there? I mean, it’s what he did there that landed him a head coaching position. Coach Holgersen has the Big 12 experience and knows what to expect. It could not have worked out any better for AD Oliver Luck. 2nd year coach, 1st year in new conference… the future is bright.
Geno Smith- 4385 yards. 31 touchdowns. The man was 4th in the NCAA in passing and the two of the three guys above him, played in, none other than, Dana Holgersen’s offense. Oh, and they are going to be NFL QB’s in a week. Geno is, in my opinion, the best QB to come through WVU in decades. He’s smart and he wants to win. He can run well but like RG3, he prefers to throw. What’s Tavon Austin think of his QB? “Heisman.” There’s no need for more. That’s it. Austin is the only top 3 receiver who Smith hasn’t thrown to for more than 3 years. Stedman Bailey and Ivan McCartney both have had Smith as the QB for much longer than that. How many colleges have QB-WR tandems that have chemistry before they even step onto campus? Big plus for the mountaineers.
Morgantown, WV- How many of the Big 12 teams have made a trip to Morgantown, WV for football? Ask LSU, it’s not easy. With the Pride of WV playing loud and 60,000+ fans going insane, the place is like very few other stadiums. Oklahoma, arguably a top 3 coaches poll team, makes the trip to MoTown on November 17th. College Gameday will more than likely be there. And WVU faithful will pack the house, Milan Puskar will shake. Bottom line, WVU fans bring a whole new atmosphere to the Big 12.
WVU will be successful. They’ll hit the ground running and score a lot of points this year. Texas and Iowa St. on the road scare me, but I believe that WVU will win the Big 12 Championship in 2012 and I believe that they have a very good chance at a BCS Title Game. Geno Smith, legit shot at Heisman.
They’ll be much more about WVU in the future. But spread this around. Tell your friends and get me some traffic. Follow me on twitter (@b_isaiah) for up-to-date sports analysis.
Keep it real.
