Kickoff 98

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Coaches

Top Returning Players

    Ohio State   (18 Starters - 9 Offense - 9 Defense)

    West Virginia   (14 Starters - 7 Offense - 7 Defense)

First, It's Good To Be Back!

     We had to jump out early on the Mountaineers last year because of work requirements. We were only able to report on the first three games of the season. This is going to be a very exciting year for Mountaineer Football and we're glad to be back!

The Game

     Another year, another big opener for the Mountaineers. This is without a doubt the biggest opening game in the history of (new) Mountaineer Field. Some have said it may even be the biggest game ever played in Morgantown. Whatever your preference the bottom line is that this is the highest ranking the Mountaineers have ever had at the start of the season and the top dog is coming to our house to rumble. It just doesn't get much better!!

    Just how good this Mountaineer team is will be answered in a matter of 60 ticks of the clock. You can buy into the "5 year plan" all you want (11-0 1988, 11-0 1993...it's now 1998) but it doesn't mean a thing come Saturday. Coming to town is a great team with talent, talent, talent. Some say it's the best Ohio State team (possibly) in the history of the school. If that's the case then that surely speaks well for them and offers an almost impossible challenge for any other college team to meet. But long ago we learned you gotta play 'em to put the big "W" in the record book. And better teams than the "best ever" Ohio State team have been defeated on the girdiron by both superior and inferior opponents.

    All the hype will be there Saturday. It's an 8 pm game that will be seen on millions of TV sets around the world. More than 65,000 fans will witness the game first hand. It features two great teams and two front runners for the Heisman. But this is far more than a head-to-head dual between "Amos and Andy". Amos showed us last year that he can have a record day against an opponent and we can still lose (Notre Dame). The Big Kat had a great game against Michigan last year and they lost (AGAIN). They're both vital to their respective teams but what the other 21+ players do will determine the winner of this matchup. It's that close.


Let's Get This Out Of The Way

     We don't like Ohio State. Never have and never will. PERIOD. Believe me when we say it was a thrill sitting in Michigan's stadium last year and watching them choke AGAIN against the Maize and Blue. But with that being said, we have a ton of respect for their program. Good facilities, some of the best athletes and a fine reputation over the years for being fierce competitors.

     Now much of this has to do with the area we live in. We're in the northern panhandle and WVU "competes" for air/press time with them. ( We're 3 miles from Ohio, 10 miles from Pennsylvania. ) One TV station carries the Mountaineers and the other the Buckeyes. We've been "brainwashed" about their great tradition for so long that we almost believe it. But we still can remember time and time again when they lose to teams like Wisconsin and Michigan (AGAIN). But hey, that only shows they're human and can make mistakes!


How We See This Game.

     It's the 11th hour now and you've been bored to death with all the hype and analysis of this matchup. Most say OSU is #1 and the team to beat this year. Some say WVU is as good as #5 (Athlon) while others think they are around #11 or #12 (current polls). See, poles and votes don't matter. How profound you say! This game appears to match up so evenly across the board that if you played it 10 times you'd get 10 different scenarios. WVU went to Columbus in 1987 and "handed" the game to the Buckeyes in the first few minutes. That could happen again...for either team. This could be a wild passing game or a game Woody Hayes would love....5 yards and a cloud of dust as the battle is played in the trenches. It could come down to special teams and blocked punts (OH NO!). Remember this is the first game and penalties can be a factor. And we haven't even mentioned the "uncontrollable" like injuries and poor calls (did anyone else see the USC game last week?). How do you determine weak and strong points and situations that will give one team the edge?

     You guess and that's what we're going to do here after we look at a couple areas. OSU returns 18 starters which is unheard of. These are good kids, many of which will be playing on Sundays very soon. In the last three seasons the Buckeyes have had tremendous succcess getting some of the best talent in the country to play for them. In fact, one article we found said that they have recruited and have on this team 25 of the nations top 100 recruits from each of the last three years. By comparision the Mountaineers have only.....not only....they have NONE! So from the get go you gotta give the edge to the Buckeyes just on the quality of the kids that show up in August.

     Then you throw in Don Nehlen, the master scavenger. Truly the crafty Mountaineer, he and his boys know where to look to find the kids other programs seem to overlook. He feeds them right, learns them a few things, gains their confidence and shows them how to be confident. Any ya know what? Before long 'yer hearing people sayin' "Hey, those dogs can hunt"!

     So on the one side you've got the AKC's of college football. They've got their papers (HS All-This and Super Prep That) and of course they are good STUDENT athletes ( like in Golf, Music & Aids Awareness !! ). On the other side sits a Heinz 57. He'll win no beauty contest, he's got one leg shorter than the other from running across the mountains, but he's learnt well and he's ready for the challenge. In the end it boils down to who wants it more. Let them dogs hunt!

Cut The Crap

     I know ya didn't come here to learn how to train yer dog so let's get down to business! This is going to be one dandy of a ballgame. You can match 'em any way you want but it's going to come down to one of two things. 1) Either one team gives the game away or 2) One play is going to make the difference.

     Now you might think we've gone and made another one of those profound statements but we really think that both of these teams are "FOR REAL". Compare defense to offense, offense to defense, special teams to special teams, fans to fans (Ooops....we win there!), THE PRIDE to the "i" dotters (We win there too!!) and you gotta stretch things to see a clear cut winner. And to boot, both programs have had a tendancy to "fold their cards" when you had your highest confidence in them.

     If there is a "strong suit" for OSU it's got to be their passing game and defensive secondary (we'll throw their LB's in here too). They've got some fine receivers and a QB that has produced at the right time (see 1996 Rose Bowl). They're gonna pass on the Mounties and pass and pass. Oh my, and that's not our strong suit! So look for some damage to happen there. Now as for that defense, let's just say it is daggone good but they will have some pretty good guys to defend so that ends in a wash. The overall result? Give the OSU passing game the nod.

     West Virginia has several key areas themselves. First there's a ton of quality receivers, a guy named Amos and a QB who knows what to do with the ball. Defensively the Mounties counter with some good defensive rush pressure. Looking closer, AZ is hitting the most suspect part of the Buckeyes team. He should be able to run. When they bring up the backers and secondary to help, the receivers and Bulger will have their chance to strut their stuff. As for the defense, well we're strongest at where the Buckeyes are the weakest (giving up the sack) but remember they've got some receivers (see above). I think we'll get our sacks but we'll end up pulling back. Could be wrong here but we see another wash (twice in one week??!!). But the final analysis gives the nod to the Mountaineer TOTAL offense.

     We're gonna rule out things like blocked punts (why didn't that work against Miami) but we really don't see that or special teams being an advantage or disadvantage to either team. Both teams have "potential" here and it wouldn't surprise us to see a game winning FG or someone break it for a long return. Both special teams are more than adequate.

     So you see, it comes down to our offense versus their offense. As good as the OSU defense is we don't see them shutting down our running AND passing game. On the other side, we don't see us shutting down their passing game. We can tell you this for certain, the final score of this game will not be 3-0!

What WVU Needs To Do TO Win

     Keep Calm!! Stay cool. Play OUR game. Don't replay 1987. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If we lose, well we were playing #1 and were 10 point underdogs at home. Sounds like an excuse maybe but these guys must go into this game with that mindset. Not one of complacency but that if they win it will be because of a great performance on their part.

     You know Don is going to run the ball and that's what we really need to do. Woody would be proud of this. But without the threat from Amos we'll have no passing game. Our receivers are good but their secondary is BETTER. So we've got to get them in mismatches. We've got to take advantage of EVERY opportunity and that means catching every pass and hitting every open man.

     This game is going to be close. WVU could return the opening kickoff or Amos could break his first run (see Pitt 1996) but if we miss the PAT it could be the difference in this game. West Virginia has not played that many games this close. We hope they understand the importance of playing every snap like it's 4th and goal with 1 second left on the game clock.

What OSU Needs To Do TO Win

     What, you expect us to tell the opponent how to defeat our beloved Mountaineers? Are you crazy? Well, if you must know click HERE....but remember we told you not to do it!

     Are you back? Let's continue then.

So Who Is Gonna Win

     Of course the team with the most points! Our dogs will hunt and so will theirs. Amos should have a good game and the Big Kat will have his share of replays on CBS! We're looking for a chess match. It's going to be a dandy of a game and from where we sit we see the final score being...

 

 

( Drum Roll Please )


     

     

     
    West Virginia 28
    Ohio State 31

     If the game plays out as closely as we see it, it's going to come down to depth and experience. And that's one place we stayed away from in our earlier analysis. You've heard the phrase "Been There - Done That". We think this will be the difference in what we hope is a great game.

     Check back Sunday night to see our post game comments.

Let's Goooooooo Mountaineers!!


What others are saying about the game


Same story-different story teller!

    Hey, this is only one man's opinion and I've been known to make a mistake or two. Check out these other fine sites by Mountaineer fans to see what they have to say about the upcoming game.

    Kevin Kinder's Pre-Game Look at the Mountaineers

      ( Kevin's a little more conservative than I. He understands
      this game and his coments show it! )






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