We have one hell of an opportunity Saturday, gentlemen. Very rarely does one like this come your way.
My God, we've beaten ourselves up on here for the past year, bemoaning our fate, woe is me, etc. Bottom line, come Saturday night, the only thing that matters is the opportunity before us in prime time, in front of millions watching on NBC, and 100,000+ in Happy F---ing Valley.
I've personally sat in that stadium and watch us slowly die a thousand deaths. When I enter that God awful place Saturday night, I'll see ghosts on that field. I'll see Craig Taylor running down that sideline, and red flags flying. I'll see Major...Hoss...A.B. Brown...Willie D. It's a venerable House of Horrors.
Fellow Mountaineers, despite our current state of affairs, we have one hell of a football program. It's one from which you should draw a hell of a lot of pride. And it always hits hard this time of year. You think of those memories, some a bit more faded than others, of when we rose to the occasion. "The Prohibitive Underdog" Jack liked to say....going "where angels fear to tread". There's too much history here, too much invested in this program by Mountaineer Nation, too many sacks of Doug Flutie, too many celebrations on High Street....to allow us to simply fade away into that good night.
I posted earlier this week, that Don Draper once said "if you do not like what is being said, then change the conversation." No one likes what is being said about our Mountaineers right now, because nothing is being said. We are off the radar, save for the "hot seat" discussions. Well, what better place to change the conversation than Happy Valley, Pennsylvania on Saturday night...a place which has been that House of Horrors for so many years. You go there, you line up, punch them in the mouth, fight for every yard, every inch - block and tackle. Fundamental football. We can win this game.
I want to win this game as badly as I've wanted to win a football game in quite some time. When I was walking into the Georgia Dome to watch the '05 Sugar Bowl, a Georgia fan said to me "You ready for SEC football?!" and I replied "All I see is an opportunity to shut some mouths and open some eyes." There may have been a few more colorful words in there. I have the same feeling about this game. Penn State is who we thought they were - they still think very highly of themselves. Their writers come to our site and post "42-17". When we beat them for a recruit, the reply is always "We didn't want that kid anyway".
We have an Opportunity in one game, to change it all. We come out, win that game, then the conversation changes. All of the sudden, 3-0 becomes a possibility. WVU being ranked becomes a possibility. Can we beat Texas Tech...4-0? Could we possibly believe in Neal Brown running the offense he was always supposed to run, with a mobile QB who is a threat to score? Could the Defense turn it around and simply play like they did in the years prior to 2022? Could WVU be a darkhorse, coming out of nowhere in 2023? If we take care of business Saturday night, all of this becomes a possibility. What an Opportunity.
A daunting task. The referee will hold up his hand, ball on the tee, 100,000+ will be deafening... a sea of white - stained with splotches of gold everywhere. The gold will be heard. Every time we score, the gold will be heard, and the white will shake their heads "I forgot how crazy...". Everyone says we don't stand a chance. I'm a big believer in fate, but for this opportunity to come on this stage...something special could occur.
So, let's head North for this chance to change it all, in one game. Bring on the white hats, and black shoes.
My God, we've beaten ourselves up on here for the past year, bemoaning our fate, woe is me, etc. Bottom line, come Saturday night, the only thing that matters is the opportunity before us in prime time, in front of millions watching on NBC, and 100,000+ in Happy F---ing Valley.
I've personally sat in that stadium and watch us slowly die a thousand deaths. When I enter that God awful place Saturday night, I'll see ghosts on that field. I'll see Craig Taylor running down that sideline, and red flags flying. I'll see Major...Hoss...A.B. Brown...Willie D. It's a venerable House of Horrors.
Fellow Mountaineers, despite our current state of affairs, we have one hell of a football program. It's one from which you should draw a hell of a lot of pride. And it always hits hard this time of year. You think of those memories, some a bit more faded than others, of when we rose to the occasion. "The Prohibitive Underdog" Jack liked to say....going "where angels fear to tread". There's too much history here, too much invested in this program by Mountaineer Nation, too many sacks of Doug Flutie, too many celebrations on High Street....to allow us to simply fade away into that good night.
I posted earlier this week, that Don Draper once said "if you do not like what is being said, then change the conversation." No one likes what is being said about our Mountaineers right now, because nothing is being said. We are off the radar, save for the "hot seat" discussions. Well, what better place to change the conversation than Happy Valley, Pennsylvania on Saturday night...a place which has been that House of Horrors for so many years. You go there, you line up, punch them in the mouth, fight for every yard, every inch - block and tackle. Fundamental football. We can win this game.
I want to win this game as badly as I've wanted to win a football game in quite some time. When I was walking into the Georgia Dome to watch the '05 Sugar Bowl, a Georgia fan said to me "You ready for SEC football?!" and I replied "All I see is an opportunity to shut some mouths and open some eyes." There may have been a few more colorful words in there. I have the same feeling about this game. Penn State is who we thought they were - they still think very highly of themselves. Their writers come to our site and post "42-17". When we beat them for a recruit, the reply is always "We didn't want that kid anyway".
We have an Opportunity in one game, to change it all. We come out, win that game, then the conversation changes. All of the sudden, 3-0 becomes a possibility. WVU being ranked becomes a possibility. Can we beat Texas Tech...4-0? Could we possibly believe in Neal Brown running the offense he was always supposed to run, with a mobile QB who is a threat to score? Could the Defense turn it around and simply play like they did in the years prior to 2022? Could WVU be a darkhorse, coming out of nowhere in 2023? If we take care of business Saturday night, all of this becomes a possibility. What an Opportunity.
A daunting task. The referee will hold up his hand, ball on the tee, 100,000+ will be deafening... a sea of white - stained with splotches of gold everywhere. The gold will be heard. Every time we score, the gold will be heard, and the white will shake their heads "I forgot how crazy...". Everyone says we don't stand a chance. I'm a big believer in fate, but for this opportunity to come on this stage...something special could occur.
So, let's head North for this chance to change it all, in one game. Bring on the white hats, and black shoes.
