The Mothership usually has some pretty good ideas for discussion topics, which is probably why they get paid to do this kind of thing and I don't. The latest round is a calling for each fanbase to nominate a pair of players from their own team who may not be recognized nationally (or at least has probably been forgotten nationally) but hold a special place in the hearts of the team's fans, one as a cult hero, the other as a goat. Since this is football season, and WVU is generally a football school, and most college basketball fans still know who Kevin Pittsnogle is, we are going to confine this to WVU football players.

The cult hero that first came to mind is Wes Ours. A multi-dimensional player from 1997-2000, Ours bounced around between positions for three years before lining up his 6'1 250 lbs frame at fullback in Don Nehlen's final season where he rushed for 77 yards and 4 touchdowns in short-yardage and goal line situations, and added another 170 yards and 2 touchdowns receiving, including his famous 40-yard catch-and-rumble for a touchdown in the Music City Bowl. The Wes Express will always be a fan favorite in West Virginia for the way he used his ginormous frame to run over anything and everything in sight while blocking for all-time WVU leading rusher Avon Cobourne, always with a smile on his face.

The goat was probably the easier one to pick: "Third and Perlo" Bastien, who played defensive back from 1996-1999. Bastien actually finished his career with 24 pass break ups and 13 interceptions (6 his senior year) to go with 118 tackles, but I guess it's easy to rack up stats when the opposing team is throwing in your direction on every...single...play. The main play that sticks out to me with Perlo is, well, all of them because he seemed to allow the receiver he was supposed to be covering to get wide open for a first down basically at will. But the worst one had to be in 1997's overtime loss to Pitt, where Pete Gonzales found some walk-on schmuck (guarded by Perlo) for 18 yards on 4th and 17 in overtime, eventually leading to a Pitt touchdown, an Amos Zereoue fumble than wasn't a fumble, and a Pitt win. Dang, I still get frustrated by that guy.

What do you guys think? Who else would you place among WVU's Hall of Heroes and Goats?