A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
The above lyrics are from The Byrds "Turn, Turn, Turn", perfectly describe my emotions throughout Stew's career at WVU. At the start, I wanted to get everyone on board. Following the Colorado game, I was just mad. After beating UNC in spectacular fashion, I celebrated. After our loss to USF, I was sad. At the end of last season, I supported the man against a fanbase that was growing ever-the-more skeptical of HCBS. Now, I'm jumping on the fire Stew bandwagon.
It's time to gather stones together. This is not going to be pretty.
Let's hand out the grades...
Offense: F I honestly do not know what to write in this space. Should I go with the cliche, "Our offense is down right offensive?" Or maybe, "Our offense couldn't score at an Alpha Phi formal?" Either way, all of you unfortunately watched Friday night and know there are not many positives to take out of our performance. Our season high 254 rushing yards was squandered by penalties and fumbles. Geno's efficient passing was wasted because Mullen refuses to throw the ball more than 5 yards down field. The only positive that matters the remainder of the season is that Jeff Mullen will not be our offensive coordinator next season.
Offensive Line: D- This unit has been horrible from day one. I understand wanting to develop some semblance of a passing game, but why completely change the type of linemen we feature. Johnson has beefed up our line to "dominate" the line of scrimmage. However, Mullen's "offensive system" features speed backs and quick passes that would play better in a Trickett style zone blocking scheme. Again, the only positive coming from this unit is that Dave Johnson will not be our offensive line coach next season.
Defense: A This season has to be driving Casteel absolutely crazy. After years of getting Fraud's table scraps, Casteel finally has players recruited specifically for the 3-3-5 and is one of the best defenses in the country. Yet, that talent and skill is completely wasted by an offense that can't outscore anybody.
Special Teams: D- This unit is the perfect example of what is wrong with most of our coaching staff. We improve in one area, but fall way behind in another. Our kick coverage is vastly improved this year. On the other hand, our kick return game is non-existent. What the hell is going on? To me it shows that our coaches are in over their heads and cannot handle more than one problem at once. Sad state of affairs at the Puskar Center right now.
Offensive Coaching: F From day one HCBS has been compared to a painter. Following Friday night's game, I finally understood what those people were talking about. He and Mullen tried to create a perfect offensive system by pulling pieces from many different schemes. It would be like a painter trying to create a new masterpiece by combining the Mona Lisa, Whistler's Mother and Starry Night. That shit just ain't gonna work. If you analyze a little piece at a time, it looks pretty decent. When you step back and look at the system as a whole, however, it is just a clusterfuck of pretty pieces.
Coaching Search: TBD Hopefully, Luck is currently evaluating a crop of potential coaching candidates.