Pitt Redshirt Diaries : Reed Williams

Rutgers update: Williams out for season, White hurt

Chuck Finder — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:07:00 GMT

McKeesport's Anthony Leonard found himself in a new and different place this afternoon: starting in place of Reed Williams at middle linebacker for a West Virginia needing a strong man in the middle, both against Rutgers today and potentially the rest of the season.

Leonard, a redshirt sophomore, became him the fourth different player to start at middle linebacker in five Mountaineers games to date -- Pat Lazear, Gateway's Mortty Ivy (back at strongside linebacker) and Williams were the others.

Williams, the pumping heart of the Mountaineers' defense that has limited opponents to just two touchdowns and two more field goals in his pair of starts, has been scratched from West Virginia’s lineup for Rutgers today because of troubling pain from his offseason surgery to repair labrums in both shoulders. What this means for the remainder of the season is up in the air: He can play one more game this season and still be eligible to receive a medical redshirt and extra year of eligibility, under NCAA rules.

Williams' impact on the Mountaineers' defense in his two-game return? After yielding touchdowns on Colorado's first two drives in his first start since Williams won Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP, the defense clamped down and allowed just two field goals in the ensuing 21 series and 115-plus minutes of gametime. Williams amassed 17 tackles, two tackles for losses, one interception and one pass breakup in less than seven quarters of action since.

4:32 p.m.: Williams has decided to sit out the rest of the season with pain that left him "absolutely miserable," according to roommate Pat McAfee, the kicker form Plum. This middle linebacker from Moorefield, W.Va. -- the Mountaineers only remaining starter from in-state -- will be a fifth-year senior for 2009. Leonard, his replacement for the time being, finished this 24-17 victory with a team-high nine tackles.

Also, quarterback Patrick White left the game with about five minutes remaining in the third quarter with an apparent concussion -- the extent of which Coach Bill Stewart didn't fully reveal afterward. "He's fine," Stewart said, his voice barely above a whisper. White exited the field and headed to the locker room with team medical personnel escorting him, but returned almost five minutes later without his helmet. He exhorted teammates and talked with them from the sidelines, but he didn't address media afterward and teammates declined to discuss the two-time Big East offensive player of the year's ailment.

RU ready for some football?

Chuck Finder — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:00:00 GMT

And other Friday football questions involving this Rutgers-West Virginia fray in a curiouser and curiouser Big East:

1. Coach Bill Stewart maintains that he refuses to throw his players under the bus, but would you consider this tossing tailback Noel Devine into the Bonzai Pipeline? "Stay in the wave," he said he counseled Devine, after No. 7 gathered 88 of his game-high 125 yards rushing against Marshall on whoa-Neillie, reverse-field runs. "Ride the wave. [Exhibiting patience is] the biggest thing Steve [Slaton] did here, Quincy [Wilson] did here and Avon [Cobourne] did here, everyone we've had. Patiencew to the hole, speed through the hole. Patience to the hole, speed through the hole. He's given up on the wave. I want to see the wave crest. What do you tell a guy who does one of those Nintendo runs? "OK, good job. But you better watch, you need to ride the crest. . . . We're not riding that crest. We're dnot doing everything we need to be doing right now. We're getting better. We're getting closer. And we're gaining on it. What I'm still trying to tell the coaches, we're going to come to a game [where Nos.] 5 and 7 need help. We've got to be able to become more than one-dimensional -- that's No. 7 -- or more than two-dimensional -- that's No. 7 and No. 5 -- football team."

If nothing else, credit the old-school Stewart for invoking Nintendo instead of, I dunno, Atari.To help out, we've invited Coach Laird Hamilton to provide Devine intervention (see bottom).

2. Could senior stalwart middle linebacker Reed Williams truly consider a red-shirt? He has, under NCAA rules, two more games to play before deciding whether to punt the rest of this season and petition to return for one more because of his aching shoulders from offseason labrum surgery. It was instructive that Tuesday, when reporters asked the normally voluble Williams to stop for player-interview questioning, he rushed off saying he had a class project. Stewart said earlier that Tuesday, in advance of the Rutgers game Saturday at Mountaineer Field: "We're going to watch him and see how he does. Last Saturday he was good, but the guy's hurting. He's his own best doctor. You can take MRIs, you can take X-rays, you can see doctors. But you're your own best doctor. Every guy that's sick [or hurt] here, I tell them, 'I want you to be honest with me, becuse you're the expect on your body.' Then we make a calculated decision"

3. Could Rutgers tailback Kordell Young, earlier this week left for season-ending injured, make a return Saturday at Mountaineer Field? Tom Luicci of The Newark Star-Ledger has the details.

4. Do you see progress in these Mountaineers? Stewart does, though he seems to be admitting they were overrated at No. 8 and unready for what awaited them at the starting gate: "I saw it in Boulder. I knew in Boulder we had a chance to be a good football team. Great football team? No. Eighth in the country? No, never. Not yet. Not yet. . . . Are we back? No. Are we on the way back? Yeah. I don't think we ever lost it, we just weren't real good early. We went to East Carolina and got whacked, got tagged. I think that's all been rectified. Will we get beat again? Could. Hope not. Those two games, at East Carolina and at Boulder. . . , I think made our football team grow. I really do, I believe it. Now did it grow for the better? We'll see. We'll see."

Stew asks so many questions, he oughtta be a reporter.

5. DId you see where one of Mountaineers' fans least favorite sports writers (present company excluded) opined, with a colleague, that West Virginia and Rutgers were among college football's biggest disappointments thus far?

Finally, a Big East thought: Pitt's rousing upset over No. 10 South Florida could, in the short-term, further present a deletirous affect for the conference in the polls and perhaps even early BCS rankings. Without one dominant team, or a couple of sturdy ones, the conference appears to finally become the prophecy of skeptics years ago after the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College: a mediocre football conglomeration of basketball schools. Watch the polls Sunday afternoon. If undefeated Connecticut falls at North Carolina on Saturday and tumbles from the rankings along with USF, it's quite possible that no Big East school will appear in the Top 15, Top 20. . . perhaps even the entire Top 25, though that's doubtful. See, with Louisville on the borderline and UConn still not considered among the big boys, the league needed either West Virginia or Rutgers, or both, to remain strong alongside either USF or Pitt, or both.

Williams, Wes Lyons and widdle Devine to see first/more Mountaineer time

Chuck Finder — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:10:00 GMT

Colorado should expect to see Thursday in its own Folsom Field: middle linebacker Reed Williams and receiver Wes Lyons of Woodland Hills High for the first times this season, and more of tailback Noel Devine.

Hey, Coach Bill Stewart claims he tells his Mountaineers nothing but the truth, so help him, so why would he deceive the stinking media?

Stewart today, approaching his first game as the official, signed, sealed and contract-delivered head coach of West Virginia, pronounced a few new wrinkles for the Buffaloes:

* "Reed Williams will play," Stewart said of the 2007 team-leading tackler and Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP, who had offseason surgery on both shoulders. "We had a talk yesterday, Reed, myself and the medical people. Reed Williams is going to let it go. We couldn't block him [Sunday in practice]. And I was, like, 'Wow.' He's ready to go. Brings another level of excitement to our team. Moxie, swagger. . . what's a good buzzword? He brings a presence to us.

"He's just one guy, but he's one special guy. I left it up to him. I left it up to our medical people. He felt like he should go. Be good to have old Reed out there." Williams' return also means Gateway's Mortty Ivy can return to strong-side linebacker from the middle.

* "We'll play Wes Lyons more at receiver 'cause he's earned it," Stewart continued of the junior receiver slow to recover from August arthroscopic knee surgery. "I told him that when you show me you could go two hard weeks, then we'll get you in there and we'll play you. Wes Lyons will get in there this week. He'll help us."

* The diminutive dynamo Dynamo (with Jock Sanders what Stewart calls his Mighty Mites), after 15 touches in each of the opening two games, will get the ball a lot more often somehow, someway, the coach added. (You think the Buffs read these enemy-territory blogs/sites or listen to those internet-archived news conferences? Nahhhh.) "Dagnabit," said Stewart, who last week vowed more belly-option runs. "I wish you hadn't brought that up. He needs to get the ball more. You can't just have 54 plays a game, that's first and foremost. If he can tough it 18 to 22 times out of the backfield, five to seven times on screens and that. . . . We've got to get him in the rhythm, get him in the flow. We will really try to get the ball in the little guys' hands more, yes we will."

Stewart also said that he expected to play one or more backup offensive lineman -- most likely Seneca Valley's Don Barclay, moved from left tackle and currently listed as right tackle Selvish Capers' backup. Another depth-chart change was the switch of Pat Liebig to starting defensive end, ahead of Weirton's Zac Cooper and Larry Ford, with end Julian Miller moving to backup nose tackle -- Liebig's previous spot -- behind Chris Neild.

Speaking of Stewart's new contract, announced late last week in the wake of that East Carolina loss, it should be noted that the man without an agent needed roughly eight months and nine days to formally complete the deal -- a scant 10 days shorter than the purported Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, Rich Rodriguez's team. And the new guy didn't even have one of those wieldy buyout clauses, making him the second of the past three newly signed Mountaineers coaches to go without one. Women's basketball coach Mike Carey was the other, last February, just days after lawyers representing the university filed the lawsuit against Rodriguez over that doodad.

Hanna update: WVU-ECU kickoff a go, Williams not

Chuck Finder — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:22:00 GMT

Chuck Finder | 10:34 a.m. Sept. 6

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Game on.

East Carolina University officials announced moments ago this morning that they plan to play their home football date with eighth-ranked West Virginia at 4:30 p.m. today as scheduled, despite the back end of counter-clockwise Tropical Storm Hanna still churning through central and east North Carolina.

"Because of the likelihood of possible wind gusts remaining in the wake of Tropical Storm Hanna," officials said in the announcement, they will continue to enforce parking alterations revealed Thursday and a no-tent policy while also encouraging fans to "exercise caution driving to the game."

About 3,000 customers in the Greenville area reportedly are without electricity amid 30-plus mph gusts and a mist that still afflict the area. Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium itself sustained no apparent damage, and the field looks soggy but not puddled from two to four inches of rainfall locally. However, the storm's mild power is evident in the parking lots on the stadium's east side: small limbs, tree branches and an abundance of leaves littered the ground barely an hour ago, and 17 of 20 portable johns were blown onto their sides. One stadium worker, who said ECU officials informed employees that the quick-moving front could completely blow through and sunny skies return by gametime, advised that those mobile bathrooms for fans were of little concern -- he pointed to a half-dozen replacements waiting under cover beneath the stands.

About a two-and-a-half-hour's drive north in Richmond, Va., where Hanna's center passed by mid-morning, NASCAR officials a day earlier postponed their races until Sunday.

3:50 p.m. update: Sunshine, clearing skies and a rather dry-looking field greeted the Pirates and Mountaineers in warmups, but West Virginia again will be without senior middle linebacker Reed Williams, who didn't dress while recovering from offseason shoulders surgery that may well get him a medical redshirt and yet another season of eligibility. Going by warmups, Gateway's Mortty Ivy will start at middle linebacker and John Holmes will assume Ivy's old spot at strongside linebacker.

WVU-Villanova live

Chuck Finder — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Chuck Finder | Gameday

8:53 p.m.: In the end, Patrick White tossed a Mountaineer Field-record and lifetime-best five touchdowns, and eighth-ranked West Virginia tried to show East Carolina and the rest of college football that you can't always crowd the line of scrimmage to dare this team to throw. Sure, only Marc Bulger in 1998 with a half-dozen against Pitt has thrown for more scores in West Virginia history. But the subtext to this 48-21 triumph tonight over The Villanova That Doesn't Shoot 3-Pointers seems to be: That remodeled defense didn't exactly stymie a Division I-AA offense. Seven of the Wildcats' first 11 possessions carried into West Virginia territory. The Wildcats possessed the football an entire quarter longer than West Virginia, which in theory represents a practical way to keep that vaunted offense off the field. The Wildcats even outgained the Mountaineers by half a football field. "We missed some open-field tackles," new coach Bill Stewart said. "We just can't do that." By the way, in a precautionary move by Stewart and the medical staff, Reed Williams didn't dress (no wonder this correspondent couldn't find him), but he and his surgically repaired shoulders should be ready to play, if not start, next Saturday at East Carolina. And, after the soon-to-be-ranked Pirates' 27-22 upset of No. 17 Virginia Tech today, this West Virginia-East Carolina fray looks a whole lot more sizeable, doesn't it? "From what I heard today, we're going into a hornet's next, we're going into a Pirates den," Stewart said. "We have to improve a whole lot."

5:26 p.m. (our apologies. . . wireless problems here): Pat Lazear indeed started at middle linebacker and lasted barely a handful of plays. Anthony Leonard replaced him -- no sign of Williams, so it's doubtful he'll play -- but the Villanova offense still moved with relative ease throughout the first half. Four of its first six possessions reached into West VIrginia territory. It dominated the first half time of possession, 20 minutes, 32 seconds to West VIrginia's 9:28. It even outgained the vaunted West Virginia offense. Yet a red-zone fumble by Villanova quarterback Antwon Young was returned halfway across the field, mostly by Gateway's Mortty Ivy, to set up the first of three. . . wait for it. . . passing touchdowns to give the Mountaineers a 24-7 lead at intermission. Records that fell in the half: White has his inaugural three-touchdown-passing performance (with a half yet to play) and West Virginia's first since Brashear's Rasheed Marshall four years ago against Temple (which one press-box wag called another Division I-AA team from Philadelphia); White surpassed Bulger's career mark for total offense with almost 8,000 yards; and Plum's Pat McAfee at half's close kicked a career-long, 52-yard field goal, beating by one yard his previous best against Pitt at Heinz Field two years ago.

1:52 p.m (more than 90 minutes to kickoff).: A roster update: If sophomore Lazear doesn't start ahead of senior star Williams at middle linebacker today, he at minimum is expected to play the majority of the defensive snaps so Williams can test and then rest his surgically repaired shoulders.

A scoreboard update: The three-times-larger Panasonic big board is up and running, showing the Virginia Tech-East Carolina broadcast at this moment, and it's a dandy home-theater system. And workers did find the KA missing from the Tuesday night truck carrying the scrambled letters now spelling out "MILAN PUSKAR STADIUM" above the new scoreboard (see Aug. 26 blog entry, below). LED boards running roughly between the 10-yard lines adorn the bottom of the upper decks at Mountaineer Field now, too, much like ones found at Heinz Field or any other major stadium.

Finally, a weather update: The hazy, gray skies that appeared to threaten with rain have just given way to beams of sunshine. Radar looks clear, though. Not that it should matter much today, but the Mountaineers would prefer a dry, fast track on their ersatz grass.

Reed ready, and other Mountaineer Monday doodads

Chuck Finder — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:11:00 GMT

Middle linebacker and defensive catalyst Reed Williams apparently will start Saturday in No. 8 West Virginia’s season opener against Villanova after all.

New coach Bill Stewart said this morning on the Big East teleconference that he expects to start the senior, who is coming off surgeries on both shoulders shortly after being named the defensive MVP in the Fiesta Bowl and leading the Mountaineers in tackles in 2007.

“The way I saw him hitting last week in practice, I think he wants to play real, real bad,” Stewart said of Williams, who was cleared to resume full contact last Wednesday. “He’s right on schedule. Everybody’s pleased with how quickly he has come back. . . . Reed Williams has done everything. He’s the Reed of old. The doctors feel good, he feels good. He’s come a long, long way in a fast period of time this last month. He’s very much ready to go.”

In other tidbits today:

Stewart said sophomore Brandon Hogan, radically switched from slotback to cornerback at August’s start, might not start but should see plenty of playing time at nickel back and punt returner, where he likely would align with cornerback Ellis Lankster. “First punt return, he’ll be out there,” the coach vowed of Hogan.
Speaking of cornerbacks, Stewart considered Lankster, Kent Richardson, Eddie Davis, Hogan, et. al. “as good or better as the guys we’ve played with [in recent years, namely Perry Traditional Academy’s Vaughn Rivers, Larry Williams and Antonio Lewis]. They just haven’t been in the arena yet.”
Villanova coach Andy Talley, on the Colonial Athletic Association teleconference, spoke about how he expects West Virginia “to try to run the ball down our throats.” In other words, he figures the Mountaineers will look down upon the I-AA Wildcats, who happen to be ranked No. 19 in that division’s poll. Talley added: “They’re bigger, faster and stronger and probably expect to dominate the game. I don’t think they’re terribly excited about Villanova, to be quite frank.” The guy knows how to motivate: Villanova has won two of its past three games against Big East foes, beating Rutgers (37-19) in 2003 and Temple (23-20) in 2004, also on the road.

Reed Williams to return to full contact

Chuck Finder — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:59:00 GMT

The news from the Mountaineers tonight, before they lapsed into a week-long media blackout: The red-headed middle linebacker is back, and first-year players litter the depth chart.

Reed Williams, the team’s top tackler a year ago, was permitted by team doctors to return to tackling in practice beginning Wednesday. That will mark his first meaningful contact since the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 2, when he was named defensive MVP and soon after underwent surgery on both shoulders. “Been awhile,” said Williams, who added that doctors remained unsure whether he would be ready in time to start or play for the Mountaineers’ Aug. 30 opener with Villanova.

As for the Mountaineers’ youth infusion, 11 true freshmen and redshirt freshmen hold spots across the 58-player positional depth chart released today. Among the prime names listed: freshman Tyler Urban of Norwin High at the first split-wide tight end (as opposed to Will Johnson at fullback/tight end); ballyhooed recruit Josh Jenkins at backup right guard (behind Jake Figner); third-team quarterback Bradley Starks, a redshirt freshman, at backup Z-receiver (behind Tito Gonzales); Seneca Valley’s Don Barclay, another redshirt freshman, at backup left tackle (behind Ryan Stanchek) even though his line coach considers him in the competition for first-team right tackle; freshmen Ryan Clarke and Ricky Kovatch at backup fullback (behind Johnson); and a pair of first-year fellows at free safety, redshirt freshman Eain Smith backed by freshman Robert Sands.

Recruits Mark Rodgers and Zach Hulse – but not Terence Kerns – were listed at tailback behind Noel Devine, but sophomore Jock Sanders is expected to help with backup duties.

“We got 12, 13 guys we’re counting on,” said Doc Holliday, the associate head coach filling in for new coach Bill Stewart, who was otherwise occupied with the blessing of Mountaineer Field tonight. “To be honest with you, that’s not a good situation you want to be in. You’d like to red-shirt all your freshmen. The thing is, you try to get yourself and your program in a position where you don’t need freshmen to come in and play.”

Holliday added the Clarke, previously hampered by a hamstring injury, has missed time due to a case of pink eye. He said Clarke, once he returns, must lose about 12 pounds off his current 252. “He’s still too fat,” said Holliday, who coaches fullbacks and tight ends. “If he can get down to 240, he’ll probably be a player for us.”

Other new additions: Alric Arnett is the first team X receiver; Chris Neild and Pat Liebig are vying for starting nose tackle; and spur safety is still a competition between Boogie Allen and Sidney Glover. Though several safeties are expected to play early.

-- Chuck Finder

The inaugural '08 Mountaineers scrimmage

Chuck Finder — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:53:00 GMT

Before anyone begins heavy breathing about certain players or units in today’s first West Virginia scrimmage of the season, remember this: The suspect defense, the one replacing seven starters, mostly manhandled the vaunted offense.

In other words, it’s early yet.

Now on to the facts from today on Mountaineer Field. . . .

* The Blue Swarm, as Coach Bill Stewart calls the defense, yielded just one touchdown in 34 full plays from scrimmage. Of course, it was two-time Big East offensive player of the year and resident Heisman Trophy candidate Patrick White who gashed the first-team defense with a 45-yard romp on the first-team offense’s second series, and fourth play, amid an option keeper right. Six plays later, White covered the final six yards. And that was pretty much it for the offense.

White found a wide-open Tyler Urban, the freshman tight end from Norwin, on the unit’s very next play for a 45-yard play capped by Urban lowering his helmet and knocking down the tackling cornerback Ellis Lankster (whom Stewart later kicked off the field and to the sideline for a penchant to “talk too much”). On the ensuing plays, freshman Terence Kerns galloped 42 yards as part of his 64 yards on 10 carries overall, and sophomore Noel Devine broke off a 15-yard option sweep among his 39 yards on five carries in the true scrimmage and 50 on 11 overall (counting goal-line situations). White soon after added a 26-yard out pass to Alric Arnett to finish the true scrimmage 4 for 8 for 81 yards; he added an 18-yard pass to Jock Sanders plus a sack in the goal-line situations.

In the end, Stewart declared the first-team defense a scrimmage victor: “They got nasty. . . . Real, real nasty. It was nice to see they were banging and clanging pretty well.”

* Stewart declared the second-team offense another scrimmage victor, but it played mostly without Jarrett Brown at quarterback – this redshirt junior sat out most of the afternoon with a “slight twinge” of a hamstring. “Just precautionary,” Stewart said. Rather, starting receiver Bradley Starks, the de facto No. 3 quarterback, needed and got plenty of work at his other job. He steered the offense to its only other touchdowns of the afternoon, in goal-line situations: a 9-yard Kerns run almost untouched around left end, and a 5-yard, skinny-post pass to freshman Ryan Nehlen.

“Brad Starks is a natural,” Stewart said. “I’m hoping he can be the starting slot and the third quarterback. That’s the plan.”

* Noel Devine took some hits despite wearing a yellow protective jersey, so it’s readily apparent a backup is necessary. Zach Hulse, who fumbled upon his first carry and subsequently hit the penalty stadium steps, and Mark Rodgers each got one carry of any significance. That left the bulk of the duty to Kerns, who seemed to take a major stride forward in the competition for Devine’s backup relief. Kerns, a 6-foot-1, 239-pound recruit who needed a year and a final academic flourish at Hargrave (Va.) Military to make it to Morgantown, showed both power and some scoot ability in the first live action.

“He looks good,” said first-team linebacker J.T. Thomas. “He looks like a man, know wat I mean? He’s going to bring another element to our already powerful offense. A great change of pace for Devine. This year could be great for him.”

Stewart was reluctant to heap praise, mostly because he was hacked at Kerns for failing to hand the football to an official upon a sideline sweep in a clock situation near the scrimmage’s end. “Bonehead mistake by a freshman,” Stewart barked. “He won’t make that mistake again.” Of Kerns two first-down runs and touchdown and all, Stewart said simply, “Kerns made a few good runs.” And that was that.

* As for the freshmen, Stewart singled out Urban, backup safety Robert Sands, backup guard Josh Jenkins (“looks pretty special”) and rotund second-team fullback Ryan Clarke. Uh, maybe too rotund. “He’s packing an extra suitcase,” Stewart said, “but we’re shedding it ever so slowly. That guy’s a freight train.” Quarterback Coley White, Patrick’s brother, also pleased Stewart despite having to run for his life at times.

* The injury report, in addition to Brown: Backup receiver Wes Lyons of Woodland Hills High had arthroscopic surgery on the same right knee that required a slightly more serious procedure this time a year ago, though the medical staff expects him back within a week; his brother, Ohio State transfer and backup receiver Devin, missed for an unspecified ailment; top-two cornerback Guesly Dervil dislocated a finger and is expected to return Monday, wearing protective padding; starting left tackle Ryan Stanchek (unspecified illness) and tight end Will Johnson (left foot sprain) are expected to practice this week.

* For those seriously wondering about the depth chart. . . The offensive line was the same as late last year, with Seneca Valley’s Don Barclay replacing Stanchek beside Greg Isdaner, Mike Dent, Jake Figner and Selvish Capers. Urban replaced Johnson at tight end. Starks and Jock Sanders appear to be the top two slots, with Dorrell Jalloh, Tito Gonzales and Arnett the top receivers. The first defensive line was Chris Neild between Scooter Berry and Zac Cooper, though Pat Liebig fits in there if the NCAA grants him a sixth year of eligibility. Middle linebacker Reed Williams sat out the scrimmage – he may well miss one game or more until his surgically repaired shoulders full heal – so Pat Lazear started between Thomas and Gateway’s Mortty Ivy. Lankster and Kent Richardson were the first cornerbacks with Quinton Andrews, Boogie Allen and Eain Smith at safety.

Geez, is this a blog or a book? As written above, it’s early yet.

WVUpdate: For openers

Chuck Finder — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:26:00 GMT

“Day One. . . . First practice. . . ,” was how a hoarse Bill Stewart opened his first news conference, after the first day of camp Saturday on Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, W.Va. And it was a good day for him.

Forget about it being his first fall practice as a head coach in almost 12 years. Forget about it being his first official season start as the coach of his homestate university – “the American dream,” he calls it.

Rather, it was the first of many business days, with the preseason Top-10 Mountaineers ushering in yet another season brimming with expectation.

So let’s get down to business, as so much personnel has changed and continues to change:

Nose guard Pat Liebig awaits approval from the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility, after skipping last season to return home to Florida and help his ailing father in the family business of three car dealerships. He expects to get the go-ahead Mond ay. At a spot Keilen Dykes manned to all-Big East proportions, Liebig and backup Chris Neild are joined by former Wake Forest recruit Uriah Grant to transform it into a deep, if not as starry, position.
Middle linebacker Reed Williams awaits clearance from doctors to fully tackle and play, so he may don a cautionary green practice jersey and refrain from using his surgically repaired shoulders and arms to make tackles until the Aug. 30 opener against Villanova.
All-America candidate Ryan Stanchek sat out the first practice because of illness, with Seneca Valley’s Don Barclay filling in. . . but only temporarily.
Brandon Hogan, expected to start or split time at slotback, is being tried out at cornerback. That leaves slotback to fellow sophomore Jock Sanders, redshirt freshman Bradley Starks (who will double as the No. 3 quarterback behind Patrick White and Jarrett Brown), and senior Dorrell Jalloh, who, unbeknownst to Stewart, worked at slotback in summer sessions that coaches are forbidden to watch.
Speaking of that secondary, which lost four senior starters from last season and at least two recruits who didn’t cut it (yet another recruit was added, former Virginia Tech signee D.J. Thomas of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia), it will remain a concern for some time. However, Stewart was brightened by last year’s star defensive-back signee, junior-college transfer Ellis Lankster, who reported at the precise, lower weight that Stewart requested . . . in exchange for allowing Lankster to try to return punts and kicks this season.
Backup outside linebacker Archie Sims cleared all academic hurdles and joins John Holmes, after his offseason arrest, as welcome returnees for depth. Yet Stewart likes the look of Williams, Gateway’s Mortty Ivy and J.T. Thomas as the starting linebackers. “It’s good to see John Holmes out there flying around,” Stewart said of the senior eight credit hours shy of graduation. “He’ll be OK.”
Hair today. . . . Pat Lazear went with the honorary Owen Schmitt Mohawk; Usually beach-bleach-blond Pat McAfee of Plum went with a buzzcut. (His second field-goal try of camp? It plunked off the right upright. “But the first one went into the upper deck,” McAfee pointed out.)
In case you missed it in the Sunday story, Jason Gwaltney is back. . . for a third time. It figures to either be a third-time charm or a third strike, but Stewart approaches it carefully. He told Gwaltney, who’s so Three Years Ago that he last played college football by sharing time with then-fellow-freshman Steve Slaton, that 2008 will be a red-shirt season and he must stick to the academics. If Gwaltney passes Stewart’s approval shortly after classes start, the coach might permit him to practice – with the scout team only.
In the “Oops” category, receiver Kendall Washington is listed in the Mountaineers ' 2008 media guide, headshot and bio and everything on page 94, even though he hasn’t been with the program since May and seemingly won’t be back – particularly since he ended July in the Stark County jail in his native Ohio.