A Moral Loss

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(Posted 9-7-26)

Greetings from The Booth!

You’ve heard the term “moral victory?” We WVU fans are very familiar, as we suffer heartbreak after heartbreak following “almost” wins and “we were this close” losses. Every West Virginia fan has the score “13-9” ingrained in their membrane. For the unwashed, that’s the result of the infamous 2007 Backyard Brawl, when the Mountaineers lost to a god-awful Pitt team in a game that cost them a spot for the National Championship. I could go in and on with countless other examples of the Old Blue and Gold grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory.

Here’s how I got fired up for last Saturday’s opener against Coastal Carolina: earlier in the week I watched a replay of the 2014 Chick Fil A Kickoff Game. In that contest, WVU lost to mighty Alabama, 33-23. The Tide was an almost 4-touchdown favorite, but a gritty West Virginia team hung in there until the very end. Man, nothing fires you up like a loss. On occasion, I’ll watch Tavon Austin’s incredible performance against Oklahoma, where he piled up 572 total yards (by himself!) in a–you guessed it–heartbreaking 50-49 defeat at the hands of the Sooners.

You get the idea…

So, why is it that I can’t be happy about WVUs opening win against the Chanticleers? Because that’s how we are in the Mountain State. We immortalize the legendary losses and pick apart the underwhelming victories. And make no mistake, the Mountaineers’ 31-24 win this past weekend was underwhelming.

After the homecoming hire of Rich Rodriguiez and a 4-8 campaign last year to begin RR 2.0, 2026 was/is supposed to be a return to the 2005-2008 golden era of WVU football. Quarterback Michael Hawkins, Jr. and running back Cam Young were/are going to be the second coming of Pat White and Steve Slaton. An improved O-line, and a blitzing, aggressive defense were/are going to make us the surprise team in the Big 12.

What we got in the first half against Coastal was a hint of that promise, as Young took his first WVU carry 72 yards, then punched it in one play later for a 7-0 lead. Hawkins 49-yard touchdown pass made it 14-0 Mounties. The expected rout was on! WVU added 2 more scores for a 24-0 advantage, but left points on the table as Hawkins lost the football shy of the goal line, and then, inexplicably, Rich Rod took a knee with 50 seconds left in the half and all three of his timeouts. Still, WVU went into the locker room with a 24-0 lead.

A different WVU team came out of the locker room as Coastal Carolina QB Deuce bailey torched a Keystone Cops West Virginia secondary, the WVU defense took bad pursuit angles, and the Mountaineer offense bogged down, as Rodriguez stubbornly tried to run the ball against an 8-man front. Fortunately for the lubricated Morgantown crowd, time ran out on the Fancy Chickens, and West Virginia escaped with a 31-24 victory.

It’s said that the biggest improvement for a team comes between weeks 1 and 2. I hope that’s true, because after an anticipated Saturday win against UT Martin (who?), a 2-0 start is going to have us all pretty depressed in West-By-God.

Until the next visit from The Booth…GO EERS!

RW

 

 

A Season Off The Rails

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Greetings From The Booth!

I’m BAAACK…and I need some venting therapy.

Did it really happen? The magical 2024 Washington Commanders season is now a distant memory. Last year, we were all basking in the glow of a new ownership, a franchise quarterback, and a trip to the NFC Championship game. Man, we couldn’t wait until 2025 to ride this incredible vibe all the way to The Super Bowl.

It has all turned to a smouldering ruin…

As of this post, the Commanders are 3-7, and all but out of the NFC playoff picture (I can hear Jim Mora saying “Playoffs!? Playoffs? We’re just trying to win a game!” Still one of the best coach’s rants of all time.). What went wrong? As with most seasons that turn sour, it’s not just one thing. This season has been the perfect storm of injuries, underperformance, an aging roster, and a very tough schedule. Let’s address each one of these things:

As for the injuries, the Commanders are one of the most banged-up teams in the NFL, starting with franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has suffered 3, count ’em, 3 injuries this year. The list goes on, to the extent that backups to the backups are now playing for the Burgundy and Gold. It’s a veritable MASH unit out in Ashburn. But, as former NFL great Jonathan Vilma said on the national broadcast of Washington’s blowout loss to the Lions on Sunday, “no one cares.” In truth, all NFL teams have their share of injuries, and in the National Football League it’s “next man up.” No one in the league has any sympathy for the Commanners on game day.

That brings us to underperformance, which is especially true on the defensive side of the ball. Washington’s defensive problems were well-hidden last season by the magic of Daniels. This year, a bad defense has gotten worse. The Commanders “D” can’t tackle, can’t cover, can’t stop the run, and can’t force turnovers (they are one of the NFL’s worst in that department). Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play? This week, the team announced that Head Coach Dan Quinn would take over the defensive play-calling duties, while demoting Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr. Those kind of moves usually have short shelf lives–the players aren’t magically going to get better. As for Whitt, the fans want a scalp, and I’m afraid it will be his, quite possibly after the bye week.

The Commanders have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, and last year’s experience has given way to this year’s age and lack of speed. You only have to do the “eye test” to see that players like linebacker Bobby Wagner, while a great team leader, cannot keep up with younger, faster backs and receivers on Sunday. The Commanders roster was built last year on bringing in experienced veterans to guide the younger players. But after the surprising playoff run last year, a lot of those players were brought back, and have not been the same. As the old saying goes, better to get rid of a player one year too soon than one year too late.

Finally, we address the schedule, which is loaded with playoff contenders this year. Already this season, Washington has faced Seattle, the Chargers, Lions, and Packers, and is staring down the barrel at the Broncos, Vikings, and Philly (twice). Last year, against a much lighter slate, the Commanders posted a 12-5 regular season. Upon further examination, had just six plays gone the other way, Washington could have very easily been 6-11. So maybe the Commanders weren’t the powerhouse we (or the networks) thought they were. Sometimes, magic just happens.

It’s midnight, Cinderella, at least for 2025. I don’t see Joe Gibbs hanging around, so there will be no 7-game win streak or playoff football this year for the Washington Commanders. However, I swear I see Dan Snyder, Ron Rivera, Bruce Allen, and Jim Zorn lurking around Northwest Stadium…

Until the next visit from The Booth…HTTC/HTTR!

RW

 

A Return to Their Roots

Greetings from The Booth!

Don’t look now, but the Shenandoah Hornets football team is 2-0 after a 30-21 win this past Saturday at North Carolina Wesleyan. All in all, a great road trip, punctuated by a couple of rib-eyes, a fine hotel, a Saturday morning workout on the treadmill, and a Hornet victory. Of note is the unique perspective we had Saturday as we called the action on the radio. The temporary facility at NCW had no broadcast booth, so under a 2-man tent in the stands (thank you Sydney Anderson!) we called the game surrounded by lots of friendly Shenandoah fans who made the 4-plus hour drive to Rocky Mount. There were some technical challenges, but it was great to be among the crowd celebrating an SU win.

The game itself was a trip back in time as the Hornets racked up 223 rushing yards, and consumed 12 minutes of the 4th quarter clock in wearing down the Bishops’ defense. 132 of those rushing yards were gained by Rashadeen Byrd, Jr., who was a Clydesdale on Saturday. On a warm day, Byrd got better as the game wore on. In the bend, he got his reward, a short TD run on his final carry of the afternoon. An added dimension was the running of freshman QB Steven Hugney, which gave the Wesleyan defense one extra thing to think about.

Eventually, Hugney was spelled by senior signal-caller Zack Mathis, who connected with another senior, Brant butler for the play of the game, a 33-yard strike on third-and-11 that effectively iced the game. And while we’re talking about seniors, mention must be made of defensive end Mason Caldwell, whose 9 tackles and 2 sacks earned him D-3 Team Of The Week honors. The unsung hero was Patrick Ritchie, who booted 3 field goals, the final one giving the Hornets the lead for good. All in all, gutsy team win.

This week it’s on to Hampden-Sydney, as the ODAC season gets underway. The Tigers are 0-2, but in reality, everyone starts 0-0 again, and with one less league game on the slate this year, this is a big game. Starting 0-1 in the ODAC is not insurmountable, but 1-0 is a lot better. The Tigers feature the passing combo of senior quarterback Tanner Bernard to senior receiver Dillon Costello, who will test a Shenandoah secondary that picked off 4 passes last weekend.

I think it’ll be vitally important to jump out to a lead this week on the road. The Hornets have been a resilient team so far, having to come from behind in each of it’s first 2 games. The formula this week will be to get out in front on the scoreboard, run the football, and defensively, make Bernard uncomfortable.

The Hornets have spoiled a few Homecomings and Hall Of Fame Weekends over the years, and I think they’ll do the same this weekend, making our postgame meal at Macados in Farmville that much tastier. Final: Hornets 27 Tigers 23.

Listen to the 12:30 Saturday broadcast on the River 95-3, and until the next visit, GO HORNETS!!!!!!!

RW