Leave No Doubt

This speech, that was given to the Mountaineers prior to the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, still gives me and most WVU fans chills, still to this day. It was a call to arms, a rallying call that proved to these players that not only do they play for their school, but they play for the entire state of West Virginia. Many people will never know, nor understand the love and support that this state has, does, and forever will have for this institution. As many of other states have other colleges/universities and pro teams to cheer for, that is not true here. With all this being said, Nike has allowed the Mountaineers to show their blue-collar roots and honor to one of the oldest ways of life in these mountains, coal mining. The 2010 edition of the Nike Combat Uniforms is in honor of coal miners, from the canary inspirited cleats to the "coal dust and fingerprint smudged" numbers. Yet, to me, the most pinnacle part of this uniform is an inch and a half in diameter sticker on the back of the helmets, with the number 29 printed on it. This is to pay homage to the 29 men who tragically lost their lives this past April 5, in the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. So even if it is only for one game (The Backyard Brawl, Nov. 26 @Pitt), this team, the state, and most importantly these 29 men that gave their lives, will take the national spotlight, one more time, in a more positive light than we have ever been able to before.

Yesterday, on a lighter note, was also the first of the 2010 Bill Stewart Statewide Sportsline. This was, by far, one of the best experiences a Mountaineer football fan can have aside from actually going to a game. I was lucky enough to have gotten one of my questions asked to Bill Stewart, "The final offensive line spot is still undecided. How has this effected unity amongst an already young offensive line?" Although he skirted around the answer in my opinion, I do believe him on the information that he did give. He stated that there are only two players left battling for the right tackle spot. He assured everyone that, both of these players are very capable and deserving of this position, and the offensive line, as a whole this year, "is a very physical bunch this year." I hope he is correct, because if not Geno Smith is going to spend more of his time running for his life, than staying in the pocket and only scrabbling on his own accord, as Coach Stewart said he wanted to happen this year. He also revealed that the Mountaineers will open the season wearing the traditional Blue tops and Gold bottoms, against Coastal Carolina on September 4th at Milan Puskar Stadium. Now to leave you with the speech that inspired the title of this entry...