News-Record.com

I got so caught up in idiotic Davidson predictions yesterday that I forgot to give kudos to the Mountaineers for their upset of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (I'm also happy to report that sports editor Joe Sirera - a WVU alum - was back in the office today and functioning at somewhere close to 100 percent. He had comment on the rumors that he was seen in Morgantown late Monday night with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a burning ottoman in the other).

I didn't like to an article for this post, because I can pretty much sum them up with this sentence, "I guess the Big East isn't so bad after all, nah, nah, nah."

To me the biggest told-you-so that came out of this game should have been delivered to all the people (i.e. Nebraska's AD) that were convinced that a run-oriented offense couldn't thrive in today's game of speed over power. With 382 rushing yards against a defense loaded with NFL talent, the Mountaineers proved that a run-oriented offense can still be a) explosive and fun to watch and b) successful at the highest level.

Yes, WVU QB Pat White did throw the ball, but really just enough (14 attempts) to keep the Dawgs honest. The real show for the Mountainers was running the ball out of a spread formation behind its zone blocking schemes.

It sort of makes you wonder why more schools don't copy the methods of WVU coach Rich Rodriguez instead of lusting after the next pass-happy West Coast offensive genius. This may not be a newsflash to you, but West Virginia doesn't produce a ton of prep football talent. So if you're going to win big in Morgantown, you'd better have something different. You're not going to beat teams relying solely on talent. That's why this quote from Georgia coach March Richt was so telling.

"One thing about this matchup was that there was no team we played this season that ran the offense they ran like they do or as well as they do."

No wonder Georgia looked so lost while falling behind 28-0.

Meanwhile, little old Navy thrashed Colorado in its bowl game relying on the good old triple option. The guru there? Former Georgia Southern coach Paul Johnson.

So for all you at also-ran institutions pining away for football respectability, I offer this advice - Don't try to do the same thing everyone else is already doing better than you. Try something different. It might just work.