Can WVU Redeem Themselves Against Maryland?

WVU's match up with Maryland last year was embarrassing, to say the least. WVU had a 7 game win streak against Maryland going into that game, and got clobbered 37-0. The only thing more embarrassing than that loss, WVU's overall season last year.

The WVU/Maryland rivalry has been around for decades. I have to admit, I've never been a big fan. I often made the argument that WVU needed to strengthen it's schedule, and that Maryland held us back. I have since backed off on that stance. My new position has nothing to do with Maryland, although it does help that they joined the Big 10. It is mainly because  WVU now plays in the Big 12, and now has a much tougher schedule.

The WVU/Maryland Rivalry is a one sided rivalry. Here is an excerpt from a blog post I wrote entitled Rivalries in 2010:

One Sided Rivalries: These are rivalries that are only honored by teams and fans on the losing side. This is what we had with Penn St. until 1984. You get fired up to finally beat the team that pounds you 90% of the time. Or 100% of the time in the case of Penn St. at that time. The perception of a rivalry is viewed solely by the losing side. The winning side usually views the losing side as target practice. There are thousands of these rivalries in sports. WVU currently has this sort of rivalry with Maryland and Rutgers. They will pull an upset on us every once in a while. But most of the time, we dominate them. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the current Cleveland Browns are in this situation in the NFL

I stand by those words. The rivalry with Maryland is one sided. The Terps hate the Mountaineers, and the Mountaineers mostly roll their eyes at the Terps. The two teams that will meet on Saturday are the same two who met last year, not much has changed. Maryland has a strong QB in C.J. Brown. He is mobile and has a strong arm. They also have a good receiving corps with Diggs and Long, and a strong defense. WVU is also the same team, except for one aspect, attitude. WVU is confident and strong this year. The great game they played against Alabama lit a fire in them. And I think that fire is going to burn Maryland. The defining factor will be WVU QB Clint Trickett, who did not play in the Maryland game last year. WVU is 10th in the FBS in passing yards per game at 360 yards. The offense is clicking and the defense is 100% stronger. It will all be too much for Maryland this year.

WVU is hungry and wants to be ranked again. My prediction, they send Maryland down in flames!!

WVU Didn't Get a "W" Against Alabama on Saturday, But They Got an "R"; Respect.

It had been along time since I had seen WVU get such little respect. Saturday morning was driving me nuts. From ESPN to CBS Sports to NBC Sports, it was all the same. WVU would get killed, the game would be over by half time, blah, blah, blah.  All the so called "Pundits" talked about was how great Alabama was, not an ounce of respect for WVU. One mediocre and one bad season seemed to have destroyed 25 years of growth and earned respect. It was as if the 80's had returned. Yes, the 80's, back when ESPN would repeatedly call WVU the University of West Virginia, UWV.

I sent out a tweet right at halftime of the game.

18 Retweets, 21 Favorites. It had struck a chord. WVU had shown that they could hang in there with Alabama. And the Mountaineer alumni and fans wanted what was due to them, respect. As I stated in my previous blog, I didn't expect WVU to win. But I hoped they would come to play, and come to play they did. Coach Holgorsen took a huge step forward with this team on Saturday. The Defense looked 100% better And with the exception of some dropped passes, the Offense was clicking. This game could have easily gone the other way. The rest of the Big 12 stood up and took notice on Saturday. WVU is back, and will be a contender in the Big 12 this year. I am really looking forward to seeing what this team will do this season.