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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 00:07

Written by Colin Dunlap

Here you go with another fine installment of the Q&A.

Remember, if you want to submit a question for the Q&A, it is very easy and can be done here: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/wvu/questions/qaform.asp

Release the hounds ...

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QUESTION: How many points will WVU score against Marshall?

-Gary in Charleston, W.Va.

COLIN DUNLAP: The staff at West Virginia will score 150 if they can. Seriously.

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Now, how about three questions from Chris in Lewisburg, W.Va.:

QUESTION: If the right side of the line struggles, how soon can we expect to see Spain given a shot?

CD: Not very soon at all. Remember, Bill Stewart said Quinton Spain wasn't even on the two-deep. Is the kid big? Absolutely, he is gargantuan, enormous, huge, humongous, leviathan, colossal and/or fill-in-your-synonym-for-really-large. But, that said, he isn't ready to play college football yet. With Jeff Braun and Cole Bowers fighting some things out over there (although don't be surprised to see Bowers play some guard), there is no question you'd see a guy like Pat Eger in the game waaaaaaaaaaaay before Spain right now.

QUESTION: You recently said you are concerned about WVU's defense, especially speed at linebacker and the d-line. What about Julian Miller and Bruce Irvin....are they slow footed or what?

CD: Miller is far from slow-footed, the guy has the makings of being very, very good. As for Irvin, I've written about him because he was sort of the flavor of the month at camp -- he performed well at camp and is an intriguing story. But, before everyone anoints him as this quarterback killer, I'd like to see him make a tackle in a game. Against an opponent, not in a scrimmage. And an opponent that isn't a Division I-AA team. What I'm getting at is this: Irvin is quick, no doubt, but is his 235-pound frame enough to not get muscled up by an experienced Division I linemen? Also, does he have the technique -- remember he is new to the position -- to do well at rush end. We will see; it will be an intriguing storyline. There were times, when I watched him in one-on-one drills, and also in some team stuff, where Don Barclay absolutely buried him.

QUESTION: The feeling is that Oliver Luck isn't a fan of Bill Stewart, thus no contract extension. How much of the new fiery Stew that we've seen is due to the fire Ollie has started on his coaching seat? Can we expect a more aggressive WVU willing to put the foot on the throat of the opponent this year because Ollie is looking over Stew's shoulder?

CD: Let me set this straight right out of the gate: I don't think there is truth in your statement that "Oliver Luck isn't a fan of Bill Stewart." In meeting with Mr. Luck, it became very clear he is a fan of one thing, first and foremost: winning. That said, he'd like to see more wins. And you know what, in knowing Bill Stewart the way I do, I can comfortably say this: He wants to see more wins, too. So, this new "fiery Stew" that you speak of -- and, yes, it is a tad bit noticeable -- is rooted more in pushing himself to elevate this program to double-digit wins and not much to do with a push from Mr. Luck. Stewart isn't looking over his shoulder at all, but, yes, I do agree (and he's spoken on the record about it) that he'd like to put some teams away more this season; he'd like to start to dominate some foes again.

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QUESTION: Will Coley White (pictured, above left) have an impact on opponents defense this year? If so, what position?

-Brandon in Elkview, W.Va.

CD: Not really. He made a nice grab at a scrimmage playing receiver (his new home), but I kind of look at it like this: With Jock Sanders, Brad Starks, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, J.D. Woods and Ivan McCartney at receiver, if Coley White is making plays, he either made a huge rise through the depth chart, or some of the go-to guys got hurt.

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QUESTION: For the life of me, I can't figure out what kind of offensive scheme we are trying to run. Are we a spread team? A spread option team? A power team? Coach Stew said he wanted to mix things up and add a few plays after he was hired, which seemed well and good at the time, but I'm not sure we do anything particularly well anymore. Is there a team out there in the country that we are trying to mimic? If so, then who?

-Justin in Scott Depot, W.Va.

CD: What is that saying Bill Stewart likes to use everyone once in awhile? The one he got from Geffray Mynshul (look him up, the guy was good). Something about a "jack of all trades?" Well, it applies here with the offense. Being balanced is a good thing, the implementation of a fullback to mix it up, sometimes, is a good thing. To me, that power game mixed in with the speed WVU has is a good thing -- it just comes down to execution.

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Get all your questions to me...send a bunch:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/wvu/questions/qaform.asp

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written by KeyserCouchburner, September 01, 2010 - 08:37 AM

so you get the impression that there is a little bad blood with Doc/Marshall? Hopefully WVU will be in position to close them out and put them away with authority, as well as many other opponents this year.

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