Mountaineers hang loose despite recent upheaval

By Berry Tramel

Published: December 30, 2007

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — West Virginia enters the Fiesta Bowl with a coaching staff in flux.

So far during Bowl Season 2007, that is no recipe for victory.

Going into Saturday night's Alamo Bowl, which included Texas A&M and interim coach Gary Darnell, teams with interim coaches or lame-duck coaches or just-promoted coaches were 0-4 in bowls.

But West Virginia has found some positives, maybe even some defiance, in the defection of coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan.

Interim coach Bill Stewart applies a more gentle touch. What safety Eric Wicks termed "the fear factor” is gone.

"Sometimes change is good,” said WVU safety Ryan Mundy. Stewart "is keeping us fresh. We're having fun.”

The Mountaineers say practices are shorter and the practice periods are, if anything, reduced instead of lengthened. "You won't see that happen with Coach Rod,” Mundy said. "There are no holes in the clock.”

Said defensive lineman Keilen Dykes, "When the whistle blows, that's it.”

Wicks said Stewart's personality is far different from Rodriguez's.

"If something happens, he's going to talk to you,” Wicks said of Stewart. "More respect level for him. Coach Rod, he enforces. He's going to make sure you know if you made a mistake. It's more of a fear factor.”

While that leads to fun in the sun of Arizona, it doesn't necessarily equate to victory.

The evidence is clear. Teams with head coaches in flux have not succeeded this bowl season:

•Houston, under interim coach Chris Thurmond (a former Sooner assistant) and waiting OU assistant Kevin Sumlin's takeover, lost 20-13 to TCU in the Texas Bowl.

•UCLA, under interim coach DeWayne Walker, lost 17-16 to Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl.

•Navy, under just-promoted coach Ken Niumatalolo, lost 35-32 to Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl.

•Southern Miss, in the final game for already-fired Jeff Bower, lost 31-21 to Cincinnati in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

"Hopefully, it stays that way,” said OU coach Bob Stoops. "There are issues to work through, but in the end, none of the coaches are playing.”

Truth is, the left-behind players are less affected than the left-behind coaches.

Rodriguez took recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach Tony Gibson with him to Michigan, leaving a graduate assistant to lead the DBs. WVU offensive coordinator Calvin Magee attended Rodriguez's Michigan press conference, and while Magee remains with the Mountaineers, it is assumed he will be headed for the Wolverines after the Fiesta Bowl.

Truth is, West Virginia's coaches don't know their future.

"As a professional, you focus in on the task at hand,” said WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel.” Our task is get ready for Oklahoma, then see what happens.”

Dykes admitted the Mountaineers were at first stunned by the departure, "but one guy don't stop no show. If we don't know what we're doing by now, we're not ever going to know.”

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