January 4, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen and quarterback Geno Smith (12) pose with the trophy following their 70-33 victory over Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

The Mountaineers started off 2012 right by destroying Clemson 70 – 33 in the Orange Bowl to make WVU 3 for 3 in BCS Bowl Games. I was lucky enough to attend this game (with fellow HailWVer Patrick Pishko) and have seats 13 rows off the field in a section full of player’s families (thanks, Ollie!). What a game this was. Early on, the game looked like it was going to be back and forth the whole time. Neither defense could make a stop. The game turned in the second quarter when Clemson, trailing 21-17 at the time, was going into the end zone to take back the lead.

Jan 4, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers defensive back Darwin Cook (25) returns a fumble by the Clemson Tigers for a touchdown during the second quarter of the 2012 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

As a Clemson running back tried to make his way into the endzone, Darwin Cook somehow emerged with the football and returned it 99 yards for a Mountaineer touchdown, giving WVU a 28-17 lead. We never looked back from there.

Truth be told, Holgorsen shut the offense down midway through the third quarter when WVU went up 63 – 20. We easily could have scored 84 points and probably could have pushed for 100. Geno ended up with 407 yards passing and 6 TDs and Tavon with 123 yards receiving and 4 TDs. They were the stars of the show.

All in all, nine bowl records were set or tied in the game:

• 10 Team Touchdowns (WVU)
• 69 Combined points in a half (WVU & Clemson- 1st half)
• 70 Total Points, Team (WVU)
• 35 Points in a quarter (WVU, 2nd quarter)
• 49 points in a half (WVU, 1st half)
• 6 passing touchdowns (Geno Smith, tied Chuck Long)
• 7 total touchdowns (Geno Smith)
• 42 total points (Geno Smith)
• 4 receiving touchdowns (Tavon Austin, tied 3 others)

This is definitely one of the best victories in the history of our program. We got our first true taste of what the Mountaineer offense could do under Holgorsen, and we left the Big East in style. What a way to kick off 2012!

Not pictured: Me

So, I was asked by the guys at Crystal Ball Run if I’d answer some questions about WVU. Of course, I agreed to. It’s a chance to get my name and my blog out there… duh!

Here’s a preview of the first question after the jump…

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Shannon Dawson

Back in December when Dana Holgorsen was hired as offensive coordinator, rumors started to swirl about who might follow him to Morgantown. One of those names was longtime friend, Shannon Dawson. Holgorsen didn’t have much to say about who he may bring in, his focus was with Oklahoma State and their bowl game against Arizona.

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One of our loyal readers sent a Letter to the Editor to the Dominion Post based out of Morgantown. The DP has taken shot after shot at both Athletic Director Oliver Luck and new Head Football Coach Dana Holgorsen.

As expected, the DP didn’t run his letter. But, we told him beforehand that if they didn’t run it, we will.

This is a new series, called “Rejected Letters to the Editor.” Did you send a Letter To The Editor of a newspaper pertaining to WVU sports that got rejected? Send it our way (hail.wv.hail@gmail.com) and we’ll feature it on the site.

Anyway, without further ado, our first rejected Letter to the Editor carries us into the weekend…

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When we last left Cheap Suit Chucky, he was just so furious that Dana Holgorsen dismissed Marshall as “another opponent.” Now, this week, we see our cheaply-dressed columnist is taking full credit for WVU being put on probation. After the jump is all the fun…

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It was only a month on the job last summer and WVU was hit with these infractions after self-reporting them to the NCAA.

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Anyway… a little fun to take us into the Holiday Weekend: A photo caption contest. After the jump…

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I do allow guest contributions on HailWV.com, granted that it’s not from a Pitt or Syracuse fan… well, maybe I should from them so it can give us a chance to open-fire on those that do nothing more than take up precious air.

Anyway, here’s Mike’s piece after the jump, and if you feel compelled to, visit their site. Funny thing is, they think they have a chance at the Big East Title just because ESPN told them so. Hahaha! So cute, isn’t it?

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Bill Stewart has been ousted as WVU Head Coach. However, Oliver Luck has refused to address the information put out there by this site, as well as our friends at The Smoking Musket. Personally, I believe that a Confidentiality Agreement was signed by both parties. He said publicly the University couldn’t “substantiate” any of the rumors and innuendo. The only people that know what actually happened are the Stewart’s, Oliver Luck, and the lawyers in the room. It’s honestly a shame that Stewart’s tenure at WVU had to end in so much turmoil. Man, would I have loved to been a fly on the wall during that meeting.

Simply put, Stew’s mouth got him in trouble. Or, it could have been Mrs. Stewart. We won’t know for sure until someone confesses, if someone even decides to come forward… even if it’s 20 or so odd years down the road with an ESPN 30-for-30 special. Despite ESPN being less than stellar these days, the 30-for-30 Documentaries are A+, especially “Pony Exce$$.”

Am I actively seeking vindication at this point? Nope, as a matter of fact, I am still confident in what I posted and will stick by it regardless. However, I won’t turn vindication down if what I posted actually turns out to be true.

I do want to make one correction: The “Karen In Morgantown” that called in to Sportsline in December was NOT Mrs. Karen Stewart after further review. Our apologies for getting that one wrong.

Now, let’s address a few people…

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When we last left our favorite cheap suit-wearin, mullet hairdo-havin columnist out of Huntinghood, he was none too happy about Holgorsen being asked to leave a casino, which he did without incident.

What’s Mr. Yellow Teeth up to this week? Hang on for the ride, folks.

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