With all the hurricane activity, will the game be moved inland?

The Charleston Gazette Wrote:Mountaineers keep close eye on Hanna
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
September 2, 2008

Click here to view photos from the WVU-Villanova game

MORGANTOWN - Early in the week, the biggest name involved in West Virginia's game at East Carolina this weekend is Patrick - as in WVU's White and ECU's Pinkney, a pair of talented quarterbacks.

By Saturday, though, another name could dominate.

Hanna.

While New Orleans and the Gulf Coast deal with Gustav, right behind is Hanna, upgraded Monday from a tropical storm to a hurricane. And if the early path projections are correct, right in its path is Greenville, N.C. - estimated time of arrival Saturday.

"I've been in those types of games and it's tough,'' West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said Monday. "I just hope the good Lord's willing and pushes it back to sea and away we go.''

It is still far too early to be overly concerned, given the unpredictability of weather patterns. But the possibility exists that by the time the teams are scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in a game to be televised by ESPN, any number of conditions could prevail, from rains to high winds. Or Hanna could weaken considerably or take a different path. As of Monday, the weather forecast for Greenville on Saturday was merely a 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms and a high temperature of 90 degrees.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but I know our administrations are going to be on top of this,'' Stewart said. "I know they'll confer on this. We just have to wait and see how far it gets north.''

Blame global warming or whatever, but the instances of tropical storms and hurricanes disrupting college football games seem to have increased in recent years. In 2005, just after West Virginia's three-overtime victory against Louisville in Morgantown, the Mountaineers were to play at South Florida the following week. The threat of a hurricane postponed the game until the first weekend in December.

Other games around the country have been rescheduled or moved to dryer venues.

"We could take that thing off the coast and maybe go over to Duke somewhere or over to Chapel Hill,'' Stewart said. "I don't know if [Jim] Grobe's at home down at Wake [Forest]. I know he'd let us use his stadium.''

Stewart was joking, of course, but there is actually precedent for moving an East Carolina game away from bad weather.

In 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina just before the Pirates were to travel for a game at South Carolina. They made the trip and won the game - that was also the year ECU beat West Virginia in Charlotte - but then were told it was unsafe to return to Greenville.

East Carolina was scheduled to host No. 9 Miami the following week. The team remained in South Carolina and practiced there, but then found out that Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium was unfit to host the game. It was moved to North Carolina State's stadium in Raleigh, where the Pirates won 27-23, still considered the school's best victory ever.

East Carolina coach Skip Holtz said Monday he is looking forward to hosting West Virginia without the distraction of weather problems.

"I hope it's not [an issue]. I'm really looking forward to coming home with all the excitement right now and all the Pirate fans,'' Holtz said at his weekly press luncheon. "To have the opportunity to come here, see that student section filling up that stadium, I think it'll be a great venue and atmosphere."

"If it does rain we have to play in it. We got a lot of weather work last week. I think the field will hold up very well as long as we don't get like eight inches in two hours.''

Reach Dave Hickman at (304) 348-1734 or dphickman1@aol.com.

The Charleston Daily Mail Wrote:WVU players turn their attention to weather
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sports writer
September 2, 2008

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Immediately after Saturday's victory against Villanova, West Virginia's players began talking about East Carolina and the weather that may await them.

"I remember the last time it got really hot down there and guys were cramping up bad," linebacker J.T. Thomas said. "The weather will be exactly what they want it to be. It'll be a nice and hot game. We'll be tested."

The weather is likely to be a factor in the 4:30 p.m. ESPN game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, but for a different reason. Hurricane Hannah is tracking toward North Carolina and is projected to hit the coast Friday. Rain and wind could be present at kickoff. Many schools in the region are following the storm and preparing for schedule changes.

"It could potentially be really bad," ECU Coach Skip Holtz said. "I hope it's not. I'm really looking forward to coming home with all the excitement right now and all the Pirate fans. To have the opportunity to come here, see that student section filling up that stadium, I think it'll be a great venue and atmosphere."

"If it does rain, we have to play in it. We got a lot of weather work last week. I think the field will hold up very well as long as we don't get like eight inches in two hours."

* * *

THE PIRATES beat then-No. 17 Virginia Tech 27-22 Saturday and will take momentum into the WVU game for a second straight season. ECU beat North Carolina the week before last year's game in Morgantown. The Pirates hadn't beaten the Tar Heels in 32 years, but then suffered a 48-7 loss Holtz called "our worst defeat since I've been here."

"I don't think you have to go any farther than last year's North Carolina game," the fourth-year coach said. "We go against North Carolina and have one of the bigger wins we've had here at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and win an emotional game. Then we go out and play probably one of our worst games of the year against West Virginia and they put us in our place in a hurry with just how powerful they can be."

"I don't think you have to go any farther than how we responded to that win. We'll review that situation with the team and hopefully we can learn from that mistake and gain something from it."

* * *

EVEN THOUGH the season-opening opponent was a Division I-AA team WVU was expected to beat by more than five touchdowns, Coach Bill Stewart said he hadn't taken "one iota" away from Villanova preparations to get a head start on the Pirates.

In fact, practice was mostly about the Mountaineers.

"All I cared about was if they load the box and give us high safeties, this is what we do. If they load the box and play Cover 3, this is what we do. If they load the box and play man, this is what we do," Stewart said. "We tried to get ready for just basic, general defensive structures."

Holtz was focused only on the Hokies in advance of his second game and realizes getting ready for WVU will not be easy.

"I don't know how you simulate Pat (White) unless we're going to take our best athletes and put them on the scout team and play quarterback," he said. "But that won't happen because we're playing our best athletes. That makes it very hard. We're going to have to put multiple guys back there at quarterback to give us some different looks. We may take some wide receivers and let them play quarterback during the run period so we can see the type of speed that we're going to be getting. That's what makes it so hard."

"Not only are they good, but how do you simulate them and get ready for their speed? We don't have anybody who runs like Noel Devine and a couple of their wide receivers. It's very difficult to simulate that. You get out on the field on Saturday and take an angle, only to find that he's right past you. Those are some of the challenges we're going to have this week."

* * *

NONE OF the 17 walk-ons who joined the team on the first day of the fall semester played Saturday and Stewart said it's unlikely one will make much of a difference this season. Anything, though, is possible in the future.

"Those guys who do have a chance have to get a spring under their belts," Stewart said. "Right now, it's awfully late to get into the system."

The most notable names are former Buffalo star David Robinson, former Morgantown star Spencer Farley and MHS graduate Reginald Rembert, son of former WVU receiver Reggie Rembert.

Farley, who rushed for 4,849 yards and 86 touchdowns with the Mohigans, was on scholarship at Ohio University in the summer of 2005, but left late in preseason camp. He worked out at WVU throughout the summer. Robinson was with WVU last season, but left the team.

Contact sports writer Mike Casazza at mikec@dailymail.com or 304-319-1142.

And there is another storm behind it. With a relatively quiet August, September is starting off with a bang. I hope the storm curves out with the gulf stream and don't make landfall and goes to sea. I want to watch some football.

Ike, I know. But it won't arrive anywhere until long after the Mountaineers leave the area, and I don't think they have hurricanes in Boulder...

Here's the weather report as of last night...

The Charleston Gazette Wrote:WVU, ECU must both handle Hanna
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
September 3, 2008

MORGANTOWN - Forget Hurricane Hanna. Skip Holtz says that's merely East Carolina's last line of defense - a scheme to slow down West Virginia on Saturday.

"I think the thing that's going to be difficult is we're going to turn the sprinklers on all week and put about 27 inches of rain on that field,'' the Pirate coach cracked. "Whether we get it on Saturday or not, [we want] to try and slow that West Virginia offense down . . . Bring an umbrella because even if it doesn't rain, the sprinklers will still be on.''

All joking aside, though, the threat of a significant weather event still looms large over No. 8 West Virginia's game against East Carolina Saturday. The teams are scheduled to meet at 4:30 p.m. at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., in a game telecast on ESPN.

Hanna, an Atlantic storm bouncing back and forth between tropical storm and Hurricane strength, is projected to make landfall in Georgia on Friday and reach Greenville early Saturday. What that could mean in terms of weather could be anything from significant rain and high winds if the storm is still strong to simply a rainy day if Hanna weakens or changes course.

It was still too early Tuesday to begin making any plans to change anything regarding the game, but the possibility certainly exists that a change of game time or venue might be in order. Neither coach, though, had time to worry about logistics.

"That's the last thing in my thoughts,'' West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said Tuesday. "That's way above my pay grade. If we're going to play and need a moat or some boats or whatever, let's get it on . . . We'll play where they want to play and when they want to play.''

Both Stewart and Holtz, however, understand that at best this might be a very wet game. And that's not a problem for either.

"The snow and the sleet and the rain, I love to throw it. We know where we're going and they don't,'' Stewart said. "Now, if it's a monsoon, if Hanna comes in there and goes nuts on us, then we'll be throwing a pumpkin around, I guess. But so will they. We'll play, they'll play.''

There has been very little rain in Morgantown during the past month, so West Virginia hasn't gotten much practice in wet weather. East Carolina, though, has had plenty.

"I've done a lot of things a lot of different places where we didn't get a lot of rain. I've taken footballs and dumped them in buckets of water before every snap so your quarterbacks, receivers and running backs get used to handling a wet ball,'' Holtz said. "But we've been fortunate here over the last two weeks. We got an awful lot of rain a week ago and we went out and practiced in it a couple of times. If we get a little bit more rain this week that would be great, so if it does rain on Saturday we'll be prepared to handle it."

"It's very difficult to simulate playing in the rain until you go out and play in the rain. Just having a wet ball doesn't make your arms, your hands, your pants, your shirt, everything's wet and there's no place to dry your hands.''

West Virginia did manage to get a little bit of practice in the rain in last week.

"It rained last week and I made our guys practice. They thought I was crazy,'' Stewart said. "I knew we'd have a rain game, I just didn't know it would be a big rain game.''

Briefly

It could take a few days of practice to sort it out, but defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Casteel apparently wants to take a closer look at Mortty Ivy at middle linebacker in place of injured Reed Williams. That would leave Ivy's spot at strong side linebacker open for John Holmes.

In Saturday's opener against Villanova, Pat Lazear started in the middle, but was quickly replaced by Anthony Leonard. Casteel also said Tuesday he wants to get more snaps for Julian Miller at defensive end.

Holtz on whether his father, former coach and ESPN personality Lou Holtz, attends many games: "Unfortunately he's got a Dr. Lou appointment up in Bristol he's got to take care of,'' Holtz cracked.

Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickman1@aol.com.

The Charleston Daily Mail Wrote:Officials say it's still too early to change plans due to Hanna
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sports writer
September 3, 2008

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Officials from West Virginia and East Carolina aren't sure what to think of Hurricane Hanna -- or Tropical Storm Hanna.

By any name, though, it's on the minds of decision-makers at the respective schools who plan on maintaining regular communication leading up to Saturday's football game in Greenville, N.C.

"We've been in discussions with them, but it's too early to make any plans other than what we have right now," WVU Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong said.

The storm was a hurricane early Tuesday, but slumped into a tropical storm later in the day. It could strengthen again as it nears the East Coast and the National Hurricane Center is urging the Southeast to pay careful attention.

Warnings have already been issued from Miami up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Hanna could hit land late Friday or early Saturday.

No. 8 WVU plays at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, about two hours inland on North Carolina's coast, in a 4:30 p.m. ESPN game.

"We are just making sure all possible options are identified at this point," ECU Athletic Director Terry Holland said in an e-mail Tuesday. "Then as the week goes on, we will try to determine which options, if any, need to be seriously considered."

"As of today, there are so many options that anything could happen so putting any specific plan into action would be presumptuous. At this stage, we are going to assume the game will be played as scheduled, but we will be prepared to make any contingency plans necessitated by changing conditions."

That could include a change in the date or the venue or both. WVU and ECU don't have mutual open dates through the end of the season and it's unlikely either team would want to play after the planned conclusion of the regular season.

Options for alternate sites are thin, too. Wake Forest and N.C. State both play at home, though North Carolina is off and plays the following week at Rutgers.

A game Sunday would be possible if the Pirates don't object to a short week before playing at Tulane the following Saturday. WVU is off the next week before playing at Colorado Sept. 18.

"It's a heck of a burden on your fans," Pastilong said. "It's one thing to move the game to a different date, but there's also the fans and all their planning and we have to make sure to take that into consideration."

"We also need to take into consideration the competitiveness of the date for both teams if you do move it because of how it affects future games and opponents."

"The most important thing is you don't want anyone put in an unsafe position. But we all know from watching the Weather Channel these storms change suddenly sometimes, so we'll keep an eye on it."

Contact sportswriter Mike Casazza at mikec@dailymail.com or (304) 319-1142. His blog can be found at blogs.dailymail.com/wvu.

Here's the latest story on game status due to Hanna out of Charleston...

The Charleston Gazette Wrote:WVU, ECU brace for Hanna
Game still on as scheduled
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
September 5, 2008

MORGANTOWN - West Virginia and East Carolina officials are adopting a wait-and-see attitude toward tropical storm Hanna and are planning to go ahead with a 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday in Greenville, N.C.

That doesn't mean, however, that there aren't being some changes made.

So far, none of them concern the game itself, which pits No. 8 West Virginia against East Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The schools are expected to reassess the situation today when more information becomes available regarding Hanna's track. According to National Weather Service forecasts, Hanna is expected to strengthen to a hurricane at sea today, but then revert back to a tropical storm when it hits the North Carolina coast late tonight or early Saturday.

While the eye of the storm is expected to pass through or near Greenville, unless it slows it could be well past the city by late afternoon.

What remains to be seen, however, is how much rain the storm might drop or how much damage it might do. The possibility exists that the WVU-ECU kickoff could be delayed.

But while officials aren't changing the kickoff time, they are altering some of the events surrounding the game. Most notably, East Carolina will not open parking lots until three hours before kickoff (instead of the usual six hours) and the WVU Alumni Association has changed the site of its pre-game event.

The WVU function was to be held in the corporate tent area outside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, but that area has been closed because of the possibility of high winds. Instead, the alumni group will hold its function at the Greenville Convention Center.

"Hurricane Hanna has caused quite a stir in and around the Greenville area and city officials have indicated that no corporate tents will be allowed around the stadium in advance of the storm," said WVU Alumni Association president Steve Douglas. "We certainly want to ensure the safety of our alumni and friends, so we have moved our event to an indoor location just a short distance from the stadium.''

The alumni event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, East Carolina officials have decided to change some of the normal parking arrangements, including cutting back on the time the lots will be open. Also, tents and tow cookers will be prohibited from entering the lots.

"We want as many Pirate fans here as possible, but at the same time, we want them to exercise personal responsibility in making their decisions," ECU athletic director Terry Holland said. "We will need the help of all fans who attend the game. I want to encourage everyone to figure out ways of getting here that might be a little different than normal in order to help others whose parking spaces might be affected.''

BRIEFLY: WVU has received a verbal commitment from another junior college defensive back. Arthur Render is a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder playing this season for Palomar Community College in California. He transferred there from Pasadena City College, where he played in 2006. He played high school football at Miami powerhouse Northwestern.

Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickman1@aol.com.

Here's a nice image from the MSNsportsNET cover story today on Hanna...



I'm not posting the story, since it gives out no new info...

A little wind and rain.

Suck it up mountian boys!

The rain is here!!!

In the map above Greenville is at the tip of the "A" in 8 am. We will be on the NE edge of the storm.

That means you get the brunt of it. The strongest winds are coming right at ya...