The tale of Brent Gauge... a dynasty revisited

[Schwin]

“[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]How do you think you will deal with the expectations?[/COLOR]” Calm and poised, [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“How do we all? When faced with expectations you need to look , sit down, analyze and exercise caution. I know what this team is capable of. I know what this staff is capable of doing. We need to embrace our expectations and make them real, as long as they are feasible. Our goal as I said at the beginning of this press conference is to win a Championship. Anything less would be a disappointment."[/COLOR] The rest of the press conference went as smooth as expected. They asked questions about my coaching career, my professional football career and if was to be involved in the community. After it all ended, I retreated to my new office. There, my family waited for me. Even my uncle and my brothers took the day off to fly down to Morgantown. We shared some laughs about wrestling, football and family. My uncle wanted me to be a wrestler, but I loved football since I can remember. He told the famous tale about after “the interception” in a Pee Wee League game, [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“…this little runt throws an interception and what does he do...?"[/COLOR] Everyone starts to laugh in anticipation[COLOR="RoyalBlue"] “He follows the kid, which for your information was already going to the sidelines. He taps the kid on the shoulder, drops him and proceeds to put him in a Proton Lock. Everyone and their brothers went to stop him. In the end, he was thrown out of Pee Wee League. Those were the good times.”[/COLOR] (My uncle the famous wrestler raised me, since I was 3 years old. Many people know him as Sam Keith, I know him as uncle Sam. One thing that people may not know, is how caring my uncle is. My parents… were killed in an attempted car jacking. I vaguely remember my mother’s face, but it is my dad, which for some reason I remember is one of the few memories. I see him every day through uncle Sam. Now I have a family of my own. I have a wonderful wife, a beautiful daughter named Alina and the best family a guy could ever hope for.) We shared some more stories and my family gave me some great gifts, my uncle brought me my first football cleats, “the infamous cleats” everyone laughed. My cousins gave me an autographed picture of Wanda Fish. My aunt gave me a pair of sunglasses, to use during games. I grinned, as I looked at my wife, and she grinned back, everyone stepped aside. [COLOR="royalblue"]“What’s wrong?” [/COLOR] [COLOR="royalblue"]“Here…” [/COLOR]She gave me an envelope. I sat there with a funny look on my face… [COLOR="royalblue"]“Hey Uncle Sam you think you could train a little Gauge?how to do a Proton Lock, but, on a ring?” [/COLOR] [COLOR="royalblue"]“Absolutely!!!” [/COLOR] [COLOR="royalblue"]“It’s a boy!”[/COLOR] [COLOR="royalblue"]“Congratulations!!!”[/COLOR] Everyone shouted, I stood up and hugged my wife and made a toast. [COLOR="royalblue"]"This is the best day of my life. I thank you for being here, this is for the ones who could not be here. To my family, to my friends, to my football team, Go Gauges, Go Mountaineers…"[/COLOR] Everyone raising their glasses… [COLOR="royalblue"]“Go Mountaineers”[/COLOR]

[Schwin]

Week 1, 2005
Maryland @ West Virginia

Code:

Maryland              0   3   14   7    24
West Virginia         7   3   10   14   34

First Quarter 
WVU TD 09:40 7-0 Mike Brown 5 YD Run (Manuel Cook Kick).

Second Quarter 
WVU FG 09:55 10-0 Manuel Cook 29 YD 
UMD FG 02:51 10-3 Eugene Castillo 36 YD 

Third Quarter 
UMD TD 11:33 10-10 Mark Vargas 33 YD Pass from Francis Cox (Eugene Castillo Kick). 
WVU TD 07:33 17-10 Dewayne Guidry 13 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick). 
UMD TD 06:28 17-17 Johnny Davis 69 YD Pass from Francis Cox (Eugene Castillo Kick).
WVU FG 03:20 20-17 Manuel Cook 21 YD

Fourth Quarter 
WVU TD 12:43 27-17 Steven Emerson 21 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).
WVU TD 09:57 34-17 Nicholas Moore 57 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).
UMD TD 04:40 34-24 Johnny Davis 2 YD Run (Eugene Castillo Kick).
Attendance:  54,672
Temperature:  82 degrees
Weather:  Overcast

As the first week comes to a close, I could not be happier with the results. Maryland came to Morgantown, with lots of energy. The first half was dominated by our ground attack. Mike Brown ran for 84 yards in the first half. We went to halftime with the score 10-3. We came out for the second half with a mission in mind, [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Men, you need to give this crowd something to cheer for, lets make it happen…” [/COLOR] And a show they gave. Mike Brown stole the show he was named player of the with 37 carries/225 yards and 1 TD (with 141 yards coming in the second half) and our Senior QB Gregory Bauman put a heck of show for us with 3 TD’s and no interceptions. [B]UMD vs WVU (Quick Overview)[/B] [B][I]It was over when...[/I][/B] WVU’s Greg Bauman connected with Nicholas Moore on a 57-yard TD pass with 10 minutes to go, to blow the game wide open. [I][B]Gameball goes to...Mike Brown[/B][/I]. The sophomore had a career day that he will never forget. 37 carries??? That is a lot for a pro back, imagine how much of a workhorse this guy could be. [I][B]Stat of the game... 9.[/B][/I] The Mountaineers converted 9 out of 15 third down situations. Next week we travel to Marshall for our second Non- Conference game. Our Defense needs to get better as we allowed 416 total yards, 276 of those coming through the air. If we plan to challenge for a Big East Championship and a BCS bid, we need to get tougher on defense.

[Schwin]

Week 2, 2005
West Virginia @ Marshall

Code:

West Virginia       0   7   14   14    35
Marshall            0   0   0    3     3

Second Quarter 
WVU TD 03:01 7-0 Mike Brown 23 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).

Third Quarter 
WVU TD 12:19 14-0 Steven Emerson 15 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).
WVU TD 03:19 21-0 Steven Emerson 2 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).

Fourth Quarter 
MRSH FG 10:37 21-3 Kurt Burnett 34 YD
WVU TD 07:58 28-3 Steven Emerson 10 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).
WVU TD 02:00 35-3 Mike Brown 3 YD Run (Manuel Cook Kick).

Attendance:  22,741
Temperature:  81 degrees
Weather:  Light Rain

Great game all around, the team made some really good plays inside the redzone. Greg Bauman is a star, his play on the field coupled with his achievements off it, makes him a viable Heisman contender. The defense needs to get most of the credit for this win. We feel that the offense will come to play each and every week. Is up to the defense to stay with them and provide them with some support. Two fumbles (One inside our 20 one that shifted the game completely.) and one interception is great support for an explosive offensive unit. [B]WVU vs MRSH (Quick Overview)[/B] [B][I]It was over when... [/I][/B]WVU’s DE Leo Perkins forced a fumble at the Mountaineers 9 yard line. Marshall threatened to close the gap 14-7 and that completely turned the momentum in an otherwise close game. WVU’s ILB Frank Rogers recovered the ball and brought it back at the Marshall’s 45 yard line. [B][I]Gameball goes to...Greg Bauman.[/I][/B] The senior QB threw his name in the proverbial Heisman discussion. 366 yards through the air with 4 TD’s and 1 INT… [I][B]Stat of the game... 29.[/B][/I] The Mountaineers had 29 first downs in a game they dominated. An even better stat for the Mountaineers 20 of these came through the air. Next week, we get the week off.

[Schwin]

[B][I]Week 3, 2005[/I][/B] [B][I]Mike Brown… Ineligible [/I][/B] The sensational Sophomore RB for the West Virginia Mountaineers, will be suspended at least three games, because of low grades. Coach Gauge said in an interview not more than an hour ago, that the loss of his star Running Back would be tough, but not unbearable… [COLOR="royalblue"]“Losing Mike is a big blow for us, especially before a big game like this. We have an excellent backup in Anthony Scott, which is ready to carry the load and deliver for us. As for Mike, as a coach all I want, all that the staff wants is for their pslyers to be able to graduate. Having a life away from football (if something happens to them on the field) is very important for us. With a Degree, if something happens to them at least they could get a job and be productive members of society.”[/COLOR] A source who did not wanted to be identified told us that coach Gauge is extremely disillusioned with his star Running Back. He informed me that once Brown gets his priorities in order, which is studies first, football second, he would be able to start for the Mountaineers. This has been, Marleen Fox for channel 2 news... I turned off the tv, as the coaching staff came into the room. They looked like they had something to say, but I spoke first. [COLOR="royalblue"]"This has been my fault. I was aware of his Mike's declining grades, but did not take any action. He is lost for at least three games. I talked to him and he promised me that he will work his butt off in that classroom to get his grades up. That is that no more talk about Mike Brown to the press until he comes back. Now it is time for us to look forward. Forward to Saturday's game against Syracuse. Lets go and breakdown this game."[/COLOR] After a long film session which started at 10:00 am and ended at 1:00 am the staff is visibly tired, but happy with the results. We all came to the same conclusion... [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“We need to work Anthony into our offense as seamlessly as possible. The fact that Mike will not be able to play gives us an advantage over Syracuse. They do not have film on Anthony, well they have last year's, but our offense is different, the style is different, Anthony is different. We need to pound the ball against that vulnerable defensive line. ” [/COLOR] The coordinators agreed. If there is a weak point in that team is their defensive line. With this information at hand, it was time to come with a plan to take down Syracuse. With that I closed the door and it was time to work. It seems that a long night just became longer...

[Schwin]

Week 4, 2005
Syracuse (3-0) @ West Virginia (2-0)

Code:

Syracuse              0   3   7   3   13
West Virginia         0   7   7   0   14

Second Quarter 
WVU TD 14:44 7-0 Steven Emerson 54 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).
SYR FG 00:10 7-3 John Palmer 50 YD

Third Quarter 
SYR TD 08:23 10-7 Joel Harper 41 YD Pass from Gerald Wilson (John Palmer Kick).
WVU TD 07:36 14-10 Dewayne Guidry 36 YD Pass from Gregory Bauman (Manuel Cook Kick).

Fourth Quarter 
SYR FG 09:18 14-13 John Palmer 52 YD

Attendance:  55,118
Temperature:  85 degrees
Weather: Slightly Overcast

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]"This was a very important game for us. This Syracuse team has the talent to be in the Top 25 and we needed to prove that we could beat a great team. It was not a pretty win, but a win is a win nonetheless."[/COLOR] Coming into the game, did you even think that Anthony Scott would have made such a difference? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Well of course I did. We believe in him and his abilities. Anthony Scott came prepared and showed why last year, he was the one carrying this team. 143 yards in 25 carries is proof of that. I do not think enough can be said about the way he handled his demotion to backup. He handled himself with grace, mentoring Mike Brown and studying film with him, running the gameplan with him. Today he just showed that he is ready to play at all times. Being prepared made the difference for him in this ballgame. Our staff came up with a great gameplan for him and he delivered.[/COLOR] As I retreated back to the office, to call it a night, one thing stuck on my mind like a bad sticky note. Our defense needs to pick up the slack. They had another sub-par performance. The defense allowed 28 first downs and a total of 474 yards. This is not good news as we move forward. We need these guys to step up. We also need to prepare a better game plan to cover the obvious holes in the secondary. After all it was set and done, we can breathe a sigh of relief. We escaped with a victory against a tough opponent and now is time to prepare for our next opponent… South Florida. [I][B]SYR vs WVU (Quick Overview)[/B][/I] [I][B]It was over when...[/B][/I] Syracuse’s WR John Kim fumbled the ball inside West Virginia’s 30 yard line with 1:09 left in the ball game. [I][B]Gameball goes to...Anthony Scott[/B][/I]. Much was said about the senior, whether he could carry the ball more than 20 times and he responded. He held himself admirably with 25 carries/ 143 yards. [I][B]Stat of the game... 383.[/B][/I] That is the amount of yards the Mountaineer’s defense allowed through the air. The staff will probably have to go back to the drawing board after this performance.