MORGANTOWN —
The countdown is one.
In 24 hours or so, depending upon what time you read this, there will a burst of noise, the band in formation on the field playing the West Virginia University fight son. Smoke will pour out of the inflated helmet that stands as an entryway into the unknown for West Virginia’s 2010 football team.
They come bouncing out onto the field, arms raised, running full speed, a Mountaineer team that is ranked among the nation’s top 25 but untested and unproven.
Opening day is …
What is opening day? Why does it make the heart beat a little bit faster if you are a player? Why does the first step of the journey seem maybe even more exciting than the last?
It is, one might say, the nature of the beast.
Football, unlike most sports, is played but once a week. There really are only 12 games guaranteed, and that makes it necessary to be ready right from the first coin toss.
“It’s a great time for our team. Can you imagine being a young man and you start in January with conditioning drills? Then you go to spring practice. You don’t go to spring break, either; you rest or lift because you have to impress your coaches,” said Bill Stewart, who begins his third full season as WVU head coach with a 19-8 record.
“During the summer, when everyone is at the beach, you are here. All of this for 12 opportunities a year — that doesn’t equate much. Do the math and tell me what the dividends are.”
Indeed, how much is sweat worth? What does an ache go for these days? Is a pain more expensive than an ache?
That’s a lot of time and work in between games, from January to September.
“I can’t wait to hit a teal and white jersey,” junior offensive tackle Donnie Barclay said. “Opening day is really crazy. You haven’t been there in seven months; you haven’t had that feeling that comes with a game.”
That feeling! What is that feeling? It’s a knot in the guy, a dry mouth, heart pumping. It’s having so much go through your mind, assignments and techniques, all flashes within the span of maybe a minute, maybe an hour.
Quarterback Geno Smith takes over this year. It’s his first start, and no matter how you slice it, that’s different than going in as a backup.
He’s known for his cool, though, and he believes that will not change on Saturday.
“I’ll probably have mixed emotions. I’ll probably be a little bit anxious, but I’ll calm myself down. When the time comes to play I’ll be ready,” he promised.
The opener isn’t only a moment to remember for the players. The coaches, no matter how many times they go through it, they are itchy and edgy.
“They are special,” Stewart said. “Each and every opener is special. I have had a headache for a month, not because I am sick, but I am always thinking about what is next, what I can do.
“That is every year. When I quit having that excitement and those butterflies, then I don’t need to coach and they don’t need to play. You need to be prepared and don’t want to have that work ‘upset’ creep into your vocabulary if you are the ‘favored’ team.”
The opener may be more for the fans than even the players or coaches. They haven’t had their football fix for a long time, still have a bad taste from a bowl loss to Florida State and are eager to build new memories.
“For the fans, I can’t wait,” Stewart said. “I can only imagine what it is like. When I come out of the tunnel, it is all business. It is fun, but it is business as well. I want to see how tough, explosive and fast the Mountaineers play. I also want to see us bond and fight fair as a family.”
Business on the field, good times off it. That is what opening day is about, and players approach it differently. What is fun is to hear the young players about to go through their first opener talk before the game and then to see how it really was after the game.
Take Branko Busick, the redshirt freshman linebacker who figures to get a lot of playing time.
“Just another day at the office,” he said, when asked about what he expects to feel.
Right.
And as for Smith, the quarterback?
“As far as the game goes, it’s just another game for us,” he said. “I don’t think it’s special. It’s a chance for me to show the people how much hard work I put in. That’s what I plan to do.”
We’ll check in later.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
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Opener special in different ways
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