A "What If" I could live with.....

[mountainman]

I thought Brohm would have problems throwing the ball. He didn't have many. Thatkid has good poise under pressure.

More than anything else, it was the difference in the game.

[donovan]

I thought he was a redshirt. In any case I like Slaton. He looks like Gayle Sayers when he runs.

Gayle Sayers?......Absolutely this is the proof we have been looking for to charge you with being older than anyone on earth. There was one classy runner. The Bears do not seemingly need him now, but he made them one fun team to watch then.

[Spence]

There is dirt that is older then I am, but you must dig down to get it.

[colorado_loves_football]

Gayle Sayers?......Absolutely this is the proof we have been looking for to charge you with being older than anyone on earth. There was one classy runner. The Bears do not seemingly need him now, but he made them one fun team to watch then.

There's nothing wrong with using Gayle Sayers for a point of comparison, in my opinion, but I see him (Slaton) more along the lines of a Thurman Thomas 'mold', myself.
Basically, he can 'push' a team along, provided he has sufficient 'support' from his supporting cast. I guess you could say that about any player, but more particularly about him. He couldn't 'carry' the team, nor should he be expected to. Those fumbles, were at least partly the result of solid defense by the Cardinals. Both came at inopportune times, for the Mountaineers, but I hardly believe they alone were why they lost.
Bottom line: The Cardinals 'capitalized' on all their opportunities, the Mountaineers, didn't, and that was the difference in the game, IMO.

[Spence]

I don't see the Thomas comparison at all. Thomas was a power back. Slaton is a slick runner with some power. The fact that Slaton had those fumbles and West Virginia lost the game, means that West Virginia couldn't win without him. He can carry the team on his back as much as any player can. Slaton makes everyone who plays around him better. That is the mark of a great back. I think if he can add 15lbs of muscle he will be the first back taken in the NFL in his class.

[donovan]

I don't see the Thomas comparison at all. Thomas was a power back. Slaton is a slick runner with some power. The fact that Slaton had those fumbles and West Virginia lost the game, means that West Virginia couldn't win without him. He can carry the team on his back as much as any player can. Slaton makes everyone who plays around him better. That is the mark of a great back. I think if he can add 15lbs of muscle he will be the first back taken in the NFL in his class.

I do not see the Thomas thing either...but....he looks fairly similar to Oregon's Ahmad Rashad (AKA) Bobby Moore of years gone by. Maybe not a smooth as my memory remembers, but somewhat simililar

[Spence]

Ahmad Rashad is a pretty good comparison. I'm not sure that Slaton is quite as flashy in the way he plays, but the running styles are similar.

Slaton is about as smooth a runner as I have seen for a while. Slaton doesn't have the WOW factor of Reggie Bush, maybe because he plays in the midwest, but he can really move. He really good speed, but his quickness is what makes him special.

[billybud]

I thought White played QB like Michael Vick did for VT....slithery smooth and so hard to tackle.

It doesn't look like he is doing much as he glides past tacklers...a shape shifter like MV.

[..fanatic]

I thought Pat White looked the most like Michael Vick of any QB I've seen.

[colorado_loves_football]

I don't see the Thomas comparison at all. Thomas was a power back. Slaton is a slick runner with some power. The fact that Slaton had those fumbles and West Virginia lost the game, means that West Virginia couldn't win without him. He can carry the team on his back as much as any player can. Slaton makes everyone who plays around him better. That is the mark of a great back. I think if he can add 15lbs

I dont really see how your analogy has any more 'merit' than mine does, and I think there are some interesting 'parallels' in any event.
Both teams (Oklahoma St, W.Va) were known for their offenses, much more than for their defenses. Both teams played in conferences known for their defenses, more than for their offenses (generally-speaking). Neither team, to my knowledge, won a national championship (yet).
And so on.
Now, if you can find a 'similar' parallel, in Kansas, I'd be interested in hearing it. I don't think Slaton and Sayers compare at all, myself. But, you are entitled to your own opinion on the matter. One, (Sayers) was in a 'league' of his own. He could carry a team on his shoulders. Slaton, as good a running back as he is, doesnt' have that 'intangible'.

[Spence]

Slaton has the ability to carry the team on his back, for one. But beyond that point I was comparing running styles of the two and as is often the casr you don't undrstand the questions put forth.

[Swamp Daddy]

That was a good game - worthy of the hype. Take away Steve Slaton's 2 fumbles and it's a different matter. I wouldn't be too harsh on Slaton if I were an 'Eers fan, either. He may have had two bad slip-ups but his running, and receiving, helped keep West Virginia's hopes alive. The disappointment has to be in the defense which just wasn't able to shut down a fairly one-dimensional attack by Louisville.

Well, it was a good game, it was sloppy, it turned out about like I thought here at home. But as long as we are playing what if (on Slaton's fumbles):
1) what if U of L gets 3 more touchdowns instead of field goals (Petrino had gotten very conservative in the red zone lately)
2) what if nobody slips on the turf when no one is within 10 yards of them (2 for Louisville, 1 for WVA), +1 touchdown for U of L
3) what if Michael Bush is there, more touchdowns for Louisville,

but, then again, that is why football is played Missouri style - show me. A year from now no one (except UL & WVA fans) will think for a second on the what if's; and, most fans will have forgotten them.

And, the score will remain 44-34. Just as the score last year stayed 46-44 in favor of WVA.

And, remember, WVA, you get us there next year. Get ready.

Swamp Daddy

[Spence]

Welcome to the CFP board.

[Swamp Daddy]

Thanks for the welcome. Glad to have joined. I posted last year when there were links on the conference pages of the CFP; but, this year it took me a bit to figure out were the message boards were. At times I can spend hours reading and posting; at other times I have no time to spend.

But it is fun, Swamp Daddy

[Spence]

We are always here so anytime you feel like stopping by and chewing the fat, just jump in. We have turned the picks game into fantasy sports. You can pick games in CFB and CBB. The games post every week and you have to have your picks in by gametime. Most play every week, but there is no rule that says you can't join in anytime of wish.