[bigsmooth]

another great crowd, and many stayed till the end. the students were awesome, and everyone had the "first down" chant going. the team continues to look great and i look forward to the towson game, so we can gauge where we are at this point. no doubt in my mind the guys will be ready!

[SuperJon]

The announcer still needs a looooot of work on that.

[Flamesfanva]

The announcer still needs a looooot of work on that.

Absolutely!

[jcmanson]

it was a lot better though as far as the first down chant goes

[SuperJon]

I don't think he did the same thing two times in a row ever. Sometimes it was "That's another..." then there was "That's another Liberty..." then he'd wait too long, then he wouldn't wait long enough. Be consistent.

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

He even re-shaped the UVA male students' traditional dress of blue button-down, blue and orange tie, and khakis to that of a more - shall we say - normal undergraduate game day dress.

We've got a group that wears white shirts and red ties to games. It's their thing that they're pushing others to do.

I must admit that the button-down khaki dress looked pretty cool when ABC Sports (of Jefferson Pilot) would pan to the student section! However, I think it made UVA fans appear a little stodgy and staid and not ready to yell and make noise. The students looked more like they were ready for cocktails and its difficult to scream with that top button buttoned and a tie on. But whatever works to make the crowd the TWELFTH man then by all means go naked painted red, white and blue (oops got carried away - nobody wants to see that and I think it violates "The Way").

[Sly Fox]

... But whatever works to make the crowd the TWELFTH man then by all means ...

Thanks for the shot at Aggy. Pastor Zack will be answering shortly.

[Sly Fox]

Here's a postscript from the Charleston, WV fishwrap:

Glenville State coach says WVC playing field not level
Pioneers have just 12 scholarship players, fewer than most league teams

Andrew J. Beckner
Sportswriter

Wednesday September 13, 2006

You can hear the resignation in his voice.

Glenville State football Coach Alan Fiddler doesn't try to hide it.

"It's tough," he said, "but you just got to do the best with what you've got."

It wasn't too bad against Liberty University, the Jerry Falwell-founded Christian school in Lynchburg, Va., that plays Division I-AA football. The score of a game between the two mismatched schools last weekend was 31-7 in favor of the Flames.

But the real score, as far as Fiddler is concerned, should have been 63-12.

Odd numbers, those. Still, it's accurate. That's the number of scholarship equivalencies each school gives out to field a football team.

"I thought we played decent at Liberty," Fiddler said. "They have 63 scholarships, and we were still competitive."

That's the story of Fiddler's life as the third-year coach at Glenville, where the playing field is never, in his eyes, level.

It won't be this Saturday, either, when Fiddler and the Pioneers host the University of Charleston in what is the West Virginia Conference opener for both teams.

Fiddler has high praise for his WVC counterpart but, as he sees it, UC has a distinct advantage.

"Coach (Tony) DeMeo is very organized and runs a first-class program," Fiddler said. The University of Charleston "has a ton a money, so that makes a good situation for them."

There's the rub, Fiddler said.

He said Glenville State has 12 scholarships on his team, less than half of the 36 equivalencies NCAA Division II teams are permitted to give.

That's as many as the state school can afford, he said.

"I'd like to give out 36," he said. "(But) you have to do with what you've got."

Contrast that with UC, which as a private institution, has a bigger bank account than some small school in the middle of one of the most rural counties (Gilmer) along the Interstate 79 corridor. It's likely that UC has more than double the equivalencies of Glenville, perhaps as many as 30.

That's part of the logic behind legislation that goes before the NCAA in January. If passed, the proposal will divide Division II football schools into two separate levels of play.

One level would be for schools that can offer the maximum number of equivalencies -- again, the number is 36 -- and those that want to offer up to only 18.

With the proposal, schools from each division could play each other, but there would be two Division II football championships.

As some see it, there are two levels of play anyway. That's the dilemma Fiddler sees himself in, playing against a Golden Eagle team that offers many more equivalencies than he can.

That doesn't mean Fiddler wants the rules changed. Like some coaches and administrators around the WVC, he has similar concerns that a change would mean the break up of the conference between schools that offer varying numbers of scholarships.

"I don't think it will pass anyway," Fiddler said, "and I haven't really thought about it."

Contact sportswriter Andrew J. Beckner at andrew@dailymail.com or 348-5170.

http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/2006091337/