The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

October 13, 2009

Stewart making fashion statement

By Dave Morrison

MORGANTOWN — Bill Stewart doesn’t like to say he’s superstitious.

But then again ...

It was pointed out to West Virginia’s football coach that he is 2-0 since he started sporting a blue sweater vest.

What started out as an accidental fashion statement has suddenly turned into a must for the second-year head coach.

Like most trends, it happened quite by accident.

“It was (during) the Gold Rush,” Stewart said of a promotion that called for Mountaineer fans to wear gold WVU gear to a game. “I wanted to wear a gold — not a yellow or a light yellow — but a gold shirt. And I felt like if we asked the fans to do it, why not me?”

But Stewart had to come up with something to go along with it.

“I didn’t want us all to look like mustard seeds on the sideline,” he said. “I thought if I had (just) the shirt on (people would say) ‘What’s he wearing, an oxford?’ So I had the Nike sweater vest and I thought I would try it.”

So the look will continue?

“You don’t want to break the moxie,” Stewart said. “When we have our coaches study every Friday, (receivers coach) Lonnie Galloway makes us all sit in the right seat, the exact seat, and that’s the moxie. So I guess I’ll wear the sweater vest for a while. I hope I wear it for a long time. Forever and ever would be nice.”

The next opportunity for a sweater vest sighting will be Saturday when the Mountaineers (4-1) host intra-state rival Marshall (4-2) at 3:30 p.m.

Stewart was asked Tuesday if the game means more to Marshall, which is 0-8 all-time versus WVU, including 0-3 since the inception of the Friends of Coal Bowl.

“No, no, no, it’s a lot more important to me,” he said. “I can tell you this game is important to the Mountaineers. This is all about state pride, it’s all about the state programs. It’s about our program and their program, state pride.”

And Stewart pointed out Marshall has some ammunition coming into Mountaineer Field, including Darius Marshall, second in the nation in rushing at over 147 yards per game, and tight end Cody Slate, who might be the best at his position in the nation.

Stewart said staff continuity has helped the Herd gain momentum and ground.

“Mark Snyder is a tremendous coach and he’s doing a heck of a job,” he said. “He has a great (coaching) staff with (offensive coordinator) John Shannon and (defensive coordinator) Rick Minter and the people he has. Staff continuity has helped him. Having Rick Minter and John Shannon to stay was big. Just like us. We were the only Big East team not to lose a coach.”

Stewart said he has a good relationship with Snyder.

In fact, after Stewart’s team fell to Auburn 41-30, Stewart sent a text message to Snyder congratulating him on his team’s 17-10 win over Bowling Green — before he even reached the airport for the flight home.

“We have a pretty good relationship,” Stewart said. “But not this week. I’m not going to text him this week.”

As for the sweater vest, Stewart could end up being the next Jim Tressel, the Ohio State coach who always wears a red sweater vest.

“Whoa, whoa, Jim Tressel is a good-looking young man,” Stewart said. “He’s aged better than me.” 

-----------

Scooter Berry returned to the field last Saturday at Syracuse for a few snaps.

“We feel the progression’s going anywhere from adequate to OK,” Stewart said. “It’s not great, not bad, but it’s still OK. He did OK. He didn’t do anything extraordinary as he can do or has done. But he didn’t just go out there and stand like a one-armed man, either, and that was good. We’re going to continue watching his development the next couple weeks.”

— E-mail: demorrison@

register-herald.com

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