Carpenter’s Crunch Time Column: Free time for some push-ups and WVU going bowling?

Duane Carpenter
November 25, 2021

TENNERTON – Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Well, it looks like John Kelley and the University Hawks will have more time to practice their push-ups after Cabell Midland ran all over them by a 46-21 score and it wasn’t even that close. Cabell Midland finished with 562 yards rushing over the previously unbeaten Hawks. Looks like that football championship trophy case at University will collect more dust for another year. Keep working on the push-ups though!

WVU hung on to beat a Texas team that looked like they wanted to be anywhere else other than Morgantown last Saturday, especially in the first half. The win left WVU just a win against Kansas from being bowl eligible.

This where the major college football websites have West Virginia going bowling:

Guaranteed Rate Bowl – WVU – Minnesota – CBS Sports
Guaranteed Rate Bowl – WVU – Rutgers – Action Sports (Brett McMurphy)
Liberty Bowl – WVU – Auburn – 247 Sports
Liberty Bowl – WVU – Auburn – Yahoo Sports
Liberty Bowl – WVU – Auburn – College Football News
Liberty Bowl – WVU – Missouri – Athlon Sports
Liberty Bowl – WVU – South Carolina – Pro Football Network
Cheez-it Bowl – WVU – Virginia – Sports Illustrated
Texas Bowl – WVU – Mississippi State – USA Today
Texas Bowl – WVU – Arkansas – Sporting News

Heading into our final week, I gained two games on Brian as I was a perfect 5-0. Let’s check on the records and games for this week.

Records

Duane 38-17 (5-0 last week)

Brian 34-21 (3-2 last week)

Games

Bridgeport (12-0) at Martinsburg (11-1) — I had to do a doubletake on the Bridgeport-Jefferson score late week in the Indian’s 74-49 win. Bridgeport is known for a lot of things but scoring over 70 points isn’t one of them. Bridgeport’s reward is getting to play one of the state’s top programs over the last decade or so in Martinsburg. This is indeed a battle of two of the best in the state. My pick: Martinsburg, 35-27; Brian’s pick: Martinsburg, 45-28.

Fairmont Senior (7-4) at Poca (9-2) — It very well could be No. 14 vs. No. 16 in the Class AA championships if Bluefield and Fairmont Senior win this week. Playing the toughest schedule in AA has paid off handsomely for the Polar Bears as they have reached the semifinals. The Dots, the best nickname in the state, won a high-scoring thriller over Frankfort, 56-49, last week in the quarterfinals. I think the Polar Bears make the title game as a 16 seed. My pick: Fairmont Senior, 28-19; Brian’s pick: Poca, 28-14.

Western Kentucky (7-4) at Marshall (7-4) — The winner of the game is the Conference USA East Division Champion and will travel to San Antonio, Texas to face nationally-ranked UTSA on December 3 in the Conference USA title game at the Alamodome. Marshall has had an up and down season this year but can still finish strong with a win. I like the Herd at home. My pick: Marshall 28-21; Brian’s picks: Marshall, 21-20.

Ohio State (10-1) at Michigan (10-1) — It’s called ‘The Big Game’ and it certainly is this year. Last year the game was canceled because of COVID-19, but the 2021 version of the game has a lot on the line. Both teams are 10-1 and each team has a shot at reaching the College Football Playoffs. The Buckeyes are currently in as they set at No. 2 in the latest playoff rankings while Michigan is just on outside looking in at No. 5. A win over the Buckeyes would certainly move Michigan into the top four. Until Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh can prove he can win the big one, I have to go with the Buckeyes. My pick, Ohio State, 38-28; Brian’s pick: Ohio State, 28-17.

WVU (5-6) at Kansas (2-9) — WVU is a 16-point favorite for some reason heading into this game. Look, I know Kansas isn’t great but they took the Sooners to the wire and just beat Texas two weeks ago on the road. And WVU hasn’t exactly been playing well on the road this year. I have a bad feeling Kansas upsets the Mountaineers, but hopefully WVU can find a way to win in Lawrence. My pick, WVU, 24-23; Brian’s pick: WVU, 42-21.