MORGANTOWN - It's the day after the election and many of us simply want to celebrate the end of the process.
No more debates. No more nasty commercials. Life is good again.
So, in that spirit, I thought I'd celebrate by bringing you some straight talk - without the "wireless" attached.
I attended WVU's Tuesday athletic press conference, which was centered on Saturday's Texas game. And rather than ask numerous questions, I asked but one of select Mountaineer coaches. One question. One answer. No fluff.
So let's get to it.
To WVU running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider:
Rushel Shell missed the Kansas game with a bad ankle. What's the situation as it stands with the health of the Mountaineer running backs?
"It's early. Right now, they're all going to be available," Seider said. "That's our mindset. They all feel better than they have the last few days. The best thing about today is it's Tuesday not Saturday. We know two [Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy] will be ready because they played last Saturday. Both could have finished that game. And Rushel [Shell] is better this week than he was last week. That's a positive sign. And he's better [Tuesday] than he was [Monday]. We'll see how he gets out there and runs around.
"The thing about [Shell] is he has enough reps under his belt that if he can't practice for two days, if he can practice Thursday - or even just Friday - he can play. He knows the system. There's nothing they can throw at him that he hasn't seen."
To WVU special teams coach Mark Scott:
The punt return unit is ranked No. 124 of 128 FBS teams. West Virginia is averaging 2.12 yards per return. Have you considered switching from return man Gary Jennings?
"There have been some conversations," Scott said. "We've bounced some ideas off. One of the things Gary has done is try to press too much.
"Understand the situation. If we're sending eight guys after a punt, you've got two that are blocking for you. Understand that situation. There's nothing wrong with making a fair catch and sending the offense out there. Gary is as dependable as we've had since I've been here at being able to catch the ball. Something that would help him out - and help us out - is understanding the situation. If something is not there, don't force the situation. Know the situation and make good decisions. The main goal is to send the offense back on the field."
To WVU offensive line coach Ron Crook:
Texas is No. 108 nationally in pass defense (No. 123 in pass efficiency defense) and No. 86 in rush defense. Yet it's tied for No. 2 in sacks, averaging 3.78 a game. It's No. 16 in tackles for loss (7.7). Concerned?
"Sure," Crook said. "Any time you see guys with a high number of sacks it's a little bit of a concern. Our guys will have their hands full. They'll have to battle and fight every second. [Texas defenders] don't take downs off.
"They use good technique in the pass rush. They force you into bad technique. People kind of overthink things sometimes and it affects their pass sets. We're going to go into this focused on us and making sure we at least use good technique, play within ourselves and not let them out-psych us."
To WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson:
When you break down the Mountaineer defense statistically, it's a healthy No. 28 in pass efficiency defense, but No. 101 in teams sacks (1.63 average) and No. 116 in tackles for loss. Does that worry you as a coordinator that favors applying pressure to opponents?
"That's not how we write it up," Gibson said. "But we've never had the numbers with sacks because everybody knows my thinking and how we're going to attack. The first thing they go to is the quick [passing] game. That's why we hold teams down yardage-wise, points-wise, because they change up what they do when they play us - because of the fear of pressure. It kind of works hand-in-hand.
"We're giving up [20.6] points a game. In this league, through eight games, we're [3.4] points ahead of everybody else. Our pass efficiency defense is better because we're not giving up chunks."
One question. One answer. To the point.
You're welcome, America.