Expectations somewhere over the rainbow in preseason

The first football game of the college season is less than three weeks away, a football game that will match West Virginia with Alabama, perhaps the most legendary football program outside of South Bend, Ind.

While the point spread says Alabama is nearly four touchdowns better than West Virginia, that doesn’t so much as cast a shadow over where we are today. Neither does that 4-8 season West Virginia suffered through in 2013.

Not now, not today.

It can rain and no one will get wet and if the sun comes brightly out, there is no need for sunscreen for it will not burn.

See, this is the time when West Virginia and Alabama are even.

Neither has lost a game.

Big 12 play. Grab those standings, for West Virginia is tied with Oklahoma for first place.

Clint Trickett hasn’t thrown an incompletion or an interception.

No one has missed a tackle and if you talk to the players and coaches you wonder if anyone ever will.

Fumbles? Not a one yet by a Mountaineer running back.

What could be wrong?

As a card carrying member of the media you ask questions, expecting to hear of things that need fixing, people who aren’t quite reaching their potential … but this just isn’t the time for that.

It doesn’t matter who you talk about. Dontrill Hyman, a defensive lineman, seemed an interesting subject so you asked Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator about him.

“Dontrill is very athletic. He’s 6-5, 290 pounds and moves really well. He’s a very athletic kid. He plays the run well. He’s big enough and strong enough to be able to do that. Also, he can give you pass rush, too,” Gibson says.

Running backs? How they doing, running backs coach JaJuan Seider is asked.

“Every day someone does something different. I get more excited about the blocking than I do the run, because you have to sacrifice your body for the next man. Seeing them guys step in front of a big defensive end and making that block to spring a guy free is just as exciting as the guy making the run,” Seider answers.

Shannon Dawson is the offensive coordinator. His job is to rebuild Clint Trickett into the quarterback he wants and the offense needs, and that includes being intelligent as well as being athletic.

You listen to Dawson and Trickett sounds like a football Einstein.

“He’s a smart kid in football. He understands the offense and the defense and the biggest thing is he understands where you want to attack the defense,” Dawson says. “That’s probably the best thing we’re doing. Every defense has a weak spot. Everyone, it doesn’t matter which it is.

“The key to playing quarterback is getting that ball out on time to that weak spot. He’s been doing a good job of that. We have to keep stressing that.”

Even things that are bad are good at this time of year. For example, it rained on head coach Dana Holgorsen’s practice earlier this week.

Did he mind?

“I thought today was perfect. I reminded them of Maryland last year (a 37-0 loss in the rain). I thought today was good. You don’t have to go inside unless it’s lightning, and it didn’t today. I was ecstatic, because you’ve got to be able to practice in that. We will make do,” he said.

And when asked specifically about areas of concern, could Holgorsen have answered anything but this?

“There aren’t any specifically yet. We still have a long way to go. The next week and the first week of school are extremely important. Game week is all about preparing for whom we’re playing. There will be concerns, but we’re still relatively healthy and looking good. I like where we’re at right now.”

Follow Bob Hertzel on Twitter @bhertzel