Chuck Finder: Good afternoon, and welcome to the first leg of the stretch run. Yep, we're trotting out all the horsepuckey references for Lou-uh-vool, home of Churchill Downs. Just to throw out a stat for this week: The Cardiac Cards, as in they give their fans infarctions, have played five games thus far decided by a touchdown or less: They're 2-3 in those games, losing the most recent two (Cincy and 'Cuse). So that could be a harbinger for a close one Saturday with WVU. Now on with the show. . . .

Zeise_fan_club: I just came to the realization that the Gator and Sun bowl ties are a shame - as long as Notre Dame is bowl eligible, the Big East will not be invite to participate in those bowls. That means the Big East #2 will likely be playing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Is there any reason to believe that this new conference commissioner - another basketball stiff from Providence - is going to be able to deliver any better bowl situations that the smoke and mirrors produced by Tranghese?

Chuck Finder: Just had to grab this one from Paul Zeise's Pitt pool of questions. First of all, ya gotta love somebody whose handle is "Zeise_fan_club" -- not that i ever expect a Finder_fan_club, far from it -- because it gives props to a fellow scribe. You go, Z. Secondly, parse out the sarcasm, and it's an interesting question: The Muffler Bowl is the second-best the Big East can do this year, and if Pitt loses to Cincy this weekend that coveted trip to Charlotte could come down to Pitt or WVU. And Muffler officials are already on record about how they love WVU fans who travel so well ... Yeah, that Gator/Sun out sure seems to hurt the conference in a situation where it's second-, third- and maybe even fourth-place teams are better than Notre Dame.

AtomicEERS: I'm riled up and ready to rumble ... I say WVU ROLLS the Cards and puts up the best offensive performance this year. What say you Mr. Finder?

Chuck Finder: Dang, Atomic, if you're that riled up, i better getcha defused first here. And stop calling me Mr. Here's the thing: Louisville's defense is so ripe to for the PASS plucking. Three different starters in the secondary, which was porous before the team's leading interceptor (CB Woodny Turenne) was lost to a broken clavicle last week. So if the Mountaineers actually can throw the ball DOWNFIELD effectively -- i know, that's asking a lot -- it could well pry open the run game. I have heard offensive types compare Louisville's defense to Auburn's, against whom they tried (and failed) to throw early before they ran, ran, ran away. We'll see how this one turns out.

AtomicEERS: Can you clue us in to any personnel changes for the game on Sat? Any new lineman starting?

Chuck Finder: Eric Jobe at center. BIIIIG surprise, huh? Cincinnati had more speed and depth, but Louisville has some big veterans who will require moving from those gaps, so it will test the new man in the middle. And this hazy prognosis for Mike Dent should be worrisome: It gives a professional skeptic like me the feeling that his college career may well be done. . . .Other than that, look for: Carm Connelly (whose name was misspelled on his jersey at last season's start) as the holder replacing suspended Jeremy Kash; Wes Lyons to return to start, if not play often, at receiver after a Cincy ankle sprain; and the much-awaited return of special-teams demon Jim Lewis (broken foot) and a couple of tweaks, maybe even new bodies, on the kickoff coverage team. One of these games, that last unit might just have to kick it nine yards deep in the end zone, or outta bounds.

AtomicEERS: Big Brown is healthy and ready to go -- how much will WVU use him and the "Q" package Sat.?

Chuck Finder: Big Brown. Niiiice. He'll deliver, all right. Expect to see the dual-quarterback backfield and Jarrett Brown in there on third-and-short situations. However, i'm betting he's going to throw it the first or second time, just to keep the defenses honest. And to take a shot at that damaged Cardinals secondary.

AtomicEERS: Dent or Jobe? What's up with Josh Jenkins too?

Chuck Finder: I already mentioned about Jobe/Dent. Josh Jenkins supposedly is healthy, so maybe you'll see him on the short-yardage team or something. Don Barclay has emerged as the next guard-tackle replacement, and he looks pretty stout. Jenkins still could redshirt, but some kids today just don't wanna do that....even if they've earned half a season of experience and could benefit from four full seasons of growth and attention and such.

Chuck Finder: I gotta pause here a second: What's with Zeise and the Pitt questioners singing "Sweet Caroline?" ... What's with the handle "Don'tShaveMyWannstache?" ... Man, we gotta do our chats together next week, just for the entertainment factor ...

AtomicEERS: For the first time in recent memory ... (my memory) I've watched WVU get "manhandled" on the line this year. Is this the players fault or can we point the finger to the new S&C coach M. Joesph?

Chuck Finder: I don't know if you should describe it as routine "manhandling," for Auburn had a couple of future NFLers, and WVU seemed to get the better of them for three quarters. But you're correct: Since that...ahem...13-9 incident last December, you've seen about a half-dozen teams battle a veteran Mountaineers line to a relative standoff, if not victory. Pitt, East Carolina, Colorado (especially on short-yardage situations), Syracuse to a degree, UConn up the middle and Cincinnati all seemed to hold their ground much better than what Mountaineers fans were used to seeing from their offensive line. Some of it is the line's lack of execution, some of it is three line coaches demanding different techniques and signals and styles, some of it is a lack of continuity in play selection. Yeah, it's kinda funny: In the old days, when you only ran three or four plays, your line got really good at 'em!

AtomicEERS: Do you see any "emerging" players like a FB or TE playing a bigger part in WVU's playcalling for the final three games?

Chuck Finder: Will Johnson, Will Johnson, please pick up a white courtesy phone.... Supposedly he's healthy, but he certainly wasn't the receiving option he was portrayed to be this offseason, huh? Ricky Kovatch at fullback is going to have to be handed the ball sometime (even the Steelers let Dan Kreider carry it once or twice a season). And Tyler Urban will get more passes thrown to him at tight end, but they're holding him as a secret weapon (mostly around the goalline, where he catches one for a touchdown but drops another). But don't expect any other freshmen to suddenly and magically appear, for that would cost a season of eligibility. If a redshirt was ripped off now, it certainly would smack of desperation, and might cause the coaching staff to lose an upperclassmen heretofore ahead of that freshman at the same position.

AtomicEERS: Let's shift attention to a game that was important to WVU. Didn't it seem that the Bearcats were helped out by the officials? Especially with that 3rd down pass in the 4th quarter?

Chuck Finder: Man, 'tomic, you're seriously pushing my memory now ... my notes are hazy, too, from being on deadline. To which pass are you referring?

Chuck Finder: All righty, then. We're just about outta time. Kudos to Atomic for dominating the questioning -- it's hard to be the only one in the room asking things, huh? Kinda like a reporter's job sometimes. Anyway, see ya after Blackout Saturday in the pizza-box stadium. And I imagine ya'all should look for a different chat schedule for the Backyard Brawl next week, cause i'm guessing we'll have a Blackout Thursday in the Chathouse for Thanksgiving.