Arkansas Expats, an Arkansas Razorbacks community

I would encourage everyone involved to get used to wins like that.

While Dana Holgorsen won't officially unveil the duties of his rebuilt coaching staff until Monday, documents obtained by BlueGoldNews.com on Wednesday through a Freedom of Information request indicate Keith Patterson will serve as co-defensive coordinator.

I'm still signaling the plays in, but I've hired some good guys that can meet with [the offense] so I have some free time to bulls--- some of the [defensive] guys and get to know those guys. My job is to mesh the team.

It’s kind of coach-speak, but the only thing I’m concerned with is getting better in camp. It means nothing to me who our first opponent [Marshall] is. It means nothing to me that it’s an in-state game. It means nothing to me it’s a rivalry. It means nothing that they’re green or mean green. They’re not even Mean Green; that’s North Texas.

Multiple high-ranking sources with knowledge of the situation have informed The Smoking Musket that Bill Stewart allegedly served as one source of the contentious Herald-Dispatch report of Dana Holgorsen's purported alcohol-related incidents.

I learned a valuable lesson from this incident. As a football coach, I am always in the public eye and I have to hold myself to a higher standard, which is what I ask our players to do. I'm sorry that this incident has put the University and the football program in a difficult position. I will not put myself in that situation again.

While it is difficult to believe that the talent level remaining on this team will allow the program to drop to a 3-8 mark like the one in 2001, there will be some "growing pains" which will accompany the advent of a new system. And there may be times when fans might clamor for the return of the old because the new isn't resulting in wins.

If I'm coming off like a total Dana Holgorsen fanboy, well, I kind of am. The man has his limitations, don't get me wrong. He's not a notably strong recruiter, he's never coached the defensive side of the ball, and his personality isn't a good fit for every school. He doesn't always like talking to the media, and he does some things (like go drink in the stands with fans during blowouts) that will rub some fan bases the wrong way. But I think West Virginia is the kind of place that will appreciate his eccentricity, and have a strong enough support system around him that he doesn't have to worry about the defense. Frankly, I'd almost be surprised if West Virginia isn't contending for a national title at some point during Holgorsen's stay.