The Signal Caller with Jed Drenning

Jed Drenning recaps West Virginia’s loss to No. 21 ranked Oklahoma State and looks ahead to the Mountaineers' trip to Fort Worth for a Black Friday showdown with Gary Patterson’s TCU Horned Frogs to close out the 2019 regular season. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: John Madden, Turducken and Mike Leach KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Against Oklahoma State, the WVU defense held Chuba Hubbard – the nation’s leading rusher – below his yards per carry average for the year on 20 of his 26 rush attempts.

Taking a look back at the signature win of Neal Brown’s young career at West Virginia – a victory at Kansas State as a 14.5 point underdog – and breaking down the Mountaineers upcoming Senior Day showdown against Oklahoma State this weekend in Morgantown. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Grant Wiley, Jerry Claiborne, Frank Cignetti and Cliff Clavin KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: The Oklahoma State offense leads the nation with 19-plays from scrimmage of 50-plus yards.

Jed Drenning previews West Virginia’s trip to Kansas State as the Mountaineers try to rebound from a disappointing performance against Texas Tech last week. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Blades of Glory, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and Earle Bruce KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: K-State tops the Big 12 and ranks No. 5 nationally in Time of Possession, contributing to the fact that only 4 FBS defenses have faced fewer offensive snaps than the Wildcats.

November football gets underway for the Mountaineers. Host Jed Drenning digs into the good and the bad of the upset WVU nearly pulled at Baylor on Halloween night and looks ahead to West Virginia’s matchup against Texas Tech. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Tommie Frazier, Doug Flutie nightmare fuel Fred Smalls, former U.S. Army Specialist Ted Daniels, Groot and Quincy Wilson KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: The West Virginia punt coverage unit – which has allowed a total of just four return yards all season -- ranks No. 4 in the nation.

It's Halloweeen week! Jed Drenning revisits West Virginia’s loss at Oklahoma and previews the Mountaineers Thursday night showdown with Matt Rhule’s Baylor Bears – the Big 12's only remaining unbeaten team. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: The Many Worlds Theory, Dracula, the 1903 Transylvania football team, Conan O'Brien and the 1869 Rutgers Queensmen KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Two years ago, in Baylor’s final two-deep, the Bears listed 28 freshmen and sophomores and only seven seniors among 44 offensive/defensive players.

Host Jed Drenning recaps the Mountaineers loss to Iowa State and takes a look at West Virginia’s trip to the Palace on the Prairie to tangle with Lincoln Riley’s No. 5 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rich Hollins, Mr. Grinch KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: A year after establishing an all-time FBS single season mark by averaging 8.6 yards per play, the Sooners offense is remarkably a yard ahead of that record-setting clip so far this year with an average of 9.6 yards per play.

Jed Drenning breaks down the Mountaineers tough loss to Texas last week and looks ahead to the Iowa State Cyclones visit to Morgantown. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Mick Dundee, Ken Dorsey KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Dating back to 2017, Iowa State has won eight straight games in October, outscoring the opposition by an average margin of 37-20 in those games.

Host Jed Drenning recaps West Virginia’s win at Kansas and pops the hood for a look at the Mountaineers nationally televised matchup against the 11th ranked Texas Longhorns. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Matthew McConaughey (of course), Patrick Peterson and WVU’s 2022 non-conference opponents KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: In his last 17 games, Texas QB Sam Ehlinger has thrown 38 TDs against just 4 interceptions.

Host Jed Drenning breaks down the Mountaineers bounce back win over NC State and previews West Virginia’s trip to Kansas where they’ll square off against a Jayhawks team riding the crest of a surprise 48-24 upset win over Boston College. OBSCURE REFERENCSE IN THIS EPISODE: George Jones, Pythagoras, Tony LaRussa and T’Challa KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: The Jayhawks 567 yards of total offense last week at Boston College was their most against a Power 5 Conference team on the road since amassing 572 in an overtime loss at Nebraska in 2006.

Jed Drenning breaks down West Virginia’s loss at Missouri and previews the Mountaineers matchup against North Carolina State, a game that features the return to Morgantown of former WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson who is now on staff with the Wolfpack. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: The Golden Girls and Lord Voldemort KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: On the road and/or at neutral sites, NC State is plus-14 in turnover margin under Head Coach Dave Doeren.

Host Jed Drenning recaps West Virginia’s season opening win against James Madison and looks ahead to the Mountaineers Week 2 trip to Missouri to take on Coach Barry Odom’s Tigers. OBSCURE REFERENCE IN THIS EPISODE: The Chuquicamata Copper Mine in Chile KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: In the second half against JMU, Mountaineer QB Austin Kendall connected on 13-of-19 for 171 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions.

As the Neal Brown era of West Virginia football gets underway, host Jed Drenning previews the 2019 season opening tilt in Morgantown between the Mountaineers and FCS powerhouse James Madison, led by first year coach (and former WVU quarterback) Curt Cignetti. OBSCURE REFERENCE IN THIS EPISODE: Hawaii DT Manly Williams KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: At FCS member Maine last year, new JMU defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman built a Black Bears defense that led the nation in Rush Defense.

Host Jed Drenning discusses Neal Brown's announcement of Austin Kendall as WVU’s starting quarterback to open the season and other key topics as the Mountaineers break camp. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: ATV’ing through a pine thicket at 50mph KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: A surprising comparison of 4th down attempts by Troy University and West Virginia the last four years.

Detailing the approach Neal Brown has taken during his career to assembling winning game plans and making adjustments on the fly. Brown’s talent toward effectively scouting opponents and devising strategies to attack their liabilities has been instrumental in his success – both as a coordinator and as a head coach. We take an in-depth look at that ability in this episode. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Butch Cavendish, Terence Garvin and SpongeBob SquarePants KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: The 676 yards Texas Tech racked up in its 2012 win over West Virginia represented the Red Raiders highest total against a Big 12 opponent in Neal Brown’s three years as the offensive coordinator in Lubbock.

With Big 12 media days at Jerry World in the rear view, real football is straight ahead. Host Jed Drenning breaks down the Big 12 Football Media's Preseason Poll. Where did West Virginia land and why? Don’t miss this deep dive into Neal Brown’s Mountaineers and each of their Big 12 counterparts. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Dr. Seuss, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Murray, Moby Dick and the Baldwin brothers KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: At Duke in 2017, Jim Knowles’ Blue Devils defense allowed 30-plus points once all year. Last season at Oklahoma State, Knowles Cowboys’ defense allowed 30-plus in each of its final eight games. Welcome to the Big 12.

Bandits and Spears and tricks, oh my! Host Jed Drenning guides you through the 34-year coaching background of Mountaineer defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. Come for the history lesson but stay for the X’s and O’s breakdown of Koenning’s scheme and its fit in the Big 12 Conference. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Mouse Davis, Odysseus and The Poca High Dots KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Vic Koenning once held both Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier without a touchdown in the same year (as the defensive coordinator at Clemson in 2005).

In 2009, current WVU head coach Neal Brown was in his second season as the offensive coordinator at Troy. What happened when the Trojans marched into The Swamp to face Tim Tebow and the Gators? Host Jed Drenning shares the story, one that sheds light on the adaptable nature of Brown's approach to coaching. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Restaurant Impossible, Albert Einstein KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Neal Brown’s Troy offense led the Sun Belt Conference in pass completions of 40-plus yards each of the last two seasons.

In this third episode, host Jed Drenning explains how Dana Holgorsen’s move from WVU to Houston could be a breakup that serves both parties well and we transition into the larger topic of what Neal Brown’s recruiting strategy will look like with the Mountaineers. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Jimmy Buffett/Warren Buffett KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Dana Holgorsen had a winning record against five of WVU’s nine Big 12 counterparts but was 0-7 against Oklahoma.

In this second episode of The Signal Caller Podcast, host Jed Drenning discusses the recent player transfers leaving the West Virginia football program and fleshes out the topic of “roster management” – breaking down the recent changes in NCAA transfer policy that have made that a more challenging proposition for head coaches. OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott of the USS Enterprise KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Since Chad Morris replaced Brett Bielema as the head coach at Arkansas last season, nearly 30 players have left the Razorbacks program.

In this first ever episode, host Jed Drenning pops the hood to take a look at Neal Brown, the 35th head football coach at West Virginia. Jed digs into Brown's coaching history and explores the qualities that made him one of the most buzzworthy hires of the college football offseason. Will his incredible success at Troy (31 wins the last three seasons) translate into big things for the Mountaineers? OBSCURE REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Jules Verne, The Simpsons and your Klingon friend KEY STAT IN THIS EPISODE: Troy's defense forced 87 turnovers over the last three seasons -- more than any other team in college football.