CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 30, the ball will be kicked off for West Virginia's football opener against Villanova at Mountaineer Field.

In many ways, it will be like a lot of other games in the 30-plus-season coaching career of Bill Stewart, which has included stops at nearly a dozen colleges and two Canadian Football League franchises.

Of course, it will be very different in one very significant way. Instead of serving as an assistant coach, the 55-year-old New Martinsville native will be the one calling the shots. The head honcho.

The only other time Stewart was in charge was a three-year stint at VMI (1994-96), that coming more than a decade ago and, to be truthful, at a level of play far under Football Bowl Subdivision specifications.

Yes, he's been at WVU since 2000, serving as quarterback coach, special teams coordinator, tight end coach and associate head coach for one year. But Stewart knows the stakes are higher now, as he inherits a team that finished sixth in both major polls last season.

However, he and his effervescent personality appear ready for the challenge.

"I've got a lot of answers,'' Stewart said this week, "but I'm not the Shell Answer Man. I'm not that wise or worldly.

"I was more involved with the offense, being the quarterback coach and helping with play selection and things like that. As special teams coordinator, I had a lot of preparation there. But the big thing now is that it's the whole picture - you're talking about travel to everything else.''

Which is why Stewart will remain a piece of the puzzle among the Mountaineer coaching staff, albeit a lot larger piece than before. He still solicits input from both his assistant coaches and his players, especially the seniors and team leaders.

"We are blessed to have a lot of input from our assistants,'' Stewart said. "I bounce a lot of things off them. These guys are pretty worldly.

"I have a lot to say in preparation and things, and it's always gonna be more when you're the head coach. But, shoot, I've got the best staff in the country. I want input from these guys and I value what they have to say. There shouldn't be too much difference [from before] and with the staff we've got, there won't be.''

Stewart said he won't hesitate to pick the minds of assistant coaches such as veterans Doc Holliday and Steve Dunlap or even younger coaches like Chris Beatty (running backs) and Lonnie Galloway (wide receivers).

In many ways, it will be like a lot of other games in the 30-plus-season coaching career of Bill Stewart, which has included stops at nearly a dozen colleges and two Canadian Football League franchises.

Of course, it will be very different in one very significant way. Instead of serving as an assistant coach, the 55-year-old New Martinsville native will be the one calling the shots. The head honcho.

The only other time Stewart was in charge was a three-year stint at VMI (1994-96), that coming more than a decade ago and, to be truthful, at a level of play far under Football Bowl Subdivision specifications.

Yes, he's been at WVU since 2000, serving as quarterback coach, special teams coordinator, tight end coach and associate head coach for one year. But Stewart knows the stakes are higher now, as he inherits a team that finished sixth in both major polls last season.

However, he and his effervescent personality appear ready for the challenge.

"I've got a lot of answers,'' Stewart said this week, "but I'm not the Shell Answer Man. I'm not that wise or worldly.

"I was more involved with the offense, being the quarterback coach and helping with play selection and things like that. As special teams coordinator, I had a lot of preparation there. But the big thing now is that it's the whole picture - you're talking about travel to everything else.''

Which is why Stewart will remain a piece of the puzzle among the Mountaineer coaching staff, albeit a lot larger piece than before. He still solicits input from both his assistant coaches and his players, especially the seniors and team leaders.

"We are blessed to have a lot of input from our assistants,'' Stewart said. "I bounce a lot of things off them. These guys are pretty worldly.

"I have a lot to say in preparation and things, and it's always gonna be more when you're the head coach. But, shoot, I've got the best staff in the country. I want input from these guys and I value what they have to say. There shouldn't be too much difference [from before] and with the staff we've got, there won't be.''

Stewart said he won't hesitate to pick the minds of assistant coaches such as veterans Doc Holliday and Steve Dunlap or even younger coaches like Chris Beatty (running backs) and Lonnie Galloway (wide receivers).

"We've got a plan here, and the plan has been good,'' Stewart said. "We're not going to change a lot of things. Being in charge, I want to have input when you have a great coaching staff like we have. I want input in August camp, and we're going to talk about a lot of things.''

Stewart can't wait to sit down and chat at length with Galloway, who served on Jerry Moore's staff at Appalachian State the past three seasons, each of which resulted in a national title in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). Plus, Appy State shocked a certain Michigan team last year at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

"That's one of the reasons I hired Lonnie Galloway,'' Stewart said. "I want to know what coach Jerry Moore and his team did when they went on the road. I want to know what the national championship team did when they went to Michigan. I want to know about those four playoff games at the end of the season.

"I want to talk to [Galloway] when we come back this summer. That's the kind of stuff, the kind of input you want. You want to find out how the great teams did things. If it can help us when we go out on the road, then that's cool, too. But I want to ask the guys what they did at home also.''

Stewart won't shy away from asking some of his players for ideas and opinions, especially fifth-year seniors such as quarterback Patrick White and linebacker Mortty Ivy.

"I think we have great senior leadership,'' Stewart said, "and I want to make sure our players have input where they ought to have input.

"We're going to be very, very open - very much all on the same page. Now we're not going to let them run the program. Coaches will call the plays, and players will do the playing. That will never change in Mountaineer football. The good thing is we have some sharp young men and we want to give them a little bit of fun and hopefully provide them with a leadership role also.''

Stewart said input from the players could stretch from accepted protocol on road trips to what play might work in certain situations.

"I'm going to meet in August with the seniors we have here,'' Stewart said, "and [figure out] what we're up against. Going down to East Carolina, we want these seniors to provide great leadership. We expect them to act a certain way. How we travel, how we get to the motel, eating patterns . . . things seniors ought to have input in. Do we go to a movie theater or watch movies in the room? We want to give them that option.

"On the sideline, I like to know what someone like Patrick White is thinking. I know what Pat thinks most of the time. 'Whatever you call, coach, I'm good with.' Patrick likes to go with the flow and what's working, and go with it and not make things too difficult.''

Reach staff writer Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.