September is officially in the books, and the West Virginia Mountaineers continue to climb in the polls. Through four games, the Mountaineers remain undefeated. They now sit eighth in this week’s Last Word Top 25 poll, (ninth in the AP poll and eighth in the Coaches Poll). The Mountaineers join Oklahoma and Texas as the only Big 12 teams unbeaten in conference play.
Mountaineers Continue To Climb
Texas Tech Reactions
Each game tells its own story. Analysts, prognosticators, and fans alike have learned through the years that the transitive property has no application in football. This is how teams like James Madison beat teams like Virginia Tech. Sometimes, circumstances simply line up that way.
Saturday’s game against Texas Tech did not deviate from those norms. In fact, it supported another: that a football game is often a tale of two halves. The Mountaineer held a 35-10 lead going into the half, scoring on 5 of 7 drives. They dominated all three phases. Notably, the defense held Texas Tech to 186 total yards and 10 points over 7 drives and creating 2 turnovers.
In the second half, however, the offense failed to sustain drives. The defense started strong, holding Texas Tech to 31 yards on 12 plays during the Red Raiders’ first two possessions. However, the uncharacteristic offensive inefficiency wore on the defense after that, and Texas Tech mounted an extended comeback. Keith Washington halted that comeback with a strong pick six that all but sealed the game with under three minutes to play.
Still, the Mountaineers held Texas Tech to 160 yards and 18 points below its season averages. And the Mountaineers forced three turnovers, surrendering none. And while many Mountaineer fans bemoaned the second half effort, the national perception remains that the final score was far closer than the actual game.
Indeed, the Mountaineers convincingly won an in-conference road game against a ranked opponent, their first such win since 2012. Such wins have been rare in Mountaineer history, as it was only the 8th such win (and 3rd for Head Coach Dana Holgorsen) since West Virginia joined the Big East for the 1991 season. In short, enjoy those when they come.
Kansas Preview
Now, the Mountaineers return to Morgantown where they face the Kansas Jayhawks. Kickoff is at noon, and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Kansas’ season began with an overtime loss to FCS Nicholls State. Kansas recovered to post dominant wins against Central Michigan and Rutgers. Both were surprising simply because Kansas football and dominant wins have not been paired in many sentences since disgraced former Coach Mark Mangino resigned. Kansas, however, opened Big 12 play with losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Kansas’ strengths are its running game and turnover margin (seven to one ratio, to date). Freshman running back Pooka Williams averages 7.9 yards per carry on 60 attempts. Safety Ricky Thomas started the season well at safety, and he could return from injury this weekend against West Virginia. His replacement, Hasan Defense, switched positions and has not adapted well in Thomas’ absence.
Head Coach David Beaty named Carter Stanley the starter against West Virginia. Stanley is certainly the most efficient of Kansas’ three passers, and he has rallied at least one big believer behind him. Wide Receiver Steven Sims glowed after the Jayhawks’ loss to Oklahoma State, “What quarterbacks do ya’ll know dropping their shoulder on safeties?”
Football is a game of inches, and it is a game of little things. Little things like quarterbacks playing tough, physical football. Like the rest of the offense taking notice and raising their level of play accordingly. And little things like how a player coming back off of injury can spark a unit. Those little things often add up to real consequence, especially when supplementing the desire to prove something against a top ten team.
The Prediction
Will Kansas have that success? Doubtful. Kansas’ defense has been middle-of-the-road, and its offense has not been much better, even with Williams and Stanley. In fact, take away Williams’ biggest runs of each game, and he averages just over four yards per carry and less than all four of the Mountaineers’ backs. That means Williams’ yardage is heavily concentrated in a handful of big plays.
The Mountaineers yield only 3.4 yards per attempt. In conference play, they have surrendered only seven long runs of 10 yards or more. The longest rush against the Mountaineers this season is only 30 yards. If the Mountaineers continue to stuff the run and eliminate the big plays, Pooka Williams’ numbers should look pedestrian.
Additionally, unlike against Texas Tech, where a mobile Jett Duffey unexpectedly took over at quarterback, the Mountaineers have the opportunity to game plan for Stanley’s legs. As a result, expect the Mountaineers to limit Kanas’ strengths. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, Holgorsen will likely grill his team this weak about its second half effort against Texas Tech. As a result, the Mountaineers will maintain sharpness through more of this game. West Virginia wins going away, 48-13. Will Grier continues his march to the Heisman ceremony. And the defense continues to prove it is a top thirty unit.
