A little over a week ago, the Mountaineers traveled to Ames, Iowa, as the sixth-ranked team in the nation to take on an Iowa State team fresh off a big road upset of Oklahoma State. Under the night lights in Ames, the Mountaineers suffered a 30-14 upset after a complete offensive breakdown resulting on only sixteen offensive plays being run by West Virginia in the second half. Fans were understandably disappointed. But as Ohio State just proved, conference games played on the road under the lights can be tough. College football is not for the faint of heart, anyway, as the unpredictable is often what unfolds. The true measure of a great team, then, is whether it overcomes adversity. So the question remains: will the Mountaineers bounce back against Baylor?
Post-Iowa-State
After the upset loss, West Virginia Head Coach Dana Holgorsen faulted blocking and tackling primarily. But he also said that he deserved the blame because those things fall on him. Regardless who or what is to blame, though, the team has adopted the attitude that they will return focus to the fundamentals. Fortunately, the Mountaineers had a bye week to recover.
According to Holgorsen, the Mountaineers used the bye week to “heal up.” While observing “you’re not going to see panic out of our players, or, in particular, our senior leaders,” Holgorsen assured the fans that the loss was “going to motivate us more than it’s going to discourage us.” He said his players did not want extra rest, instead buying into the need to “get back to the basics and go out and practice hard.”
The players’ tweets offered encouragement as well. The day after the loss, standout sophomore Derrek Pitts, Jr., said that the “crazy thing about this team” is that it won’t fold. He continued that the Mountaineers would take the loss “on the chin” and keep pushing. Transfer senior Kenny Bigelow agreed: “Brotha brotha, we all we need.” The Mountaineers still have the team attitude that led to their rise to Top 10, and, if they have anything to say about it, they will be back in the top ten soon.
Baylor Preview
Last season, West Virginia traveled to then-winless Baylor and barely escaped with an ugly 38-36 win. Baylor was the more desperate team that season, and a win would have injected some much-needed confidence into a rebuilding Baylor team. In his first year at Baylor, trying to move the program on from the scandals under Art Briles, head coach Matt Rhule could have used the win. It would have been an early “signature” win, in fact.
This season, however, West Virginia is the team that needs to make a statement. The Mountaineers look to recover from their loss. Baylor is much improved this season. Fielding a Top 25 offense under second-year signal-caller Charlie Brewer, Baylor’s offense is finding and using space as well as it has in several years. Redshirt senior Tennessee transfer Jalen Hurd has completed his conversion from running back to wide receiver well. He leads the Bears with 47 receptions for 622 yards. Hurd gives the Bears’ offense dexterity as well, as he has carried the ball 25 times. Hurd has six total touchdowns. Denzel Mims and Chris Platt add depth at the receiver position.
Baylor’s defense, however, has struggled, surrendering 31 points per game, good for 94th in the nation. Opponents are converting on 45% of third down plays, and Baylor is not creating turnovers, having forced only six. Baylor has two strong linebackers in Clay Johnston and Terrel Bernard. Defensive tackle James Lynch anchors the line. Baylor’s secondary is passable, though its run defense surrenders nearly six yards per carry.
Mountaineers Bounce Back Against Baylor
Fortunately for the Mountaineers, the bye week came at the right time. Running back Alec Sinkfield has missed the last three games but looks like he could return for Thursday night’s game in Morgantown. Leddie Brown should be back as well. West Virginia’s offensive line should also return to full strength with the added rest. With Baylor’s weakness against the run, offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will demonstrate renewed faith in the run game.
Quarterback Will Grier will also recover from his last two performances. He will be hungry to prove that the Iowa State game, in particular, was a fluke. Receivers David Sills, Gary Jennings, Marcus Simms, and T.J. Simmons will be there to help.
The defense has been strong, so far holding better than our prediction of a top-thirty unit. They currently sit 28th in the country in scoring defense. But the unit has also seen injuries mounting. Pitts suffered an apparent MCL strain against Iowa State and seems questionable. Nobody is sure yet whether Dylan Tonkery will return to help an injury-depleted linebacker corps. And there has been no word on whether an injury to Jabril Robinson will keep him sidelined this week.
Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has addressed the injuries with his “next man up” mantra. That said, Gibson has drawn attention to the issue saying that “we have to get healthy bodies out there.” No doubt the Mountaineer offense can mitigate the issue by controlling the clock.
That is exactly what West Virginia will do Thursday night. They will run the ball and take the passes they are given. The offensive line will hold better and lengthen drives. And the Mountaineers will make a statement, beating up on Baylor 42-17.
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