The outcome of WVU vs UT-Martin was never going to be in doubt. The question was whether or not the Mountaineers would maintain focus in the second half. The answer to that is “Yes!” West Virginia took a 28-0 halftime lead, and expanded that lead in the second half, cruising to a 52-7 win.
With that, the preliminaries are over. The remaining ten games are against Power 4 conference teams: ACC foe Virginia this Saturday, and the nine Big 12 games.
Acknowledging that this team will continue to evolve during the season, what are the early good and not-so-good signs we have seen?
On offense, things are mostly good. Michael Hawkins appears to be as good as advertised at quarterback. Likewise for running back Cam Cook. The offense definitely seems much improved over last year. There are a few items to nitpick – I’d like to see the offensive line performing at a bit higher level. I worry that sometimes the offense moves a bit too fast – we saw too many quick three-and-outs in week one, and if that happens again, it puts the defense in a very tough situation. There are also some times where WVU may want to work the clock, and I sometimes worry about the Mountaineers being too stubborn trying to run the ball, or relying too much on explosive plays.
Defensively, there is more to worry about. While UT-Martin was shut out in the first half, they moved the ball pretty well. The pass defense is inconsistent at best, and at times it seems they forget that tight ends are eligible receivers: UT-M tight ends combined for seven catches for 87 yards, and five of those receptions resulted in a first down. But they do some good things, such as generating turnovers, and they have done a decent job with getting tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Special teams have been a strength so far. WVU fans are no longer cringing on kickoffs, as they are regularly going for touchbacks this year. And the punting game has been very solid.
So while the team does look better all around compared to last year, there is plenty of room for improvement across the board. And they will need to improve because things are going to get tougher.
Going into the season, a lot of WVU fans looked at the Virginia game as one that could be a tossup, or that WVU would be a bit of an underdog, with a shot at pulling a mild upset. After the first games, however, that has changed.
WVU, of course, looked great for a half, and then seemingly forgot they had to play the second half in an unimpressive win over Coastal Carolina. Virginia, on the other hand, faced a conference foe, NC State, that was picked just one spot behind them in the preseason ACC poll (the Cavs were 6 th , the Wolfpack was 7 th ).
Virginia dominated NC State to the tune of a 34-8 win that didn’t seem even that close.
Quarterback Beau Pribula carved up NC State: he completed 9 passes (only 2 incompletions) for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the ground he had 110 yards on just 15 carries (over 7 yards per carry). He is considered more of a running threat than a dangerous passer, but he definitely passes well enough to hurt a defense if they sell out too much on the run. For WVU to have a chance, they will have to contain Pribula.
Defensively,Virginia absolutely crushed NC State. CJ Bailey is a good quarterback, but he was just 12/23 for a paltry 84 yards, with 2 sacks and an interception. They held the Wolfpack to just 168 total yards, which is an incredibly low number, especially for a power 4 conference school that was supposed to be decent.
The Cavs, as a result, moved into the national Top 25 of the polls heading into last weekend’s games.
Can WVU win this game? Sure, but the chances of that look much less than they did just a few weeks ago. The defense will have to play great run defense, without allowing receivers to run free, and the offense needs to play with the efficiency (and balance) they showed in the first half of the Coastal Carolina game.
Notes: This is a neutral site game, being played in Charlotte, NC. Kickoff is at 7:30pm, and it is televised by the ACC Network (which is part of the ESPN family)…After an injury-riddled slow start to the season, the men’s soccer team is starting to figure things out. There last two games are a 2-1 win over George Mason, and a 5-0 rout over Denver. They now stand at 3-1-1…The women’s team moved to 5-0 after knocking off Marshall, 1-0…The volleyball team continues to improve, but they need to learn to win the fifth games of matches. All of their losses so far this season have gone five games.
