Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, the WVU football opener had plenty of items to match your point of view. In the first half, the Mountaineers looked great.
They had over 200 yards of rushing, and the passing game looked good enough to keep defenses honest. The defense shut out Coast Carolina, and WVU had a 24-0 lead at the half.
The second half, however, was in the words of Coach Rodriguez, “garbage.”
WVU was outscored 24-7, and held on for an unsatisfying 31-24 win. the offense had trouble moving the ball consistently, and the defense started breaking down. Penalties also contributed to West Virginia’s second half woes.
I do think that second half might be a good thing. It’s a stark reminder that WVU is not good enough to lose focus. It didn’t cost them a win this week, and if they learned their lesson, that could avert a future loss that might have happened. And the first half showed that this team is capable of playing very well. If we get more of that during the season, WVU should have some success. We might learn a little bit next week.
Week 2 of the football season should be the easiest game of the year, and will be the last “warm up” game before the tough ones start.
UT-Martin is a decent FCS team. They have won the Ohio Valley Conference four of the past five seasons, and were picked as the favorites this year, and they were No. 22 in the preseason FCS Top 25 Coaches poll.
However, they lost their opener to Central Arkansas (who took their place in the Top 25 poll), 36-24. On paper, it looked like their two major issues were their passing game, and rushing defense. Of course, it’s easy to overreact to first games: sometimes problems get resolved, other times they linger throughout the season.
As with most FCS teams, the Skyhawks have some pretty good individual players, but lack the depth and talent across the board that a decent FBS team has.
That should be the case this Saturday, and I would expect the Mountaineers to roll to a comfortable win.
The next game against Virginia looks tougher than expected, as the Cavaliers were dominant in their first game against NC State, so it might be interesting to see what WVU decides to show against UT-Martin – will they keep some things hidden, or maybe they will show something they have no intention of running against Virginia, but they want the Cavs to have to think about it?
I’m also guessing WVU will be able to jump out to a solid lead. After the near collapse against Coastal Carolina, I will be interested to see if the Mountaineers can avoid a similar letdown.
Notes: Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 on Saturday, and it will be streamed by ESPN Plus…The preseason polls are out for women’s cross country, and WVU is highly regarded once again. They are No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic region, and No. 7 nationally.
Week 2 of the football season should be the easiest game of the year, and will be the last “warm up” game before the tough ones start.
UT-Martin is a decent FCS team. They have won the Ohio Valley Conference four of the past five seasons, and were picked as the favorites this year, and they were #22 in the preseason FCS Top 25 Coaches poll.
However, they lost their opener to Central Arkansas (who took their place in the Top 25 poll), 36-24. On paper, it looked like their two major issues were their passing game, and rushing defense. Of course, it’s easy to overreact to first games: sometimes problems get resolved, other times they linger throughout the season.
As with most FCS teams, the Skyhawks have some pretty good individual players, but lack the depth and talent across the board that a decent FBS team has.
That should be the case this Saturday, and I would expect the Mountaineers to roll to a comfortable win.
The next game against Virginia looks tougher than expected, as the Cavaliers were dominant in their first game against NC State, so it might be interesting to see what WVU decides to show against UT-Martin – will they keep some things hidden, or maybe they will show something they have no intention of running against Virginia, but they want the Cavs to have to think about it?
Notes: Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 on Saturday, and it will be streamed by ESPN Plus…The preseason polls are out for women’s cross country, and WVU is highly regarded once again. They are #1 in the Mid-Atlantic region, and #7 nationally.
