–West Virginia lost this game convincingly at home to Kansas State and the crowd reflected the current atmosphere around the program with plenty of empty seats and a missing buzz. Unfortunately, that is where this team and program is at right now and despite a spirited effort in some areas the Mountaineers just weren’t good enough to even make this game largely competitive. It’s hard to win a lot of games when you allow 41 points at half, but this team continued to make many of the same miscues and mistakes that have come to define it. The attendance for West Virginia was only 37,055 which is as low as I can remember it and I’d argue it wasn’t even that close to being filled. Just a blah day all around.
–Well, the dream, however fleeting it was, is over. West Virginia isn’t going to a bowl game in year four under head coach Neal Brown and there is no other way to slice it but this season is a major disappointment all the way around. The Mountaineers are now 21-25 under Brown atop the program and have still never managed a three-game winning streak or have been ranked during the entire tenure. That seems hard to do that deep into a tenure, but that is where we find ourselves and after doubling down on his team’s ability to turn things around and the demise of his football program was overstated the Mountaineers have gone 2-5. That isn’t going to cut it anywhere, but especially with a fan base that has been plenty patient. I didn’t see this team quit at any point in this game, but it was clear they didn’t have the ability to compete in this one without some breaks. The two head coaches in this game were hired at the same time and the programs are heading in entirely different directions. The Mountaineers have missed a bowl game three times in the last 21 seasons and Brown was the head coach for two of those. Take that how you will but it's hard to see what unfolded this season and the tenure as a whole as net positive right now.
–West Virginia has three defensive touchdowns this season which at least is showing that this group can be opportunistic despite the struggles. Still, the Mountaineers allowed 41 points in the first half and the only stop that they had was that pick six. The Wildcats turned six of their seven possessions into points and were able to move the football at will. The defense has been an issue all season and even considering the injuries and issues on that side, the unit gave themselves no shot to win this football game. The Wildcats were ahead of the sticks all game averaging over 8 yards on first down which kept them in short yardage situations to move the chains. But this was simply a dominant effort and the Wildcats didn’t even punt the football for the first time until 3:50 left in the third quarter.
–I do want to mention Jasir Cox. He finished with 12 total tackles and made a number of difficult open field stops on a day when a lot of the Mountaineers didn’t. Credit to Malachi Ruffin too because he simply plays hard. Due to injuries and some guys quitting on their teammates he’s asked to do some things he probably can’t do, but he plays with incredible effort every snap and it was great to see him take back that pick six.
–Redshirt sophomore Garrett Greene got off to a rocky start with a pick six on his first forward pass attempt, but he settled in and really started to move the chains. His fourth down completion early in the game where he was able to move around in the pocket and buy time to complete a pass and move the sticks is something they haven’t had. He threw for 200+ yards and 3 touchdowns, while Kansas State kept him in check on the ground outside late in the game. He proved that he could be a capable passer for large chunks of this one. Really had some nice touch on some of those deep balls to Sam James, despite missing on some throws, too. He’s definitely far from a finished product as he missed some open throws and air mailed an interception in the fourth quarter but overall he handled himself pretty well but you can see some of the issues that have held him back in the past with his arm.
–The Mountaineers completely botched the end of the first half sequence. First, the drive only took 26 seconds off the clock and lost three yards. Then the defense allowed Kansas State to get into field goal range before a sack forced it into a 52-yard attempt. The Mountaineers then called timeout on a running clock to give the Wildcats a chance not to hurry things and the kick was good. Then on the kickoff, the Mountaineers took a knee on a play that with one second left would be the end of the half regardless if the ball was touched. It seems like I’m overblowing a sequence but the problem is these types of things have been far too commonplace over the past few years. It happened again in the second half with penalties on three straight snaps, although the offense did overcome it to move it into field goal range only to get another penalty and miss the attempt.
–Right now, I think the two best running backs on this team are Justin Johnson and Jaylen Anderson. Both are moving at a different speed compared to Tony Mathis and Johnson simply has a burst that the others don’t possess right now. Biggest problem with Johnson in this game is the fact that he didn’t get enough opportunities. Anderson on the other hand runs angry and seems to thrive off contact.
–Only 11 times before as a wide receiver finished with over 100 yards and 3 touchdown catches in the same game. The last to do it was David Sills against Baylor in 2017 and in total only seven other players in school history are on that list that includes Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Bradley Starks, Cedric Thomas, Dick Rader and Herbert Barna. James has been a brightspot for the Mountaineers down the stretch and is really showcasing his speed with the ability to get open down the field. James is the first player since 1965 with all of his catches resulting in touchdowns and going over 100+ yards. He even completed a 12-yard pass!
–For as reliable as it has been, the special teams especially with field goal were a disaster in this one. It looked as if there were issues with the snap and holds as well as Casey Legg just having a rare off-day misfiring on two point after touchdowns and a field goal attempt that was short around 7-yards from 43-yards out.
–West Virginia now will travel to Oklahoma State to end the season in a game that has zero implications for a bowl game. The Mountaineers with a loss will go 4-8 which would match the worst record since Dana Holgorsen’s 2013 team. Even a win to go 5-7 would be the third worst record since 2002 and just reflects how poorly this season as a whole is and there are no excuses for it. Every team deals with injuries, the transfer portal and other obstacles but it’s hard to look in the mirror and argue that any progress is being made right now.
–Well, the dream, however fleeting it was, is over. West Virginia isn’t going to a bowl game in year four under head coach Neal Brown and there is no other way to slice it but this season is a major disappointment all the way around. The Mountaineers are now 21-25 under Brown atop the program and have still never managed a three-game winning streak or have been ranked during the entire tenure. That seems hard to do that deep into a tenure, but that is where we find ourselves and after doubling down on his team’s ability to turn things around and the demise of his football program was overstated the Mountaineers have gone 2-5. That isn’t going to cut it anywhere, but especially with a fan base that has been plenty patient. I didn’t see this team quit at any point in this game, but it was clear they didn’t have the ability to compete in this one without some breaks. The two head coaches in this game were hired at the same time and the programs are heading in entirely different directions. The Mountaineers have missed a bowl game three times in the last 21 seasons and Brown was the head coach for two of those. Take that how you will but it's hard to see what unfolded this season and the tenure as a whole as net positive right now.
–West Virginia has three defensive touchdowns this season which at least is showing that this group can be opportunistic despite the struggles. Still, the Mountaineers allowed 41 points in the first half and the only stop that they had was that pick six. The Wildcats turned six of their seven possessions into points and were able to move the football at will. The defense has been an issue all season and even considering the injuries and issues on that side, the unit gave themselves no shot to win this football game. The Wildcats were ahead of the sticks all game averaging over 8 yards on first down which kept them in short yardage situations to move the chains. But this was simply a dominant effort and the Wildcats didn’t even punt the football for the first time until 3:50 left in the third quarter.
–I do want to mention Jasir Cox. He finished with 12 total tackles and made a number of difficult open field stops on a day when a lot of the Mountaineers didn’t. Credit to Malachi Ruffin too because he simply plays hard. Due to injuries and some guys quitting on their teammates he’s asked to do some things he probably can’t do, but he plays with incredible effort every snap and it was great to see him take back that pick six.
–Redshirt sophomore Garrett Greene got off to a rocky start with a pick six on his first forward pass attempt, but he settled in and really started to move the chains. His fourth down completion early in the game where he was able to move around in the pocket and buy time to complete a pass and move the sticks is something they haven’t had. He threw for 200+ yards and 3 touchdowns, while Kansas State kept him in check on the ground outside late in the game. He proved that he could be a capable passer for large chunks of this one. Really had some nice touch on some of those deep balls to Sam James, despite missing on some throws, too. He’s definitely far from a finished product as he missed some open throws and air mailed an interception in the fourth quarter but overall he handled himself pretty well but you can see some of the issues that have held him back in the past with his arm.
–The Mountaineers completely botched the end of the first half sequence. First, the drive only took 26 seconds off the clock and lost three yards. Then the defense allowed Kansas State to get into field goal range before a sack forced it into a 52-yard attempt. The Mountaineers then called timeout on a running clock to give the Wildcats a chance not to hurry things and the kick was good. Then on the kickoff, the Mountaineers took a knee on a play that with one second left would be the end of the half regardless if the ball was touched. It seems like I’m overblowing a sequence but the problem is these types of things have been far too commonplace over the past few years. It happened again in the second half with penalties on three straight snaps, although the offense did overcome it to move it into field goal range only to get another penalty and miss the attempt.
–Right now, I think the two best running backs on this team are Justin Johnson and Jaylen Anderson. Both are moving at a different speed compared to Tony Mathis and Johnson simply has a burst that the others don’t possess right now. Biggest problem with Johnson in this game is the fact that he didn’t get enough opportunities. Anderson on the other hand runs angry and seems to thrive off contact.
–Only 11 times before as a wide receiver finished with over 100 yards and 3 touchdown catches in the same game. The last to do it was David Sills against Baylor in 2017 and in total only seven other players in school history are on that list that includes Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Bradley Starks, Cedric Thomas, Dick Rader and Herbert Barna. James has been a brightspot for the Mountaineers down the stretch and is really showcasing his speed with the ability to get open down the field. James is the first player since 1965 with all of his catches resulting in touchdowns and going over 100+ yards. He even completed a 12-yard pass!
–For as reliable as it has been, the special teams especially with field goal were a disaster in this one. It looked as if there were issues with the snap and holds as well as Casey Legg just having a rare off-day misfiring on two point after touchdowns and a field goal attempt that was short around 7-yards from 43-yards out.
–West Virginia now will travel to Oklahoma State to end the season in a game that has zero implications for a bowl game. The Mountaineers with a loss will go 4-8 which would match the worst record since Dana Holgorsen’s 2013 team. Even a win to go 5-7 would be the third worst record since 2002 and just reflects how poorly this season as a whole is and there are no excuses for it. Every team deals with injuries, the transfer portal and other obstacles but it’s hard to look in the mirror and argue that any progress is being made right now.
