Offense:
--Formation count: 4 WR 1 RB (35), 3 WR 2 RB (14), Twin Stack (one side) 1 WR 1 FB 1 RB (8), 3 WR 1 TE 1 RB (7), 2 WR 1 TE 1 FB 1 RB (4), 3 WR 1 FB 1 RB (2), I-Formation (1), Kneel Down (1).
--You’ll notice a lot more spread formations this week as the base for what West Virginia did offensively. A lot of that was because they were playing catch up for most of the game.
--The game didn’t start that well as senior quarterback Skyler Howard had a wide open Jovon Durante in space on a shallow crossing route and simply just fired the ball over his head. This play didn’t seem significant at the time but now looks like a precursor for things to come in the accuracy department. I will say after a second watch though, Howard did throw the ball better than I thought he did with only a few of those tosses being really poor.
--West Virginia just didn’t try to push the ball down the field as much in this game. Some of that was the pressure that Oklahoma State brought that seemed to rattle Howard at times, and the second part was that the wide receivers weren’t winning battles. Two passes one for 20 yards and one for 19 yards. And the 20-yard pass was more of the ten yard variety that White broke for an extra chunk. That meant in order to score the Mountaineers had to put together sustained drives. That is hard to do.
--Also on that first drive of the game you saw another variation of the twin stack look, this time with the stack to one side, a single wide receiver to the other and a traditional fullback in the backfield along with the running back. The Mountaineers popped off back to back first downs in this set.
--The play that effectively killed the opening drive was the first down at the Oklahoma State 25-yard line. On that play West Virginia lines up in a 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 RB set but the Cowboys have seven in the box to start the play against six blockers. But it’s disrupted almost from the start as Colton McKivitz is beat by the defensive end almost at the snap and forces Howard to scramble. The linebacker would clean up the play almost right after putting the offense behind the sticks after a very good start.
--Next play out of the same formation was a pass to the tight end. Yes, you read that right. Redshirt sophomore Trevon Wesco is actually open on the play but the ball clanks off his hands. Once again, a different wrinkle to throw in for defenses moving forward. Wesco would actually see a second pass later in the game and while he was open again this time the ball was overthrown. He actually went out for a few more routes as well but wasn’t thrown to on those plays. It seems he’s coming along. Wesco looks like he runs well and did a good job shaking free on both of those pass attempts.
--Second drive of the game, that offensive pass interference penalty still confuses me and still killed the drive. I have no idea how that was called on Ka’Raun White and I have watched it multiple times. He puts his hand on the defensive back, but he never looks back at the ball at any time.
--West Virginia had a little old fashioned luck on the third drive as Oklahoma State would bring a corner blitz and Howard would cork a ball deep to Ka’Raun White that appeared to be intended for the Cowboys defensive back more for him. The ball would clank off his hands giving the Mountaineers another down and that would be important. Eight plays later, Howard would find Gibson for the first touchdown of the game. Gibson would be the lone wide receiver at the top of the formation and the Cowboys would bring a corner blitz again. Gibson would pull a double move and run right by the safety for a touchdown although the throw made the play a lot more difficult than it needed to be.
--West Virginia would start its fourth drive at its own 15-yard line but the first big mistake of the game would come two plays later on 3rd and 4 from the 22-yard line with 9:16 left. Howard would play action to Justin Crawford but the defensive tackle would simply beat Grant Lingafelter inside and had a clear path to Howard. Instead of going down, Howard tried to make a play and lost the football. It was recovered by Oklahoma State giving them the ball inside the ten. The Pokes would score two plays later and West Virginia would never seize the lead again. This was a major momentum shift.
--Redshirt senior Rushel Shell left the game limping badly after a six yard carry with 8:15 left in the second quarter and he never returned. On the play he was driving forward for some extra yards and there were a lot of bodies around him so hard to say what happened in that pile.
--The opening possession for West Virginia in the second half wasn’t a good one. Three plays and the Mountaineers went backwards 17-yards after an intentional grounding penalty. Oklahoma State defensive tackle Vincent Taylor dominated this game at times and really was a nightmare.
--West Virginia picked up a 3rd and 9, a 3rd and 14 on its second drive of the half but the inability to run the ball was the biggest issue and keeping the Mountaineers behind the sticks. Marcus Simms continued to drift on a 3rd and 9 from near midfield and Howard threw it to a spot resulting in an incompletion. This drew the fury of Holgorsen because it appears the Mountaineers were playing for two downs there instead they had to punt the football back to Oklahoma State.
--After a three and out West Virginia took over at its own 48-yard line. First play was a pass to Ka’Raun White who had sit down in the soft spot in the zone and for as much as people want to say that pass was behind him, and it probably was a little, there is absolutely no excuse that he didn’t hold onto it. He basically squeezed right between his hands and the tipped ball became a return drill all the way inside the Mountaineers ten-yard line. Now given they are offensive players but I counted four missed tackles on the return which is never going to work in those situations.
--On the final drive of the third quarter, West Virginia did a very good job running the football which allow them to get in a rhythm for the first time in the entire half. Howard capped it off with a beautifully designed quarterback power play where the Mountaineers did an excellent job blocking and creating a lane and then Elijah Wellman finished off the final block near the goal line.
--Later in the game, Oklahoma State was showing a light box and the Mountaineers were running right into it for big chunks of yards. Most of the time the running backs weren’t even being touched until they were eight to ten yards downfield. It was the biggest spark in the comeback attempt. Thought both junior Justin Crawford and freshman Kennedy McKoy ran hard in this game.
--Love what they’ve been doing in recent weeks trying to get the football to Jovon Durante in open space. He is absolutely blazing fast and once he gets a seam it’s going to be a big chunk of yards. The only downside to that play is he got 21-yards but wasn’t able to get the ball in the red zone. The Mountaineers have been showing that motion across the formation a lot and it’s helping.
--You saw another traditional I-formation look in the red zone with West Virginia trailing 27-17 but the Oklahoma State defense was able to shoot the gaps and stuff the run. On the ensuing play, the Mountaineers elected to go with the dreaded fade pattern in the red zone and it was just a very poor throw by Howard and for the second time he’s lucky he wasn’t intercepted. Not getting a touchdown there really seemed to sap some momentum but the score was now at 27-20 with over nine minutes left
--The third turnover, second interception for Howard with 4:27 remaining to play was just him trying to make a play down the field on 3rd and 15. Oklahoma State dropped eight and Howard basically threw the football into a crowd of five people and the linebacker stepped in front of Shorts to ice it.
Defense:
--The defense allowed 37-points in this game but this unit played a lot better in the second half and really was put in some tough situations. This group opened the second half with three straight three and outs and three of the Oklahoma State drives started inside the red zone. The point total is going to stand out on the bad side but it was clear on first watch and even more on review the offensive turnovers were the true difference maker in this game for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers did a much better job adjusting and taking away that quick slant that haunted them in the first half.
--I counted a total of 12 missed tackles with the majority of those coming in the first half.
--I’m not telling you anything you didn’t know here but junior wide receiver James Washington is good. Very good. He makes great catches seem ordinary and none of the Mountaineers cornerbacks could stay close to him in one on one situations. Whenever he touched the ball it was a big play either a first down or a chunk of yards. He is as good as advertised.
--On the first third down of the game, Oklahoma State was facing a third and 2 at the Cowboys 43-yard line. West Virginia is playing press coverage on James Washington at the bottom with Elijah Battle but the Mountaineers send six on the blitz and he gets a free release and simply wins the one on one match up on a quick slant between the two. The result a 33-yard catch and run that was simply too easy for a quarterback and wide receiver combo at this level and put the Cowboys just outside the red zone. This would be a reoccurring theme throughout the course of the first half with the slant.
--Once the Cowboys picked up a first down to put them at the West Virginia 14-yard line, faced with a second and 9 they elect to run a quick draw and redshirt senior Noble Nwachukwu puts together a grown man play not only beating his blocker by ripping past him but stuffing Justice Hill in the backfield.
--On the second 3rd down on the drive this time 12 from the 17-yard line, the Mountaineers initially look as if they are dropping eight but bring a delayed blitz that forces Rudolph to throw the ball away. This was good red zone defense forcing a field goal after the big play to Washington.
--On the second possession the Cowboys started really using some tempo and it appeared to catch the Mountaineers by surprise as they were late getting into position multiple times. This is also the first drive where tackling as an issue as the Mountaineers would miss at least one tackle in five consecutive plays as the Cowboys quickly moved to the red zone.
--There was only one third down for Oklahoma State on their second drive and it came in a 3rd and 2 situation from the six-yard line. West Virginia brought the house with seven men, but the throw was out too quick and resulted in what looked to be a miscommunication as it sailed out of the end zone. Good red zone defense again held this to a 6-3 game instead of 10-3.
--The best defensive drive of the game to that point came on the third possession for the Cowboys as the Mountaineers held Oklahoma State to one yard and forced a three and out. On third down the Mountaineers brought four but nothing was there and Rudolph was forced to check down to his running back and the punt team trotted onto the field with the Mountaineers holding a 10-6 lead.
--A sudden change, with the Howard fumble had the ball at the Mountaineers seven. And while they had been excellent in the red zone the first two attempts, this time the Cowboys would cash in for a touchdown. With almost the entire team near the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys would run another quick slant and the wide receiver would beat Rasul Douglas and hold onto the ball after contact. Earlier in the game, the Cowboys ran a similar play to the same wide receiver and he couldn’t hold onto the ball after Douglas contacted him. This time he did and this time it was worth six points.
--Oklahoma State got the ball with 5:16 left in the second quarter on their own 22-yard line. The Cowboys would convert on four third downs, with two coming the quick slant, two coming a quick pass with the defensive backs playing off the line on their way to score a touchdown before the half. On the touchdown, Oklahoma State had two blockers out in front on a quick screen to McClesky and the Mountaineers were playing so far off that it led to an easy walk in touchdown. That put the score at 20-10 and for the second straight trip into the red zone the Cowboys cashed in with six. There was a total of 15 seconds left in the half after the 15-play drive and that was basically a clinic on how to finish a half.
--One curious thing is that West Virginia had all three timeouts to end the half and Oklahoma State ran the ball twice to bleed the clock. The Mountaineers never used one so they didn’t have a chance to respond with a score of their own and went into the locker room down 20-10.
--To start the second half West Virginia opens with a key stop on first down but Kyzir White is flagged for a facemask. But to put this day into perspective is best served with the third and four at the Mountaineers 49 on the opening drive for Oklahoma State. On that play, Gibson dials up a blitz with five players coming and redshirt junior Al-Rasheed Benton comes unblocked right up the middle at Rudolph. He does a little spin move and shakes the sack attempt only to throw the ball down field on a back shoulder throw to a tight end that had lined up out wide with a perfect catch with Douglas in coverage. Sometimes it’s just not your day but that was about as bad as it could go to extend the drive.
--Still credit the defense for holding Oklahoma State to zero points on their first two drives of the second half and both of them started with very good field position.
--After the interception return, West Virginia’s defense did not break on the first two plays but on third and goal from the two Oklahoma State used the same formation with three wide receivers to the left with a tight end on the end of the line. To defend this West Virginia had four players outside the box meaning that it was a seven on six situation. Rudolph ran a zone read and almost fell into the end zone untouched but where Arndt was so far from the box it made it hard to get over and stop it before he fell into the end zone to put the Cowboys ahead 27-10.
--How do you generate a comeback? After a touchdown by the offense generate a three and out. The Mountaineers did that after the Mountaineers cut the score to 27-17, it was the third three and out of the half. The defense had really started to settle in at this stage.
--West Virginia had what it wanted with just under seven minutes left in the game. At the West Virginia 41-yard line, the Mountaineers had Oklahoma State in a 3rd and 8 trailing 27-20. The play took a while to develop but at the snap Rasul Douglas bailed in his coverage. West Virginia didn’t get any pressure and Rudolph threw, you guess it, a slant to his wide receiver who had beaten Douglas to the inside for 19 yards with what would basically end up being game clincher and a first down on a drive that would eventually result in a touchdown. The touchdown was just a great catch over Battle.
--The Mountaineers had three timeouts to end the game as well and didn’t use any of them down 34-20 as Oklahoma State was content running the football and bleeding the clock.
Special teams:
--After that opening field goal, redshirt junior Mike Molina kicked the ball out of bounds. One step forward, one step back with the special teams unit it appears.
--Oklahoma State kicked the ball off five times in the first half. Four of those were touchbacks. For comparisons sake the Mountaineers had one touchback. Overall West Virginia only had one kickoff return attempt for the entire game and field position was huge in this one.
--Already mentioned this several times, but the Mountaineers are going to have to get more consistency out of Molina on longer field goal attempts or look at options. It’s definitely not time to lose faith and Oklahoma State’s ability to block kicks could have played a role but he missed the 39-yarder badly pushing it to the right and the kick never really had a chance.
--Formation count: 4 WR 1 RB (35), 3 WR 2 RB (14), Twin Stack (one side) 1 WR 1 FB 1 RB (8), 3 WR 1 TE 1 RB (7), 2 WR 1 TE 1 FB 1 RB (4), 3 WR 1 FB 1 RB (2), I-Formation (1), Kneel Down (1).
--You’ll notice a lot more spread formations this week as the base for what West Virginia did offensively. A lot of that was because they were playing catch up for most of the game.
--The game didn’t start that well as senior quarterback Skyler Howard had a wide open Jovon Durante in space on a shallow crossing route and simply just fired the ball over his head. This play didn’t seem significant at the time but now looks like a precursor for things to come in the accuracy department. I will say after a second watch though, Howard did throw the ball better than I thought he did with only a few of those tosses being really poor.
--West Virginia just didn’t try to push the ball down the field as much in this game. Some of that was the pressure that Oklahoma State brought that seemed to rattle Howard at times, and the second part was that the wide receivers weren’t winning battles. Two passes one for 20 yards and one for 19 yards. And the 20-yard pass was more of the ten yard variety that White broke for an extra chunk. That meant in order to score the Mountaineers had to put together sustained drives. That is hard to do.
--Also on that first drive of the game you saw another variation of the twin stack look, this time with the stack to one side, a single wide receiver to the other and a traditional fullback in the backfield along with the running back. The Mountaineers popped off back to back first downs in this set.
--The play that effectively killed the opening drive was the first down at the Oklahoma State 25-yard line. On that play West Virginia lines up in a 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 RB set but the Cowboys have seven in the box to start the play against six blockers. But it’s disrupted almost from the start as Colton McKivitz is beat by the defensive end almost at the snap and forces Howard to scramble. The linebacker would clean up the play almost right after putting the offense behind the sticks after a very good start.
--Next play out of the same formation was a pass to the tight end. Yes, you read that right. Redshirt sophomore Trevon Wesco is actually open on the play but the ball clanks off his hands. Once again, a different wrinkle to throw in for defenses moving forward. Wesco would actually see a second pass later in the game and while he was open again this time the ball was overthrown. He actually went out for a few more routes as well but wasn’t thrown to on those plays. It seems he’s coming along. Wesco looks like he runs well and did a good job shaking free on both of those pass attempts.
--Second drive of the game, that offensive pass interference penalty still confuses me and still killed the drive. I have no idea how that was called on Ka’Raun White and I have watched it multiple times. He puts his hand on the defensive back, but he never looks back at the ball at any time.
--West Virginia had a little old fashioned luck on the third drive as Oklahoma State would bring a corner blitz and Howard would cork a ball deep to Ka’Raun White that appeared to be intended for the Cowboys defensive back more for him. The ball would clank off his hands giving the Mountaineers another down and that would be important. Eight plays later, Howard would find Gibson for the first touchdown of the game. Gibson would be the lone wide receiver at the top of the formation and the Cowboys would bring a corner blitz again. Gibson would pull a double move and run right by the safety for a touchdown although the throw made the play a lot more difficult than it needed to be.
--West Virginia would start its fourth drive at its own 15-yard line but the first big mistake of the game would come two plays later on 3rd and 4 from the 22-yard line with 9:16 left. Howard would play action to Justin Crawford but the defensive tackle would simply beat Grant Lingafelter inside and had a clear path to Howard. Instead of going down, Howard tried to make a play and lost the football. It was recovered by Oklahoma State giving them the ball inside the ten. The Pokes would score two plays later and West Virginia would never seize the lead again. This was a major momentum shift.
--Redshirt senior Rushel Shell left the game limping badly after a six yard carry with 8:15 left in the second quarter and he never returned. On the play he was driving forward for some extra yards and there were a lot of bodies around him so hard to say what happened in that pile.
--The opening possession for West Virginia in the second half wasn’t a good one. Three plays and the Mountaineers went backwards 17-yards after an intentional grounding penalty. Oklahoma State defensive tackle Vincent Taylor dominated this game at times and really was a nightmare.
--West Virginia picked up a 3rd and 9, a 3rd and 14 on its second drive of the half but the inability to run the ball was the biggest issue and keeping the Mountaineers behind the sticks. Marcus Simms continued to drift on a 3rd and 9 from near midfield and Howard threw it to a spot resulting in an incompletion. This drew the fury of Holgorsen because it appears the Mountaineers were playing for two downs there instead they had to punt the football back to Oklahoma State.
--After a three and out West Virginia took over at its own 48-yard line. First play was a pass to Ka’Raun White who had sit down in the soft spot in the zone and for as much as people want to say that pass was behind him, and it probably was a little, there is absolutely no excuse that he didn’t hold onto it. He basically squeezed right between his hands and the tipped ball became a return drill all the way inside the Mountaineers ten-yard line. Now given they are offensive players but I counted four missed tackles on the return which is never going to work in those situations.
--On the final drive of the third quarter, West Virginia did a very good job running the football which allow them to get in a rhythm for the first time in the entire half. Howard capped it off with a beautifully designed quarterback power play where the Mountaineers did an excellent job blocking and creating a lane and then Elijah Wellman finished off the final block near the goal line.
--Later in the game, Oklahoma State was showing a light box and the Mountaineers were running right into it for big chunks of yards. Most of the time the running backs weren’t even being touched until they were eight to ten yards downfield. It was the biggest spark in the comeback attempt. Thought both junior Justin Crawford and freshman Kennedy McKoy ran hard in this game.
--Love what they’ve been doing in recent weeks trying to get the football to Jovon Durante in open space. He is absolutely blazing fast and once he gets a seam it’s going to be a big chunk of yards. The only downside to that play is he got 21-yards but wasn’t able to get the ball in the red zone. The Mountaineers have been showing that motion across the formation a lot and it’s helping.
--You saw another traditional I-formation look in the red zone with West Virginia trailing 27-17 but the Oklahoma State defense was able to shoot the gaps and stuff the run. On the ensuing play, the Mountaineers elected to go with the dreaded fade pattern in the red zone and it was just a very poor throw by Howard and for the second time he’s lucky he wasn’t intercepted. Not getting a touchdown there really seemed to sap some momentum but the score was now at 27-20 with over nine minutes left
--The third turnover, second interception for Howard with 4:27 remaining to play was just him trying to make a play down the field on 3rd and 15. Oklahoma State dropped eight and Howard basically threw the football into a crowd of five people and the linebacker stepped in front of Shorts to ice it.
Defense:
--The defense allowed 37-points in this game but this unit played a lot better in the second half and really was put in some tough situations. This group opened the second half with three straight three and outs and three of the Oklahoma State drives started inside the red zone. The point total is going to stand out on the bad side but it was clear on first watch and even more on review the offensive turnovers were the true difference maker in this game for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers did a much better job adjusting and taking away that quick slant that haunted them in the first half.
--I counted a total of 12 missed tackles with the majority of those coming in the first half.
--I’m not telling you anything you didn’t know here but junior wide receiver James Washington is good. Very good. He makes great catches seem ordinary and none of the Mountaineers cornerbacks could stay close to him in one on one situations. Whenever he touched the ball it was a big play either a first down or a chunk of yards. He is as good as advertised.
--On the first third down of the game, Oklahoma State was facing a third and 2 at the Cowboys 43-yard line. West Virginia is playing press coverage on James Washington at the bottom with Elijah Battle but the Mountaineers send six on the blitz and he gets a free release and simply wins the one on one match up on a quick slant between the two. The result a 33-yard catch and run that was simply too easy for a quarterback and wide receiver combo at this level and put the Cowboys just outside the red zone. This would be a reoccurring theme throughout the course of the first half with the slant.
--Once the Cowboys picked up a first down to put them at the West Virginia 14-yard line, faced with a second and 9 they elect to run a quick draw and redshirt senior Noble Nwachukwu puts together a grown man play not only beating his blocker by ripping past him but stuffing Justice Hill in the backfield.
--On the second 3rd down on the drive this time 12 from the 17-yard line, the Mountaineers initially look as if they are dropping eight but bring a delayed blitz that forces Rudolph to throw the ball away. This was good red zone defense forcing a field goal after the big play to Washington.
--On the second possession the Cowboys started really using some tempo and it appeared to catch the Mountaineers by surprise as they were late getting into position multiple times. This is also the first drive where tackling as an issue as the Mountaineers would miss at least one tackle in five consecutive plays as the Cowboys quickly moved to the red zone.
--There was only one third down for Oklahoma State on their second drive and it came in a 3rd and 2 situation from the six-yard line. West Virginia brought the house with seven men, but the throw was out too quick and resulted in what looked to be a miscommunication as it sailed out of the end zone. Good red zone defense again held this to a 6-3 game instead of 10-3.
--The best defensive drive of the game to that point came on the third possession for the Cowboys as the Mountaineers held Oklahoma State to one yard and forced a three and out. On third down the Mountaineers brought four but nothing was there and Rudolph was forced to check down to his running back and the punt team trotted onto the field with the Mountaineers holding a 10-6 lead.
--A sudden change, with the Howard fumble had the ball at the Mountaineers seven. And while they had been excellent in the red zone the first two attempts, this time the Cowboys would cash in for a touchdown. With almost the entire team near the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys would run another quick slant and the wide receiver would beat Rasul Douglas and hold onto the ball after contact. Earlier in the game, the Cowboys ran a similar play to the same wide receiver and he couldn’t hold onto the ball after Douglas contacted him. This time he did and this time it was worth six points.
--Oklahoma State got the ball with 5:16 left in the second quarter on their own 22-yard line. The Cowboys would convert on four third downs, with two coming the quick slant, two coming a quick pass with the defensive backs playing off the line on their way to score a touchdown before the half. On the touchdown, Oklahoma State had two blockers out in front on a quick screen to McClesky and the Mountaineers were playing so far off that it led to an easy walk in touchdown. That put the score at 20-10 and for the second straight trip into the red zone the Cowboys cashed in with six. There was a total of 15 seconds left in the half after the 15-play drive and that was basically a clinic on how to finish a half.
--One curious thing is that West Virginia had all three timeouts to end the half and Oklahoma State ran the ball twice to bleed the clock. The Mountaineers never used one so they didn’t have a chance to respond with a score of their own and went into the locker room down 20-10.
--To start the second half West Virginia opens with a key stop on first down but Kyzir White is flagged for a facemask. But to put this day into perspective is best served with the third and four at the Mountaineers 49 on the opening drive for Oklahoma State. On that play, Gibson dials up a blitz with five players coming and redshirt junior Al-Rasheed Benton comes unblocked right up the middle at Rudolph. He does a little spin move and shakes the sack attempt only to throw the ball down field on a back shoulder throw to a tight end that had lined up out wide with a perfect catch with Douglas in coverage. Sometimes it’s just not your day but that was about as bad as it could go to extend the drive.
--Still credit the defense for holding Oklahoma State to zero points on their first two drives of the second half and both of them started with very good field position.
--After the interception return, West Virginia’s defense did not break on the first two plays but on third and goal from the two Oklahoma State used the same formation with three wide receivers to the left with a tight end on the end of the line. To defend this West Virginia had four players outside the box meaning that it was a seven on six situation. Rudolph ran a zone read and almost fell into the end zone untouched but where Arndt was so far from the box it made it hard to get over and stop it before he fell into the end zone to put the Cowboys ahead 27-10.
--How do you generate a comeback? After a touchdown by the offense generate a three and out. The Mountaineers did that after the Mountaineers cut the score to 27-17, it was the third three and out of the half. The defense had really started to settle in at this stage.
--West Virginia had what it wanted with just under seven minutes left in the game. At the West Virginia 41-yard line, the Mountaineers had Oklahoma State in a 3rd and 8 trailing 27-20. The play took a while to develop but at the snap Rasul Douglas bailed in his coverage. West Virginia didn’t get any pressure and Rudolph threw, you guess it, a slant to his wide receiver who had beaten Douglas to the inside for 19 yards with what would basically end up being game clincher and a first down on a drive that would eventually result in a touchdown. The touchdown was just a great catch over Battle.
--The Mountaineers had three timeouts to end the game as well and didn’t use any of them down 34-20 as Oklahoma State was content running the football and bleeding the clock.
Special teams:
--After that opening field goal, redshirt junior Mike Molina kicked the ball out of bounds. One step forward, one step back with the special teams unit it appears.
--Oklahoma State kicked the ball off five times in the first half. Four of those were touchbacks. For comparisons sake the Mountaineers had one touchback. Overall West Virginia only had one kickoff return attempt for the entire game and field position was huge in this one.
--Already mentioned this several times, but the Mountaineers are going to have to get more consistency out of Molina on longer field goal attempts or look at options. It’s definitely not time to lose faith and Oklahoma State’s ability to block kicks could have played a role but he missed the 39-yarder badly pushing it to the right and the kick never really had a chance.
