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Chris, u were spot-on with V'Tech's score..
It was a nice, tense game. I was rooting for Va Tech, but was impressed with WVU's passing game. Their QB looked good, & this receiver David Sills V had a damn good game.. 9 catches, almost 100 yards & 2 TDs.
Virginia Tech's QB was impressive in his debut as well! He was never flustered and made good decisions. That was an intense game that could have gone either way. It's a shame that we couldn't put anything together on those last couple plays at the VT 15 yard line:
The gobblers found a way to survive an impressive last push by Will Grier after a VT missed field goal with less than 2 minutes left. Grier scratched and scrambled his way down to the VT 15 yard line. He was unable to connect with David Sills with 9 seconds left that would have been the game tying TD. Greir however looked great in his Mountain"Grier" debut! He threw for over 370 and had 3 TDs. He also had some great gains on the ground, with him hurdling a Hokie on 4th down to keep the last drive alive! This kid is going to be special for the Mountaineers this season. It's a shame we couldn't pull this one off though to establish our presence in this Big 12 conference race!
Final thoughts: I was bummed that the game wasn't a West Virginia victory. However, I was proud of the resilience of this team, and how Grier was able to make plays when we needed them. The run game looked solid, and credit to VT (that hurts to say) that is the best defense we will play all season. If WVU can manage to play with that enthusiasm all year then expect them to rattle some teams in league play! The atmosphere at the game was incredible as both fan bases packed their respective sides! That place was loud and excited and momentum swings in the game could be felt all night long by the passion of these two rivals. You could tell the tradition and hatred was alive and well! I enjoyed the game from behind the team bench, and the players were really into it!
It truly was. It still stings though considering how a few plays in that game might have changed the outcome. We had a 1st down in the 3rd quarter inside their 30 yard line called back because of a holding call, which then led to an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Coach Holgerson. Put us back out of reach of a first down or points. We punted. That's college football tough and is what makes the sport so great! Passionate players and fan bases that play to win not for renewed contracts!
It truly was. It still stings though considering how a few plays in that game might have changed the outcome. We had a 1st down in the 3rd quarter inside their 30 yard line called back because of a holding call, which then led to an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Coach Holgerson. Put us back out of reach of a first down or points. We punted. That's college football tough and is what makes the sport so great! Passionate players and fan bases that play to win not for renewed contracts!
With a tough loss to rival Virginia Tech last week, the Mountaineers will look to bounce back tomorrow with a defensively challenged East Carolina team. ECU has always played the Men in Old Gold N Blue tough, however I don't believe this will be much of a contest this year. The Purple Pirates gave up over 400 on the ground to FCS James Madison last Saturday. Yes I know that is a great JMU team, however West Virginia features a prolific three headed monster at RB. Crawford, McCoy, and Pettaway should have a field day. And now that we have a real QB, we should be able to use the run game to stretch the secondary out for big plays in the air!
Predictions:
Ground attack will have two backs breach 100 yards, and Greir will put up over 300 as well. By the start of the 4th, Dana will pull Grier from the game and put Chuggs in the game. He will throw the only pick of the game (because that's what he does)! The defense will generate two turnovers and hold ECU to under 350 yards for the game!
Fantastic performance and bounce back after last weeks heartbreaking loss to VPI. Grier again proved his value to this team and his raw ability to create plays with an outstanding game for 350 and 5 TDs, no picks. The air attack all together put up over 400, with Chuggs handling mop up duty. At half it was 49-3 and the Mountaineers clearly pumped on the breaks a lil. They could have scored 80 plus if desired. The ground game wasn't utilized as much as I thought, however had over 200 on the ground and 3 TDs; including a beautiful breakaway up the middle by Crawford. ECU never stood a chance, but was able to gain some positives in the second half. Next week we will play an even worse team in Delaware State. I hope to see similar results or better!
Bottom line: William Grier has brought hope to Morgantown, and if our defense can bend and not break like they've been doing, WVU will be a Big 12 contender this season period!
Delaware State @ West Virginia // Noon kickoff // At&t Sports Network (former Root Pittsburgh)
The Mountaineers conclude their non-conference schedule with arguably the worst team to visit Morgantown (Other than Pitt #ESP) since the 1970s according to Mountaineer Sports Network annalist Jay Jacobs. Usually people look down on these FCS match-ups, however I enjoy them for the possibility of high stats being put up. The yardage and points put up on cupcakes like this are of the same value as if we were playing a Power 5 school. Everybody plays these cupcakes each year, so WVU doesn't miss out on what is sure to be a blow out. Of course, not all programs run over FCS programs like we do,
cough, cough, Pitt, cough, Youngstown State......
Predictions:
Last week I thought we would run the ball more verse ECU who has a weak d-line. I am tempted to say that the ground attack will be the shinning star this week, however I am starting to think that our coordinator is going to be pass happy this season. With that being said, there will still be significant gains on the ground. I'm thinking +250, maybe even +300. Eventually our backs are just going to break loose on this Delaware State team. We have NFL talent in the run game, and should be proficient this week. On the other side of the coin, Grier will continue to impress. I can see him hitting 400-420 yards with about 8:30 to go in the 3rd quarter. Of course by that point he will be pulled and Chuggs will come in to gain some minutes again like last week. I want to make the prediction here that Chuggs will get a touchdown! About time! On defense, West Virginia will treat DSU like a fat kid treats a cupcake! Bold prediction, the safeties will have a big game with Kyzir White getting 2 sacks and Dravon Henry getting his first pick of the year.
Final Score
West Virginia 69
Delaware State 13 (I hope our D is on point)
West Virginia actually had a fairly ugly game. They had 3 turnovers (1 interception and 2 fumbles), some poor special teams play at times, and allowed some big gains on the ground. They even allowed an 81 yard TD pass in the first quarter. Grier dropped a few snaps including one inside WV territory that set up a Delaware State field goal. Some sloppiness is to be expected when you play games like this with nothing on the line. However, WVU needs to iron out some of the kinks, if they plan on competing this year for a conference crown. Grier din't have the game I thought he would against this weak Hornet team, and the ground game was lackadaisical at times. Crawford did fush for over 100 (3rd straight game) and scored 3 times on the ground. Gary Jennings had some great catches, and Marcus Sims played fantastic with 2 TDs, and a big opening kickoff return to the opposing 15 yard-line. Despite the miscues, WVU put another 8 TD game up, and continued to show that they can score basically anytime they want (so far on weaker teams). We will see how this translates when we go to TCU, but next week we get another early season gift in a trip to Kansas.
Good game Mountaineers, but clean it up for next week!
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