What happened? That is the question on every West Virginia fan’s mind. There are very few good things to say about this game.
The biggest problem by far in this game was the special teams' play. Tyler Bitancurt was 0/2 from field goals. One of his field goals was blocked and returned for a touchdown which was due to the terrible blocking. Punter Michael Molinari had a horrible game with none of his kicks being able to make it inside the twenty yard line. The defensive special teams finally learned how to tackle and only allowed 127 yards on kick returns. Brad Starks did have a huge 62 yard return, which was probably the longest return the Mountaineers have had all season. If the special teams coach is not fired by the end of the season then they will continue to struggle throughout this season and next season.
The offense was probably the only part of the game the Mountaineers got right. Geno Smith went 31/44 for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Smith did have a fumble in the game, but his amazing stats overshadowed that. Running back Shawne Alston had 11 carries for 45 yards and two touchdowns. Another running back Andrew Buie had a fumble as well and that led to a Louisville touchdown. Stedman Bailey led the wide receivers with 8 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Tavon Austin had seven receptions for 90 yards and one touchdown. While these stats are impressive the wide receivers had trouble catching the ball even when Smith threw perfect passes to them. Bailey had multiple drops including a couple that could have gone for touchdowns.
The defense did have a few high points, but mostly low points. The defense did have four sacks, two of which belonged to Bruce Irvin. Najee Goode came away with an interception and a sack in the game. Those are the only things the defense was able to do right. The secondary was horrible as usual as they allowed 246 yards and one touchdown. The run defense was terrible as they allowed 105 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. If the defense has any hope of being what it was last year they will have to play a lot harder and faster than they have been lately.
Next week they face Cincinnati who is undefeated in the Big East and have been on a role. It would not be a surprise if the Mountaineers lost that game, especially the way they have been playing recently. Right now the Big 12 is probably regretting their decision to allow West Virginia to join them next year.
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