In case you haven't heard me talking about it nonstop on facebook/twitter/real life for the last God knows how many days, I'm in Morgantown for college game day this week. Emotions are running high after a loss that looked a loss that looked a lot more lopsided than the game really was. Here are my thoughts: the good, the bad, and the ugly of both teams.
West Virginia:
Good: This passing offense of Holgorsen's is so legit, and it was an absolute treat to see it in person (meant literally and metaphorcally- scalper asking prices were around $300 as I was tailgatng). LSU's defense was highly touted and with good reason, but that didn't stop WVU from passing to the tune of FIVE HUNDRED YARDS? Absolutely absurd. It makes them a force to be reckoned with in just about any game.
Bad: The Mountaineers did display a surprisingly stout defense against a much larger front, but they showed lapses of fundamental tackling skills in critical situatioins. Giving up 9 yard rushes because of missed tackles in the backfield on your own 40, dropping balls that are easy catches... you cant do that and win football games, and WVU had one or two too many plays like this.
Ugly: Once again, West Virginia shows the absolute worst aspect of the team, year in and year out, is special teams kickoff coverage. West Virginia had cut the lead to 6 measely points and was threatening an absolutely epic comeback with all the momentum in the world focused on Morgantown's home team. Lack of quality kickoff coverage allowed a 99 yard kickoff touchdown, and the resulting loss of momentum pretty much doomed the rest of the game.
LSU:
Good: Maybe Lee is a little underrated. Regardless, LSU's offense was firing pretty well tonight. If the defense lives up to its hype and the offense plays like this, I can't see anyone beating them.
Bad: LSU's offense teamed really, really one dimensional. It's an interesting dichotomy, listing offensive prowess and offensive inadequecies as both a strength and a weakness. But as game film piles up against LSU, the offense is going to start to look more and more one-dimensional and focused on a power running game. I can't count how many times I saw a power toss to the right of the offensive line. Lee was certainly capable of doing enough to move the chains and advance the ball down the field, but I think the lack of creative play calling on LSU's offense has the potential to hurt them.
Ugly: It's gotta be said. LSU made the New York Giants look good in this game by (seemingly) faking injuries an inordinant amount of times. LSU "injuries" numbered in the double digits, and it got to the point that fans- myself included- started booing every time an injured player went down. The defense looked winded a lot, and injuries started occurring magically every time the WVU offense started clicking, or the tempo was getting pushed faster. At one point, I saw a referee told Les Miles that the next LSU injury would cost the Tigers a time out. Injuries stopped happening. I won't out and out call them dirty cheaters, and I'm not making excuses for WVU and the unacceptable amount of turnovers they were forced into. That being said, use your brain and draw your own conclusions.
In addition to all that, I think WVU fans deserve some serious credit. Milan Puskar stadium is not the biggest stadium in college football, but the dedication of this fan base puts it in strong contention for one of the loudest. For the most part, though, mountaineer fans kept it classy, and I think they should be acknowledged for the clean, hard-nosed competitiveness that was provided. I actually saw an LSU guy high fiving/ holding hands with a WVU guy while they were peeing into an open style latrine, which was as inspiring as it was slightly gay. Regardless, great atmosphere. My ears hurt, my heart hurts more, but what an incredible night.
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