WVU vs. Maryland Grades: A Unit-By-Unit Look at The Mountaineers' 31-17 Win Against The Terps
by 5th Year Senior on Sep 20, 2010 1:00 PM EDT
in Mountaineer Football
Email
PrintCome one, come all to the greatest show on turf. Your Ringmaster for the show is the one and only Bill Stewart. He leads a well balanced attack on offense and a solid pressure oriented defense that confuses even the most talented of QBs. Future opponents should be afraid. Very afraid.
Well, that is not exactly true, but we looked pretty damn good on Saturday. That is the type of play that I'm sure we could all become accustomed to watching. Hopefully, this was our "breakout game" and will only be a precursor of good things to come.
Enough jibber-jabber, let's get on with the grades...
Offense: A- I almost feel bad giving this unit an A-, but you can't turn the ball over that many times and expect the highest grade possible. Our offense could only stop itself the entire game. We moved up and down the field with ease the entire game. Geno Smith is becoming the leader of this team before our very eyes. He gets in guys faces when they screw up and handles pressure like a fifth year senior, rather than a sophomore. If he can lead this team into Death Valley and escape with a win, we have are going to have one hell of a year.
Double Pass: F After the game, both HCBS and Jeff Mullen took credit the blame for the call. I love trick plays as much as the next guy, but good lord that was poor timing. Granted, if Jock does not under-throw the pass, we have a touchdown and are calling it a great play.
Defense: B+ Other than two plays, the unit played exceptionally well the entire game. They held Maryland to -10 rushing yards and 87 passing yards, not counting the two touchdown passes. Bruce Irvin and the rest of the defensive line played like animals. They pressured the QB, filled running lanes, and disrupted everything Maryland wanted to do. It was one hell of a game from the entire defense, but the defensive line was the cream of the crop.
Special Teams: B Last year, who would've thought our special teams unit would be considered a strength, rather than a liability, of our team? We allowed one decent return, but other than that, it was a great day of kick-off coverage. Jock let a punt go through his fingers but made up for it later with a long return. This weekend at LSU, special teams could be the difference in the game and I'm not scared in the least about how ours will perform.
Brandon Hogan: F The only reason this game was close at all was because Hogan could not act right off the field. It appears he will only be suspended for one game and I don't think I'm OK with that decision. For HCBS, it is hard to keep the moral high ground when other coaches allow guys to play after just about anything. If he plays, I will cheer him on because he is a Mountaineer. If he sits, I will support HCBS and the players decision and live with the possible consequences.
Coaching: B HCBS and the rest of the staff was good, but not great.
Students in the 1st Half: A
Students in the 2nd Half: What students?
22 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Did not want to call him out...
Because it was ultimately Hogan that caused the situation to happen. Miller is young and had a poor game but I know he will improve.
Leave no doubt tonight! Leave no doubt tonight! No doubt! They shouldn't of played the Old Gold'n Blue.
by 5th Year Senior on Sep 20, 2010 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
That was Hogan's F, not Miller's.
Pat Miller should not be forced into getting that many downs this early into his career. Though, with baptism by fire, you have to believe that is probably the worst game he’ll have as a Mountaineer. There’s a long way to go up from here.
by Dr. Charley West on Sep 20, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Tandy seemed to bounce back okay after USF last year.
And that performance was worse than Miller’s. Miller was in position to make the first play and missed, there was a blown assignment by a safety on the second, and on the dropped TD the WR pushed off.
Not saying that Miller played well, because he shouldn’t let those mistakes happen. But they are just mistakes by a kid getting his first start. I think he’ll be fine.
by Country Roads on Sep 20, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Plus, Miller wasn't that bad.
Long TD 1: Miller did not get dusted, a la Tandy (this should be its own, regular acronym: DALT). He was right on the receiver and just didn’t make a good play on a well-thrown ball to a tall, talented WR. But he was there and had a chance at the ball.
Long TD 2: The safety was supposed to help and blew the coverage, which called for Miller to be a little behind the WR. Miller wasn’t toasted and the deep throw was dead-on perfect.
Should’ve-been Long TD 3: Miller was right there on this one, too, but the WR shoved Miller with both hands as Miller prepared to play the ball. He was repaid for his insolence by dropping the ball. Yeah, Off PI nearly never gets called, but this was blatant.
by bicklefischerkane on Sep 20, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
When your offense is dominating a team
why pull out a trick play instead of saving for a time when the offense in struggling?
Agree
Leave no doubt tonight! Leave no doubt tonight! No doubt! They shouldn't of played the Old Gold'n Blue.
by 5th Year Senior on Sep 20, 2010 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
The worst part of the double pass was the execution, not the play call
Seems the player in Jock’s socks (backward pass receiver / forward pass thrower) should be coached as follows: only throw the ball if the receiver is wide open (check: Noel was all by his lonesome) and if you have plenty of room to throw it (major UNcheck, obvs). If one or both conditions are not met, just run for whatever you can get and we don’t care that much about losing yards.
Also, does Jock have the arm to throw it all the way across the field? He must have pulled it off in practice a couple times, and I know he was under duress, but it still looked like he had something on the ball, and it still only made it to the middle of the field.
by bicklefischerkane on Sep 20, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
The ONLY way that play should have been used
would have been if Brad Starks was throwing the second leg of it.
I like the taste of danger most of all ~ Jonatha Brooke
by MtnEer_in_SC on Sep 20, 2010 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, because if Brad Starks had thrown it..
..it would have been even more underthrown and probably just gone for an incompletion.
by Dr. Charley West on Sep 20, 2010 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I was more going with the angle
that at 6’-3" at least Brad would have been able to see his target and where the defenders were. But yeah, what you said works too.
I like the taste of danger most of all ~ Jonatha Brooke
by MtnEer_in_SC on Sep 20, 2010 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I truly hope
that you’re being funny about the Brad Starks comment. He is the new “Wes Lyons”. I can’t remember a thing they did for the program.
Starks has had some good games through out his career
I feel he is being wasted at WR though, for him, he probably should have transferred and played QB somewhere.
Yes I was, 'cause whatI saw on TV said
Jock couldn’t see where he was throwing that ball. Brad has made a few good plays over the years, but like hilltoppeer said, he probably should have transferred someplace where he could have played QB. And about Wes Lyons, I remember a few crushing blocks he laid downfield for the running backs.
I like the taste of danger most of all ~ Jonatha Brooke
by MtnEer_in_SC on Sep 20, 2010 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
the offense in the first half was encouraging. hopefully we play like that from here on out. but the problem remains that we played about as well as we ever had under mullen and still only scored 31. we have to turn those yards into points. we have to stop turning it over and shooting ourselves in the foot. and we have to stop trying to run out the clock begining in the 3rd quarter.
the offense played great except for those costly turnovers. but those turnovers count, too. the defense played great except for more big plays. but those big plays count, too.
all in all, exponentially more encouraging than the marshall game.
We did basically the same thing on O...
in the second half but Geno’s hand was hurt and they didn’t want to throw it down the field. We drove the ball the entire game but shot ourselves in the foot, just like you said.
We have to stop doing that but it was encouraging how everything else worked out.
Leave no doubt tonight! Leave no doubt tonight! No doubt! They shouldn't of played the Old Gold'n Blue.
by 5th Year Senior on Sep 20, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Coming through to say...
WUZZUP!
I’ve been looking forward to this game for a while, and felt like breaking the ice.
Don’t burn my couch bro.
Crowton, develop a QB or GTFO. ~ Xanathol
Just so you don't throw bags of piss at us...
Everything should be alright
Leave no doubt tonight! Leave no doubt tonight! No doubt! They shouldn't of played the Old Gold'n Blue.
by 5th Year Senior on Sep 20, 2010 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Students in the second half
I was damn proud of the crowd noise the whole game…. the stadium was rocking and Maryland was shaking in their shoes, The noise that had been lacking for the past couple years came back in a big way Saturday.
Now, I can’t speak for the students that left, but from where I was sitting (Senior Spirit, very front row) the intensity was great throughout the game. I walked outta the game with a hoarse voice and a face the color of a ripe tomato.
Disappointed by the number of students that left but I’ll give a thumbs up for the GREAT crowd noise.
Me too.
The crowd noise was awesome and something that was lacking last year.
My main concern was the massive amounts of empty seats in the second half. It was embarrassing and goes to show that section 205 should be taken away from the students and sold to the general public.
Leave no doubt tonight! Leave no doubt tonight! No doubt! They shouldn't of played the Old Gold'n Blue.
by 5th Year Senior on Sep 20, 2010 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on The Smoking Musket
Related FanShots on The Smoking Musket
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
