Great win in Landover, MD! West Virginia University beat James Madison 42-12 at FedEx Field in our nation's capital and we made some key improvements along the way. And what an era to be a Mountaineer fan – I find myself not completely happy with a 30-point win! I have become the greedy S.O.B. of a fan, the one that used to live in Happy Valley, PA.
Last game’s "Lows" included defense and special teams, both of which took important steps forward. DC Joe DeForest was thrilled with the effort of his unit and once again took advantage of the situation to get some back ups a bunch of second half playing time. The depth he creates will be helpful in the long run: both as we can bring experienced players into the game and keeping backup players happy by getting them some playing time.
ON FIELD HIGHLIGHTS
- Geno getting his career total to 8,184 yards passing and becoming the All-time passing leader in WVU football history. Assuming he avoids injury, he’ll top 10,000 career yards by the end of the season. That is simply amazing!
- Defense! 99 yards allowed in first half. First team really wasn’t responsible for any of the three scores.
- Two defensive stops inside Redzone.
- Morgantown native Tyler Anderson getting his first interception!
- Geno Smith going 34/39 (87%) for 411 passing and 5 touchdowns. His presence of mind and willingness to run has really taken him to another level.
- Stedman Bailey is going to have a huge year as teams overcompensate on defense to account for Tavon. Bailey had 13 catches for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns.
- No turnovers for the offense.
- Special teams improvement.
OFF FIELD HIGHLIGHTS
Hearing "Country Roads" on loud speakers at FedEx field. I grew up in D.C. and am a huge Skins fan. So exciting to see my alma mater on my NFL team field.
ON FIELD LOWS- Opponent strategies to negate Tavon’s influence on offense and punt returns; i.e. punting the ball high so Austin as to fair catch. The kick may only go 30 yards, but it keeps Tavon’s all-purpose numbers low. While he still had a great game (11 catches for 113 yards and a TD), he only had one opportunity to return a punt and that went for 8 yards.
- Another late 2nd quarter lapse on offense – cost the defense a shut out (that and a safety – the late touchdown is inevitable if you’re going to play walk-ons).
- Paul Millard’s running of WVU offense in 4th quarter. No scores. 2nd team needs lots of work.
OFF FIELD LOWS
- Missing the damn spread by ONE freaking point! How the experts set game betting lines never ceases to amaze me.
- The attendance. 40,000 to see James Madison might be impressive to some, but it’s difficult to believe that D.C. Mountaineer fans and D.C. Dukes fans didn’t represent better. Blame the high cost of tickets if you must, but living 2,000 miles away I would’ve given anything to be there.
- Root TV color analyst and former WVU player Mike Logan referring to his alma mater as "The University of West Virginia."
- Searching for a place to watch a television broadcast of game. I went to a place called "Jamie's SPORTS BAR," hoping they would have the game. Here's a new industry standard we ought to set: You DO NOT get to call yourself a "Sports Bar" if you have fewer televisions in your bar than I have in my house.
The University of Maryland is up next and they are coming off a painful 24-21 loss to UConn. Randy Edsall’s move to UM is starting to look very "Rodriguez" in nature.
Great Job Mountaineers!
Any highs or lows I missed?