Menos Hiras: Breaking Down WVU vs Texas Tech

Menos Hiras was at Milan Puskar Stadium for the WVU-Texas Tech game. To say that it was a painful sight is an understatement; it seems like Menos Hiras and the rest of the Mountaineer faithful gave up all hope before halftime. What went wrong in that game?

1. The Mountaineer defense was lousy in the first half. Before playing WVU, Texas Tech had averaged only 27 points against BCS opponents. In contrast, WVU allowed Texas Tech to score on their first five drives, which was unexpected since their defense gave up only 17 points to #12 Baylor just a week before. Red Raiders quarterback Jett Duffey looked like a Heisman candidate with the way he dictated the offense, leading Texas Tech to 35 first-half points on the strength of 354 passing yards and 24/34 passing rate. It looks like Duffey will be starting for Texas Tech for the rest of the season thanks to his performance against WVU in lieu of previous starter Alan Bowman, who is redshirting due to a shoulder injury.

2. The offense was abysmal. Texas Tech never really let WVU’s offense get going, allowing just 10 first-half points and just one touchdown. Austin Kendall’s limitations as a passer were on full display against the Red Raiders; three of his possible touchdown passes went short and forced their intended receivers to adjust, allowing Texas Tech’s defense to clamp down on the drives. Even a late third-quarter substitution for Jarret Doege was not enough to dig the Mountaineers out of their offensive funk.

What’s next for WVU? They visit #24 Kansas State on November 16 and #22 Oklahoma State the following week before rounding up their season against Texas Christian. With a 3-6 record and two games against ranked opponents coming up, it looks like the Mountaineers’ chances of landing a bowl game berth are almost zero; however, coach Neal Brown has made it clear that this season is all about rebuilding the program.

Menos Hiras: Why Losing Austin Kendall Hurts for WVU

Menos Hiras watched the opening minutes of the West Virginia Mountaineers’ football game against the Iowa State Cyclones at home. Within the first drive, the Mountaineers lost starting quarterback Austin Kendall to an unspecified injury. Without Kendall, West Virginia failed to gather steam on offense, coming up with just 14 points, the lowest point total among the Cyclones’ opponents so far this season. For Menos Hiras, though, Kendall’s absence will hurt WVU in more ways than one.

Kendall has presided over an up-and-down season for the Mountaineers. They started the season with a 20-13 win over James Madison, with Kendall throwing for two touchdowns and 260 yards, then lost 7-38 to Missouri, with Kendall throwing two interceptions. Two weeks later, Kendall had the performance of his life against NC State, coming up with three touchdown passes. While Kendall struggled to complete passes against #11 Texas, he still managed to throw for three touchdowns even if he had four interceptions.

It’s quite clear that where Kendall goes, WVU goes. With the Mountaineers facing two more ranked teams in Oklahoma (#6) and Baylor (#22), both teams known for their stingy defense, they need his leadership and passing skills more than ever. Against the Sooners, West Virginia will need someone with Kendall’s vision and guts.

While Jack Allison showed flashes of brilliance against Iowa State, passing for one touchdown, he isn’t the most consistent quarterback around, with a pass completion rate of 51.1% in 2018. The other options at his position – Jarret Doege, Trent Jackson, and Trey Lowe III – haven’t seen any action this season. Doege, a transfer from Bowling Green State, might be pressed into action sooner or later, but Menos Hiras doesn’t expect any sort of magic from the third-string quarterback, having a pass completion rate of 62.2% in the not-so-competitive MAC.

While Menos Hiras and the rest of the WVU faithful wait for news on Kendall’s condition, the coaching staff should have their work cut out for them to whip the rest of the offensive line into shape and to prevent the interceptions that have been plaguing them since the start of the season.

Menos Hiras: The Mountaineers Improved Much after Camp, Says Coach Brown

Menos Hiras says transitioning isn’t always easy for a team, especially if they are going through more than just a change in members. In the case of the WVU Mountaineers men’s football team, they actually just changed their coach and most of the coaching staff, their strategy, and their roster. But if Coach Neal Brown were to give his opinion, he’d tell you the boys are doing fine. In fact, they got even better over the summer.

The entire team just completed several bouts of practice, something they did without their coaches’ supervision. Nevertheless, Coach Brown had this to say about his team after fall camp’s first preseason practice:

“We are significantly better as a team right now than we were when we finished in the spring.”

Coach Brown attributed his team’s gains to its leadership, with veterans extending a hand to freshman newcomers. This is especially crucial, considering how the team is going through changes in both their offense and defense.

“I think knowing what to do, [being] more confident, because they have had reps, those player practices are important. They get quality reps. We have more competition. That makes you better. They know what to expect,” he explained.

He did, however, admit to the risk of bad habits creeping in with the absence of guidance from the coaches. During camp, Coach Brown placed emphasis on certain players improving in particular areas that included everything from their energy to their capabilities as leaders. This focus is important in a team whose majority of members will stay for at least two years.

Menos Hiras says everyone will have to wait to see whether these improvements are as considerable as they sound encouraging. In any case, fans of the WVU Mountaineers will have a lot to watch out for this season.

Menos Hiras: Mountaineers Welcomes New Names

For someone like Menos Hiras who has been keeping the West Virginia Mountaineers on his radar, the entry of new players into the fold is always a reason for excitement. The men’s football team has gotten a lot of attention of late—a new coach and some players gone—but they’ve since added a few names to their roster.

This year is all about change for the Mountaineers. Their coach of several years, Dana Holgorsen, has been replaced by for Troy coach Neal Brown. With a different man calling the shots, the Mountaineers are adopting a new strategy on the field and will be assisted by a different set of staff, from recruitment down to social media.

But change happens all the time—every year, in fact. For this new season, West Virginia University (WVU) welcomed a number of enrollees who will join the Mountaineers. Junior college offensive lineman John Hughes is one of them. He is joined by wide receiver Sean Ryan, who hails from Temple, and transfers Jarret Doege, George Campbell and Alonzo Addae.

Furthermore, the team’s new members include:

·         Jared Bartlett (LB)

·         Donavan Beaver (OL)

·         Tyler Connolly (OL)

·         Nicktroy Fortune (CB)

·         Jordan Jefferson (DL)

·         Ali Jennings (WR)

·         Graeson Malashevich (WR)

·         Tony Mathis (RB)

·         Tavian Mayo (CB)

·         Kolton McGhee (K/P)

·         Parker Moorer (OL)

·         Tykee Smith (S)

·         Jalen Thornton (DL)

·         Winston Wright (WR)

Menos Hiras says the team had four signees who ended up not enrolling at WVU. Wide receiver Terence Doston opted to sign a professional baseball contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. As of the end of June this year, safety Rashean Lynn, offensive lineman Brandon Yates, and four-star safety Osita Smith had yet to enroll, putting their status with the Mountaineers on the air. Some experts believe that their absence, Osita’s more so, could be a potentially big blow to the team.

A New Slogan for a New Era of WVU Football

Being a huge fan of sports, Menos Hiras makes sure to keep himself updated on the latest news to hit some of the country’s top varsity teams. A recent example was what just might be West Virginia football’s newest mantra courtesy of a Twitter hashtag from no less than Neal Brown himself.

The #TrustTheClimb hashtag was used by Brown in his official Twitter account, in a post that featured a picture from a summer workout. Many believe the hashtag is the new mantra for the Mountaineers now that they are entering the Neal Brown era. By now, even the official WVU football twitter account, as well as some of the fans, have begun using the hashtag in posts related to football.

But if the slogan sounds familiar to you, that’s because it is indeed reminiscent of “Trust the Process,” which was used by the Philadelphia 76ers. The slogan served as a concise reminder that success isn’t earned overnight—rather, it is a process that one must work hard to follow from the bottom until they finally reach the top.

So what could the new slogan mean for the Mountaineers? There have been a few suggestions. As in the case of the Sixers, it could also be a reminder that success is hardly instant. Considering that this marks a new era for the Mountaineers, it could also mean that Neal Brown entering the stage shouldn’t be seen as a guarantee of instantaneous triumph. In fact, victory may not come in one or two seasons, but the players and the fans need to trust in the process. After all, no mountaineer reaches the summit without toiling up the slopes.

Spectators like Menos Hiras are anticipating new and exciting changes with Neal Brown now in the game. One question that demands an answer is whether or not the new slogan marks an upward direction for the Mountaineers.