Tuesday, November 26, 2019

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.

Monday, November 4, 2019

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.