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.
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