West Virginia entered their off week with a 5-1 record and will begin their stretch of Big East games starting next week at Syracuse. With their #13 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll, West Virginia is going to look to carry their first half success into the second half in hopes of winning the Big East Conference outright. The first half was filled with many memorable games and moments, here are a few standouts.
Offensive player of the first half: Geno Smith – Smith has proved why he is at the top of the class for Big East quarterbacks. Through six games, Smith has 2,159 yards passing and 16 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. Smith has done a good job of picking up coach Dana Holgorsen’s complex offense and I only expect him to continue to evolve throughout the remainder of the year.
Defensive player of the first half: Pat Miller – I could see an argument for Najee Goode here, but I have to side with Miller. 30 of his 41 tackles are unassisted and he also has 3 broken up passes to go with a forced fumble. The junior from Alabama is making the most of his chance to start this season, as he is part of a defense that is allowing just 181.3 yards passing per game.
Game of the year: LSU vs West Virginia – While the result isn’t what Mountaineer fans were hoping for, a loss to the #1 program in the nation isn’t going to look to bad on your resume. The buzz all week leading up to the game in what many billed as the biggest game in the history of the program, won’t be matched anytime soon. With College Gameday in the house, LSU coach Les Miles said Morgantown seems just like an SEC opponent and atmosphere.
Best performance of the first half: Dustin Garrison vs Bowling Green – Going into the game against Bowling Green, the Mountaineers couldn’t move the ball on the ground. They used a rotating stable of Garrison, Andrew Buie, Vernard Roberts and Shawne Alston and none were able to put anything together. That was until Garrison went off on Bowling Green for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns on 32 carries. Garrison had only 65 yards rushing heading into the contest and out of nowhere the freshman moved himself up to the top of the depth chart.
Worst performance: Corey Smith – I usually try not to bash the punters too bad, but Smith was horrible the first half of the season. He seemed scared and hit the ball off the side of his foot numerous times for only a 20-yard punt. Smith is averaging just 38.5 yards per punt and as coach Holgorsen said, many games could have been lost this year because of poor execution punting the ball.
Player to watch in the second half: Bruce Irvin – Fans shout “Bruceeeee”” when he makes a big play. The only problem is those plays haven’t occurred as frequently as they would like. Irvin has 2.5 sacks to go along with his 21 total tackles. Irvin, who is thought to be a first or second round pick in the upcoming draft, will likely step his game up in the second half of the season and will bring havoc to the opposing quarterbacks.
Biggest game to look forward to: The Backyard Brawl – On November 25th, the Pitt Panthers will come to Morgantown for the annual “Backyard Brawl” contest. Pitt leads the all-time series 61-39-3, but the Mountaineers have won the past two contests. This is the marquee game every year in the Big East and will come as advertised this year. Although Pitt stands at 3-4 on the season, the Panthers and Mountaineers always bring their A game for pride and in hopes of playing spoiler of the other.
Photo Credits: West Virginia Illustrated
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