Initial Thoughts on WVU's Win Over Texas Tech

Some quick analysis on West Virginia's win.

Here are a few quick initial thoughts on what took place tonight in Morgantown.

Hello? Receivers....anyone?

Dropped passes, inability to make plays in space, failure to create separation, etc. This wide receiver group did Nicco Marchiol absolutely no favors today and quite frankly, they haven't done a thing all season. Where is Jeremiah Aaron? EJ Horton? Noah Massey? Ja'Shaun Poke? Jarel Williams? Why are these veterans unable to get on the field? It's alarming that a pair of former walk-ons (Hudson Clement & Graeson Malashevich) are the ones on the field for the majority of the offensive snaps.

Front seven is legit

It took a long time for Texas Tech to get anything going through the air and although the secondary made some plays, I credit a lot of that to those in the front seven. They collapsed the pocket, got in the quarterback's face, and forced Tech into some tough throws. If the Mountaineers can play like that on defense each week, they'll have a chance to win. It's just going to come down to how much the offense can do. Fortunately, they bailed out the offense in crunch time to deliver the win.

Predictable play-calling

Look, I know you have a redshirt quarterback making his first collegiate start, but give the kid a chance to make some plays. Empty set equals a QB draw. First and second down are stretch runs and read options. By the time you get to third and long, everyone in the building knows what's coming. The 7-play, 79-yard drive where WVU went up 20-10 was the best called drive of the game. Marchiol went 3/3 for 32 yards and a TD to Kole Taylor. Brown finally had faith in him putting the ball in the air and the offense moved right down the field. Had he opened things up a little earlier, I think it would have gone a long way in settling Marchiol down. That said, I'm not sure I understand taking a shot on first down on the ensuing drive instead of running the ball to milk the clock.

It's ugly, but who cares?

The last two weeks have not been pretty by any means, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. Right now, West Virginia is sitting at 3-1 (1-0), marking the best start to a season since 2020. This team is finding ways to win and that's the only result that matters.

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