MAILBAG: New Expectations, Tye Edwards' Usage, Where's Jimmori Robinson? + More

Good Monday morning, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

From @WVMikeHewitt:

Q: I understand the need for rest, but it seemed like Tye Edwards was rested too much. He was playing incredible and yet was underutilized, especially in the goal-line series. Why?

A: He admitted in his postgame press conference that he was dead tired. You could see it on a handful of his runs, especially the one he bounced outside and near the West Virginia sideline. He was gassed. Going from zero workload to being the bell cow within the snap of a finger is really tough on the body. He was in on the goal-line series at the end of the game. It's still going to take him another game or two to get into "game shape."

From @bobmadigan_wvu:

Q: The defense once again came up big with turnovers, but they have to be frustrated that nothing comes out of it, and they are quickly back on the field. How long can this team play with fire, by not capitalizing on them and wearing out the D?

A: Valid question. But honestly, I think this defense is so laser-focused on what they have to do that the offense's shortcomings don't really affect them. There's a ton of juniors and seniors on that side of the ball, so they understand it's out of their control. It's far from ideal, but it also keeps them in check, knowing they have to be locked in on every snap or things could get out of hand.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: I think this team loves giving us heart attacks but also finding a way to win. What do you think this team has to do to compete in the Big 12?

A: Be efficient on offense. You saw it at the end of the game when Nicco completed 9/11 passes and sprinkled in a few runs here and there. I'm not advocating for them to go full air raid, but I do think they'll need to throw it a little more to lighten the box. Of course, it's going to have to be a lot of stuff in the quick and intermediate game because of the o-line troubles, but still, it's going to create more opportunities on the ground IF Marchiol continues to hit passes at a high clip. It all comes down to the offense. The o-line has to continue to improve each week, and if they do, they'll have a chance to shock some people. If not, then you're going to have to try and drag some elite offenses into rock fights, which in reality, just isn't going to happen.

From @WVUMOTOWNDOWN:

Q: Why didn’t we see Jimmori?

A: If there's something else going on, I'm unaware of it. My belief is that they didn't feel comfortable with rolling him out there against a team that likes to use tempo, knowing there's a chance he'd have to stay on the field for possibly seven or eight straight plays if Pitt was moving it and didn't sub. He's trying to get back into shape, and if that had happened, you might be playing 11 on 10 for some of those snaps. I'm trying to get more answers on it, so if I hear anything new, I'll update this and do a story on it.

From @CkNiTisLeGiT:

Q: Do you think this type of win will propel them for the rest of the season? Personally, I don’t think WVU’s schedule is that tough. Are 6-7 wins attainable in your opinion? I would certainly consider that a success in year 1.

A: It could. It could also be fool's gold. Overreactions happen every week in college football, particularly in September, as everyone tries to figure out how good the team they follow truly is. Last week, after the loss to Ohio, there were some who didn't know if West Virginia would win another game. Welp, Saturday took care of that.

Now, after defeating Pitt and having one of the best nights in the history of Milan Puskar Stadium, the overreaction is that WVU could go on a run and still win eight or nine games. That may happen, but we're going to find out a lot about this team in Lawrence this Saturday.

I know it sounds like I've probably said that each week, but I mean it. You stubbed your toe against Ohio and then bounced back and beat your rival, a team that, on paper, is in a better spot. Which are you? A team that was fired up to beat Pitt or a team that found some solutions on offense and can win some games in Big 12 play? We're about to find out.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my poston Facebook.

From @WVMikeHewitt:

From @bobmadigan_wvu:

From @wvufan2023:

From @WVUMOTOWNDOWN:

From @CkNiTisLeGiT:

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