Between The Eers: How WVU Beats BYU
Between The Eers: How WVU Beats BYU
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hello everybody and welcome into Between the Ears.
00:13 I'm Scott McAllen, that's Christopher Hall
00:15 and it is time to break down West Virginia BYU
00:19 or keys to the game for this one.
00:21 And I won't go too much into my thoughts on this
00:24 because you're gonna hear on the walkthrough game day show
00:26 or if this is later in the week, you're now catching up,
00:29 you've already heard me on there.
00:30 So this is Chris's kind of platform to go on
00:34 and say what he thinks about this game.
00:37 I'll give my initial thoughts
00:38 and then I'll kind of let Chris take it.
00:40 We'll kind of go from there.
00:42 On paper, this is not a good BYU team.
00:44 I don't think, as I talked to Chris before we hopped on here
00:46 I don't think I realized how much BYU
00:49 has struggled this season
00:51 until I really started looking at the numbers
00:52 and everything because, look,
00:54 you just look at it for what it is.
00:55 There are five and three, two and three.
00:57 It's kind of what you would expect
00:58 in their first year in the Big 12.
00:59 But you get deeper into the statistics of this thing
01:02 and it's kind of ugly.
01:03 I mean, they're at the bottom of the league
01:05 in like every offensive statistical category,
01:08 same thing defensively.
01:10 And as I noted on the game day show,
01:12 and as I'll note here,
01:14 really the only spot that they play well is in the 20s.
01:19 But between the 20s, it's bad football.
01:22 Whenever they do get into the red zone offensively,
01:25 they've converted.
01:27 They're fourth in the league at 88%.
01:29 And then defensively, they're second in the league at 72%,
01:32 but also that could be skewed by the number of attempts
01:34 that they have in the defensive red zone
01:37 because obviously they're probably giving up
01:38 a lot of touchdowns from outside of the 20.
01:41 They do have 12 picks on the year.
01:42 So that is maybe a concern for other teams
01:46 that go to face BYU.
01:47 I don't think it's much of a concern for West Virginia
01:49 considering Garrett Green's done a really good job
01:51 of taking care of the football,
01:53 not putting it in harm's way.
01:54 So let's start with West Virginia's offense
01:58 versus BYU's defense.
01:59 Chris, looks like West Virginia
02:02 is really starting to find themselves offensively.
02:05 They've scored, I think, an average of 38 points
02:07 coming out of the bye week.
02:09 Don't know if that's going to drop off this week.
02:11 This is a really good opportunity for West Virginia
02:14 to put up some big points once again.
02:17 - Yeah, probably something that's going to be
02:18 dependent on the weather as well.
02:19 It's going to be a little chilly.
02:21 But yeah, the offense is clicking.
02:24 Kind of what we've been waiting for for a while.
02:28 I know the coaching staff mentioned
02:29 it was all slow start to the year,
02:31 but you always have to remember,
02:33 this is Garrett Green's first year
02:34 starting a group of receivers coming together.
02:37 It takes time to kind of build that chemistry
02:40 with the receivers.
02:43 Finding success with Devin Carter in the slot,
02:46 with him getting free release.
02:48 So they've made adjustments.
02:49 It's actually benefited the offense.
02:53 Recognizing that he's struggling in the press
02:56 on the outside has really allowed him to excel
03:00 with his big body in the middle.
03:01 All those nickel corners are a lot smaller.
03:03 So teams have had to adjust,
03:05 and it's actually opened up things
03:06 for Preston Fox on the outside.
03:08 And the running game.
03:10 So they're operating at a high level.
03:14 Yes, they played some, I guess you can say bad defenses.
03:19 But in this league, you know,
03:21 I guess it's been five, six years
03:23 since the Kyler Murray's, the Will Greers of the world
03:26 were kind of running the air raid
03:27 and just points were everywhere.
03:28 It kind of looks like it's trending back in that direction.
03:31 Seeing more up-tempo from offenses.
03:34 And really a lot of it's scoring.
03:36 It's like they're getting all,
03:37 everyone gets a feel for each other in the first half
03:39 and they just let it loose in the second half.
03:42 So West Virginia is kind of keeping up with everybody,
03:45 I feel like, in the Big 12.
03:46 Garrett Green's, I think, second in the league
03:48 in scoring non-kickers.
03:51 He leads all Big 12 quarterbacks in scoring.
03:54 So putting a lot of points on the board,
03:57 finding success, getting some better,
03:59 some more explosives in the run game.
04:01 Probably give Justin Johnson some credit there
04:06 with the way he kind of ran the,
04:07 came in running the ball against Oklahoma State.
04:10 Kind of everyone's kind of taking his lead.
04:12 So West Virginia just keep doing what they're doing.
04:14 They've been building off their success,
04:15 which we wanted to see early in the season
04:17 when they were kind of building that foundation
04:18 with this group and they're building off it,
04:20 making some small adjustments,
04:22 and it's really kind of paying off for them right now.
04:24 When you look at this running back room
04:26 that West Virginia's got, I mean,
04:28 it's really kind of pick your poison for the defense.
04:31 I mean, you have no idea
04:32 really what to throw out there defensively.
04:34 You don't know what personnel you need to go with
04:36 because it could be C.J. Donaldson
04:38 hammering it down between the tackles.
04:40 It could be Jaheim White bouncing it.
04:42 Justin Johnson's kind of that slasher type of a back.
04:45 He can get downhill in a hurry,
04:47 but he's got a little wiggle to him.
04:49 It's a very tough thing, I would imagine,
04:52 for a lot of these defenses to go up against.
04:54 And, look, BYU, again, they're at the bottom of the barrel
04:57 in the Big 12 in almost every statistical category as a team.
05:01 They give it 154 yards on the ground,
05:03 and I think there was a graphic that was showed,
05:05 I think, sometime during the game,
05:08 that West Virginia's rushed for over 140 yards,
05:11 11 straight games.
05:12 That's the most in the country by anybody,
05:14 dating back to last season, of course.
05:16 So, if you like your chances to get over 140 in this one,
05:20 might even say that you like the chances to get to 200.
05:23 And if they do that, they're, I think, what,
05:25 14-1 under Neil Brown?
05:27 So that's why I think West Virginia's
05:29 so heavily favored in this game
05:31 because they see that clear advantage in the trenches
05:35 and their ability to run the ball.
05:37 Talk about Jaheim White
05:39 and how he fits into this picture moving forward
05:41 because we've seen C.J. Donaldson.
05:43 He got back on track against UCF.
05:45 We saw Justin Johnson come to life a week or so ago.
05:49 Where does Jaheim White fit in all this mix?
05:52 And maybe even Jalen Anderson, who really hasn't played
05:55 a whole big -- much of a factor in the last couple of games.
05:58 Yeah, I mean, to start with C.J.,
06:00 you want to see the consistency, right?
06:01 He had a good game last week.
06:03 You want to see him keep that moving forward,
06:07 keep running hard, just keep hitting the hole.
06:10 And that's really where Jaheim White's had success.
06:12 He just hits the hole. He's decisive.
06:14 And he just squares the shoulder pads and moves forward.
06:16 So with Jaheim, really, you want to see
06:19 a little bit more pass protection from him
06:21 so they can do a little bit more with him
06:24 when he's on the field so it's just not a running down
06:28 or him just going out in the flat.
06:31 They've been able to explain the playbook with him
06:34 while he's in the game.
06:35 But I think, really, for the running game,
06:38 as long as you're not trying to force issue and remain balanced,
06:41 you're still going to have that success.
06:42 If you continue to have success in the passing game,
06:44 the safeties are going to have to respect everything
06:49 over the top and watching and showing
06:51 that they can go over the top.
06:52 Again, moving Devin Coy in the middle
06:54 has really affected the running game a lot,
06:57 not just with his blocking as well.
07:00 He's a big body on that outside.
07:01 You got to give a lot of credit to the tight ends as well.
07:05 And Cole Taylor, the success that he's had in the pass game
07:08 has really kept the defense second-guessing.
07:10 So, so much of this, you go back to that four-game winning streak.
07:14 They were just barely winning.
07:16 They were kind of living on the edge,
07:17 teetering at every game
07:18 and really trying to lean on that running game
07:20 and ball control.
07:22 Now you're kind of looking at it and you're saying,
07:23 "Okay, well, when they need to, they can score."
07:25 They've shown it since Houston.
07:27 So, I think just really right is to stay balanced.
07:30 I think you find your success with this group
07:32 if you're able to keep the playbook open
07:34 when White's in there.
07:37 He's been okay at pass pro
07:39 and can continue to build on that
07:42 and keep the defense second-guessing on everything.
07:45 No matter who the running back is,
07:47 if everything's available, man, it makes play calling
07:51 and everything so much more easier
07:53 because you're not limited to just five or ten plays.
07:55 Saw that last year with CJ.
07:57 When he was in the game,
07:59 it was more likely going to be a running player.
08:01 He was just going to swing out in the flat
08:03 because he just didn't know all the intricacies
08:06 of playing the position.
08:07 So, this is why he's just a freshman,
08:10 and he's having a big impact on the ground.
08:12 You just kind of want to see him expand
08:15 on what he's able to do offensively.
08:17 And it's kind of crazy.
08:19 Jaylon Anderson's kind of got lost in this mix.
08:22 Yeah. And he was a kid that had 250 plus yards
08:25 to get to Oklahoma State in the season finale.
08:28 And don't forget about one of my favorites,
08:30 the little guy, not a little guy,
08:32 but DJ Oliver, fast, powerful.
08:36 So, they have a lot of tools at their disposal right now.
08:40 And with all the receivers that have kind of been stepping up,
08:42 Turner, Hudson, Clement coming this week.
08:45 So, I think it's good for this offense.
08:48 I think really more for the fan base,
08:50 seeing some playmakers on offense
08:52 and seeing them making plays downfield
08:54 other than just, hey, let's hope CJ or Jaheim
08:56 can take it to the house on any given down
09:00 because it hadn't happened.
09:01 The explosive hadn't happened in the running game.
09:03 But you're seeing over the last couple weeks
09:05 with that success in the - with Garrett Green,
09:07 the way he's been able to run and get outside
09:10 and then throw the ball downfield,
09:12 it's really opened up - it's really opened up things for him.
09:15 Yeah, I mean, Jaheim White, I think I just looked it up,
09:18 if I remember correctly, 7.9 yards a carry.
09:21 Again, that's a small sample size.
09:22 He's like 30 or 40 carries for the season.
09:25 But, man, when that kid touches the ball
09:28 and he gets in the space, it is tough to bring him to the ground
09:32 and get a hand on him.
09:33 The most impressive run I thought he had all season
09:37 came in that UCF game.
09:38 It was an in-between-the-tackles run,
09:40 and he just - he made a guy miss in the middle of the box
09:44 and then just bounced it up outside,
09:45 got up the sideline.
09:47 The way he got away from that defender
09:50 and hit the sideline as fast as he did was impressive to me.
09:53 Like, that shows you how much speed that kid really possesses.
09:57 But he's going to be a factor moving on.
09:59 They've been waiting for this kid
10:00 to do some more stuff in practice
10:02 so that he could play in the games on Saturdays.
10:05 As long as that continues and what he did last week
10:08 in practice, I think he's going to be a big factor
10:10 moving forward.
10:12 That's a kid that takes in the coaching.
10:14 They rep that in practice.
10:15 They rep that same scenario in practice every day.
10:18 So there's a freshman taking in the coaching.
10:21 But it's funny to me when you watch him -
10:24 watch the drills get implemented in the game and the success.
10:28 Like, that's exactly what you've been practicing.
10:31 That's why it gets frustrating for some when you watch it
10:34 and you see them dance around the back of them,
10:36 do things that they weren't coached
10:39 for the last year or two.
10:41 They don't have the success.
10:43 You know, just hit the hole, make your move,
10:45 and get to the outside.
10:46 It's exactly what they've been -
10:47 Coach Scott has been coaching them all season.
10:50 Yeah, I mean, and Garrett Green,
10:51 I mean, this is just an unbelievable run
10:54 that this kid's on.
10:55 Like I said earlier, he's taking really good care
10:57 of the football, two picks on the season,
10:58 one of which is really not his fault.
11:00 It's on that - on that -
11:02 that wheel throw pass to Jaylon Anderson in Houston
11:05 where the ball just bounced off his hands
11:06 and went to the defender.
11:08 So, I mean - I mean, he has played lights out.
11:11 He seems to be taking steps each week,
11:13 throwing the football.
11:14 We all know how good he is in the run game.
11:16 But the amount of stuff - and Neil pointed this out, too.
11:19 They put a ton on him in the read game last week,
11:22 both read option, RPO, just quarterback design stuff.
11:27 They did a lot of stuff with him.
11:29 I want, as far as I'm saying,
11:31 my weekly Sunday morning article,
11:33 this kid's going to be a star.
11:35 I really, really believe that.
11:36 I really want to get your thoughts on Garrett Green's
11:39 kind of projection - or projection,
11:42 whatever the word is.
11:43 Trajectory.
11:44 Yeah, trajectory.
11:45 Listen, it's been a long week already.
11:47 His trajectory, where is this kid going?
11:49 Can he be maybe one of the top quarterbacks
11:52 in the league next season?
11:54 You know, he's still going to have to improve week to week -
11:58 week to week in this league.
12:01 It gets tougher, and then you're going to have a whole off season
12:04 of these coaches trying to stop him
12:08 because he's kind of tearing up the defenses right now.
12:11 So, really, I just want to see better decision-making.
12:14 He's made some bad reads,
12:16 but obviously he's made the good reads more often than not.
12:20 It just seems like sometimes when those bad reads
12:22 come in critical moments,
12:25 and that's kind of been what West Virginia's loss is,
12:27 is mistakes came in critical moments against, you know,
12:31 Houston, you kind of look back at some of those -
12:35 that second quarter, there was just some bad reads
12:37 in that second quarter offense stalled,
12:39 and then they got moving in the second half.
12:41 So, you want to see just more consistency
12:44 from him through four quarters.
12:47 Not try to - you know, he admits it.
12:49 You hate to hear him say it multiple times,
12:51 but to hear that he's kind of, you know,
12:53 made a mistake and played hero -
12:55 tried to play the hero.
12:57 He said it. He said, "I make dumb-ass decisions."
13:00 Yeah. Stop doing the same thing over and over,
13:04 and he'll be all right.
13:06 You just worry about moving forward with him.
13:09 Again, the offseason, these coaches
13:11 are going to find his weaknesses
13:12 and see where they can push him and kind of put pressure on him.
13:15 I think that's kind of where he kind of excels
13:17 is he doesn't get rattled.
13:20 He's cool under the pressure outside of taking the helmet off.
13:24 He's been - he's been great.
13:26 He's been a great leader.
13:27 Those guys have rallied around him.
13:29 He knew going into the season
13:30 that he was going to be a starter
13:31 because of his leadership.
13:33 So, to see him to be able to perform in the passing game
13:36 the way he has, it -
13:38 honestly, if you watched the kid when he was a freshman
13:42 and redshirt freshman in practice,
13:44 you were like, "Man, this kid may never get it."
13:46 Yeah. He's just so far behind in the reads and everything.
13:51 But you - it's just click.
13:52 Kid's worked hard, and everything
13:54 that he's getting right now is well-deserved.
13:56 And I don't think as a kid you have to worry about,
13:58 "Well, he's just going to ride it on the offseason.
14:01 He's hungry."
14:02 You know, you got people saying that,
14:03 "Hey, he's not going to make the NFL."
14:05 And keep pounding it because he may not make the NFL,
14:08 but he's going to Diatron more than likely.
14:11 So, kid's a fighter, and he runs the ball hard.
14:15 And I think every time he gets hit or someone rolls on top of him,
14:17 everyone kind of holds their breath
14:20 because he's been electric.
14:22 He's an absolute - he's a baller in a sense.
14:28 He's not putting up crazy numbers.
14:29 He is - you know, he is second in the league in scoring,
14:32 if you take it outside the kickers.
14:33 He leads all quarterbacks in the Big 12 in scoring.
14:35 So, he's finding the end zone a lot,
14:37 and he's delivering the ball to everybody.
14:40 Again, Devin Carter moving in the slot helps a lot,
14:44 getting the ball to his playmaker.
14:46 So, making the right decisions, just, again,
14:49 some of those decisions, those bad decisions,
14:51 like on the fourth and two,
14:52 keeping it against Oklahoma State, like, stop doing that.
14:55 You made that mistake in the past.
14:57 Just stop making the same mistakes
14:59 over and over and over again.
15:01 Learn from it and move on.
15:03 What you worry about, though, in that situation
15:05 is him handing it off and making the bad read
15:07 because prior to -
15:09 so, that's just part of the growing process.
15:12 Still four games left. It can go downhill for him.
15:15 Again, these are - this is a good league full of coaches,
15:18 and it only takes one coach to find the weakness,
15:20 and everybody else is going to kind of hop on that bandwagon.
15:23 So, see how he finishes the year and figure it out from there.
15:28 There's a lot of parallels to Skyler
15:31 Howard with Garrett Green, a lot,
15:33 in terms of their success
15:34 and how they develop throughout the years.
15:37 They are different players.
15:38 They have some similarities, of course,
15:41 that, you know, tough grittiness that they both have.
15:44 They're both small in stature.
15:46 Obviously, Garrett's way more athletic than Skyler,
15:49 but they both have the ability to throw the ball downfield.
15:51 They're not going to hit at 70 percent completion.
15:53 They're kind of lower than that
15:55 because they take some more shots downfield.
15:58 But you look at how Skyler first started, okay?
16:02 2014, he started, I think, what, the last three,
16:05 four games of that season.
16:07 Got that experience last year.
16:09 Garrett Green started the last few games.
16:12 And in Skyler's first full year, they went eight and four,
16:15 and I think they lost - that's the year
16:16 they lost the bowl game to A&M, I think.
16:19 Is that right? In the Liberty Bowl.
16:20 So they go eight and five.
16:22 There's a chance Garrett Green goes eight and five this year.
16:24 There's a legitimate shot.
16:26 The way the schedule sets up, you get a bowl game,
16:28 they can get the eight wins.
16:30 And then the following year, Skyler wins ten games.
16:32 If you retain all of this roster
16:34 or most of the key contributors on this roster,
16:37 I don't know if they get ten wins,
16:38 but there's a chance, right?
16:40 You'd like to think they have a chance to make that next step.
16:42 So there's a lot of parallels between Garrett and Skyler
16:46 in terms of their - what's that word again?
16:49 Trajectory. Trajectory.
16:52 I don't know why I'm struggling with that word today.
16:53 But anyways, but I think he's definitely got the tools
16:58 and the makeup to be one of the better quarterbacks
17:00 in the Big 12 by the time next season rolls around.
17:03 So let's get over to the other side of this thing
17:05 before I get too out of control here with the offense,
17:08 because I can talk days about all offensive football.
17:12 BYU's offense, West Virginia's defense,
17:15 obviously the Mountaineers have not played well
17:17 since the bye week.
17:19 That's Houston, Oklahoma State, UCF.
17:21 They just have not tackled well.
17:23 Last week, they got the interceptions,
17:25 and that was really the only way.
17:27 They got off the field last week.
17:28 I think UCF's first punt didn't even come
17:30 until the fourth quarter of that game.
17:32 So thanks to John Rice Plumlee,
17:35 they did not give up more than 28 points,
17:37 but there's still a lot of concern with this defense,
17:40 mainly due to injuries.
17:43 Yeah, that's really where they've struggled.
17:44 You know, again, we talk about film.
17:49 Halfway through the season, you lose A-B.
17:52 Teams make adjustments on how West Virginia
17:54 is attacking defensively, and it gets kind of chaotic, right?
17:58 Happened against Houston.
17:59 Dane is a great offense coordinator.
18:01 He made adjustments at halftime, recognized some things,
18:04 and they took advantage of it.
18:06 Teams have kind of been picking on Anthony Wilson a little bit.
18:10 His coverage hasn't been great throughout the season.
18:13 So, again, when these coaches recognize a weakness,
18:16 they're going to continue to attack it until you fix it.
18:20 Unfortunately for West Virginia, again,
18:22 they've had some injuries,
18:24 but they've kind of fixed a little things.
18:25 You know, UCF, I know there was a lot of promise in there.
18:29 You lose Plumlee for a few games.
18:30 Again, that's a team that really needed to use that time to gel.
18:36 You lose your quarterback.
18:37 You can see they're still out of sorts.
18:39 Two of those receivers hit each other
18:42 on the one interception, so I think defensively,
18:45 you just got to hang in there.
18:48 You've had to start some freshmen.
18:50 You've lost a lot in the secondary as well,
18:54 and credit to those kids that haven't given up
18:57 despite kind of getting kicked around
19:00 a little bit the last few weeks.
19:02 They've hung in there. They continue to battle.
19:04 They continue to make adjustments.
19:06 I don't -- you know, not to say you don't worry about it,
19:09 but you're getting a lot of reps from these kids.
19:13 Scott, going into this season,
19:15 the kids that got reps at the end of the last year
19:18 came into this year pretty strong,
19:20 so even though they are young,
19:22 they're kind of taking their lumps right now.
19:24 It's good moving forward.
19:25 You mentioned retention. That's why I got the trust in place.
19:28 They were able to retain a lot of those kids last year.
19:31 They're able to retain them again this year.
19:33 Look at all the experience.
19:34 Now you got two years of these kids that last year
19:38 are going to go into their third year in this system,
19:40 and they'll be able to expand.
19:42 They were able to expand the defensive playbook in the fall
19:44 because they were able to keep kids,
19:45 so they'll be able to grow some more in this offseason.
19:49 So, yes, it's kind of a rough go right now,
19:51 but they're learning, and I think they are improving.
19:53 I know the numbers don't really show it that much,
19:55 but they are -- you know, four turnovers
19:57 is still four turnovers.
19:58 They did something right in that -- throughout that process.
20:01 So, yeah, it's troubling,
20:03 but seeing that the offense can prove that they can score
20:08 and now that they're in attack mode,
20:09 they feel comfortable in attack mode,
20:11 I think it'll take some of that pressure,
20:13 you know, kind of off the defense
20:15 where, you know, UCF was kind of forced to keep scoring.
20:18 You know, some of the best defenses offense,
20:20 and they forced some balls that they didn't need to
20:25 just because they felt the pressure of scoring.
20:27 So, hey, it takes a little --
20:29 They threw the ball a whole heck of a lot more
20:30 than they would have liked to, I would assume.
20:32 Yeah, so when you do that
20:34 and you kind of get another team playing frantic
20:36 that hasn't had a time to gel where your group has,
20:39 again, the offense has kind of come together.
20:41 They've moved some pieces around,
20:43 and they're able to be in attack mode.
20:45 UCF hasn't.
20:46 When you kind of look at this BYU team,
20:48 they're struggling defense.
20:49 They lost their linebacker as a captain
20:51 in shoulder surgery early in the year.
20:54 That makes a difference for a group like BYU.
20:56 A lot like West Virginia, where you're relying on guys
20:59 that's been within the program to develop.
21:02 The three-star has got to be that five-star, right,
21:04 Nick Kwiatkowski's of the world.
21:06 So it's a group that can take advantage later in the year,
21:10 but right now they're kind of taking their lumps,
21:12 but they have improved.
21:13 You know, they only get so many hours a week
21:15 to work with them on the field.
21:17 So they've improved small, I guess, a little bit each week,
21:23 but not enough to kind of show it in the stat box.
21:26 But we'll kind of see how they attack it.
21:28 I know they're going to have a little more chip
21:29 on their shoulder, Slavis Slavis,
21:32 however you pronounce his name, their quarterback at BYU.
21:36 Yeah, I mean, when you look at this game,
21:38 it's something's got to give on this side of the ball
21:42 where West Virginia's on defense
21:44 because, I mean, like we just mentioned,
21:46 they have not played well.
21:48 Tackling has been a major issue.
21:50 Their pursuits have not been good.
21:53 Their technique up front has not been very good at all.
21:56 Their run fits in the bag.
21:57 Yeah, I think a lot of the frustrating with that is, too,
21:58 is, you know, the things that they were -
22:01 you know, again, some of this is just youth and experience,
22:03 but where they were having success,
22:05 they were staying in their lane, staying in their area.
22:08 Now they're not.
22:09 Now you got guys trying to make plays
22:11 and getting out of position.
22:12 It happened against Oklahoma State on their last -
22:14 and I think the go-ahead touchdown
22:15 or their last touchdown there
22:17 to kind of put it away on the screen.
22:19 Guys are trying to make plays
22:20 and put themselves out of position.
22:21 You're still kind of seeing that.
22:23 It wasn't to the extent as it was prior to UCF,
22:28 but it did improve a little bit there.
22:30 But you want to kind of see a bigger step
22:32 this week against BYU.
22:34 Yeah, and BYU, I mean, you're looking at this as,
22:37 hey, this is our chance to get back on track.
22:39 We're facing a defense that's on the ropes.
22:41 They haven't played well recently.
22:43 But if you're Jordan Leslie, you're looking at this
22:45 like the same way, like, look,
22:47 this is a BYU offense that has averaged,
22:50 I think it was like 14 or so points a game
22:54 in their road games in the Big 12.
22:55 I mean, they are awful.
22:57 They're home in road splits
22:58 if you really dive deep into it, it's terrible.
23:01 They've been really, really bad on it.
23:03 What's crazy is, you know,
23:05 they went on the road and beat Arkansas.
23:07 I think a lot of the people around the country
23:09 thought Arkansas was going to be okay.
23:10 You know, not -
23:12 They turned out to be a stinker.
23:13 Well, yeah, they haven't won a game
23:15 since losing to BYU,
23:17 and BYU hasn't won a road game since.
23:20 They've been a lot better at home,
23:21 so that obviously will go well for West Virginia.
23:23 Yeah. I mean, it's just crazy.
23:26 I think what you - I mean, what's crazy is,
23:29 because, you know, even the coaching staff,
23:33 it's a West Virginia thing, can't handle success, right,
23:35 no matter the program.
23:37 I think I talked about it last time I was on here,
23:39 not handling success.
23:42 Here this team's back on track.
23:44 You get a BYU team that's struggling.
23:45 See, they haven't scored on the road.
23:47 You can say the same thing.
23:49 We said the same thing about Houston.
23:50 Look, they couldn't score in the second half
23:52 against Big 12 teams.
23:53 You can go down the list.
23:55 You know, Oklahoma State didn't do this.
23:56 Oklahoma State did that,
23:57 and they did it against West Virginia.
23:59 That's the concern heading into this week.
24:02 BYU, I mean, it's worked out home away, home away,
24:07 but they win, loss - win, you know,
24:09 trade-in wins and losses here the last few weeks.
24:12 They're due for a win.
24:14 Last week they lost, so this week they're supposed to win,
24:17 according to the trend, so.
24:19 The way West Virginia's trended it sometimes,
24:20 they got some bad breaks.
24:24 The way this game works sometimes, it's just crazy.
24:26 It's how - it's like it's in the formula,
24:29 how it's supposed to work out.
24:31 It's kind of weird, so.
24:32 I never - as bad as BYU looks on paper,
24:36 they got a great head coach, too, so.
24:39 Nothing's a gimme, especially in this league.
24:41 I think I get more concerned about these kind of games
24:44 than, like, Oklahoma,
24:45 because you know what you're getting from Oklahoma.
24:47 BYU is kind of a wild card,
24:49 and, like, everything that the way they trend
24:51 is just not in favor of West Virginia.
24:53 And I - and I get trends like they make all sense in the world.
24:57 There's a reason why they're called trends,
24:58 but there's also a lot of averages, too, right?
25:01 At some point, BYU is due to have a good performance
25:04 on the road, and when you're facing a defense
25:08 like West Virginia, who's not been playing well,
25:10 you think that might be the week
25:11 they finally get something going, so.
25:13 They've been - like, they're a lot -
25:15 like I just said with Bryce Pumley,
25:17 a lot of their problem has been timing issues
25:19 in the passing game.
25:21 This office has been there all year.
25:23 They don't have that kind of talent on the outside.
25:25 And he's a different quarterback than what they've had there.
25:28 Yeah. Much different quarterback.
25:31 They're using the offense that he kind of ran at Pitt.
25:33 They're using kind of some of that stuff,
25:35 but it's just, you know, I think in this world of NIL
25:39 and for everyone expects to be able to build a team in a year,
25:42 it's just not reality, even in today's world.
25:45 So, because still the - the blue bloods and everything,
25:48 they're retaining their talent.
25:50 It's not getting spread out.
25:52 It's still going to be the same -
25:54 same people in the mixture, same programs, whatever.
25:57 So, it's going - I won't understand quarterbacks
26:01 unless you're going into a situation
26:03 that has a lot of talent on the outside,
26:05 why you would move away from your offense,
26:08 coordinate away from your offense,
26:09 because stuff like this, it's - you only get -
26:12 you only get 12 games. That's it.
26:14 And we just talked about it. They get limited practice time.
26:16 You're very limited in college
26:18 on how you can just change teams.
26:20 In the NFL, we kind of build a contender in one year, right?
26:23 You can take your lumps early in the year
26:25 and get stronger as you go on to make playoffs,
26:27 make that run.
26:28 It's just not reality in college football.
26:30 So, who knows if that will ever change.
26:32 I've said the same thing about basketball,
26:34 kids leaving early, right? There's 300 people -
26:37 300 players in an NBA draft.
26:38 There's only, what, 66 picks in the draft every year,
26:41 and you've got these kids leaving.
26:42 Not a year.
26:43 Average, like, 12 points trying to make the NBA.
26:45 Like, it's crazy to me. So, kids - you know, kids are kids.
26:49 We don't really change in that aspect of society.
26:53 It's just a struggle for them right now.
26:56 They're not gelling, and really,
26:58 they could really just start popping off
27:00 at any moment and go on a run.
27:01 You just never know with a team like that.
27:03 They're two backs that they have.
27:05 They are C.J. Donaldson-esque in terms of their build.
27:09 I mean, the one kid, 6'2", 205,
27:11 so he's a little bit on the lighter side.
27:14 But the Aiden Robbins kids - Aiden Robbins, 6'3", 240.
27:19 I mean, he's C.J. Donaldson.
27:21 I mean, he's just not having the same success.
27:24 They do have a really good left tackle,
27:27 and a guy that's probably going to be an NFL player,
27:29 top pick, maybe first or second round,
27:32 whenever he goes to the NFL.
27:33 But, so they've got some talent.
27:35 It's not a matter of that.
27:37 I think it's, again, the depth, consistency.
27:39 I mean, they're leading - they're leading rush.
27:41 L.J. Martin's a great back. He's only a freshman.
27:43 He's a really good back. I mean, they got talent.
27:47 Again, they kind of run West Virginia a little bit.
27:49 They've got some young guys. They've got some pieces.
27:51 They just kind of - injuries in the wrong areas,
27:55 really, for this group.
27:56 I really do think - and I'm not saying this just,
27:59 you know, because he played at a certain school last year,
28:03 but I really think Keaton Slovis is like a square peg
28:05 in a round hole in this offense. I just don't think he fits.
28:08 And he's familiar with - I mean, you can say
28:10 he's familiar with this defense.
28:12 This defense is -
28:13 It's a lot different than Boston.
28:14 A lot different. A lot -
28:15 If you win in the game one and you lose your top cornerback,
28:19 it's not - it's not going to be -
28:21 Not only did they - not only was it the first game
28:23 and they lost their top player,
28:25 but they're playing completely different coverages
28:27 from what they were doing a year ago.
28:29 Yeah, that was a very, very much base system.
28:31 Yeah. At that point with all the new guys.
28:34 Again, they've been able to expand the playbook.
28:36 We'll kind of see what happens.
28:37 I think with West Virginia, again, going back to that,
28:39 there's so much experience in the UFAC secondary linebacker.
28:43 It's really just caused problems.
28:44 If you're a split-second late at this level -
28:48 It could - it'll kill you.
28:50 It's going to kill you every single time.
28:51 Matter of inches. Matter of inches can be a -
28:54 And that's -
28:55 Giving up a 60-yarder
28:56 or getting the interception in this league.
28:58 And that's the thing that Jordan Leslie
29:00 pointed out earlier this week.
29:02 Or maybe it wasn't the old - I don't know.
29:04 It may have been both of them.
29:06 The landmarks are really big in this defense.
29:09 And if you're off by a yard or two,
29:11 it doesn't sound like a lot, but in this defense,
29:14 when they go by landmarks as much as they do,
29:16 you're off by that much.
29:18 Don't matter what defense.
29:19 Unless you are all-world talent, say a Darryl Revis,
29:23 where you can cover ground, kind of get off that.
29:26 Yeah, you can make a difference.
29:27 But there's not very many college kids that are like that.
29:31 So you got to, again, kind of talk to them,
29:33 being out of position, same thing in the coverage.
29:36 Just stay in your spot. Don't try to overplay.
29:39 Just be where you're supposed to do
29:40 what you're supposed to do.
29:42 And a lot of the mistakes will disappear.
29:45 So, to wrap us up, Chris, give us your two keys to this one.
29:49 Obviously, West Virginia favored by,
29:51 I think, double digits now.
29:52 I think the last - I thought I had it up here on my screen,
29:56 but who knows what the hell it went to.
29:59 But I think they're at ten and a half.
30:01 So, I mean, they're favored heavily in this one.
30:03 The ESPN FBI thinks they're going to be heavily favored.
30:06 They're like 70-some percent.
30:08 It should be a West Virginia win.
30:10 But, as we just talked about,
30:12 you never know what you're going to get with this team.
30:14 BYU's due to do something well on the road.
30:17 So what does - or what do the Mountaineers need to do
30:21 to come away with the victory?
30:23 I think a lot, just like kind of what they did
30:25 against UCF last week, right?
30:26 Get in attack mode, put the pressure on them.
30:28 Put the pressure on them to score,
30:30 force them into bad decisions,
30:32 and take advantage of your takeaways
30:35 and go down and put points on the board.
30:37 I think that's kind of where this is
30:39 for the rest of the season.
30:41 I mean, outside of Oklahoma,
30:43 who I think could obviously keep pace with offense,
30:46 that's probably going to be back and forth.
30:48 And I don't know if you can force them into turnovers
30:50 like you can these other - these other programs.
30:53 But I think that's kind of where this group is at right now.
30:56 Just stay in attack mode.
30:57 Let your offense kind of help your defense there.
31:00 Again, that's a young group that probably won't give up plays.
31:02 And I think if you go on the other side of the ball
31:04 on the defense, just don't give up the big play.
31:07 Don't give up the explosives.
31:08 Keep everything in front of you.
31:10 You don't want to play conservative defense.
31:11 I think you want to bring pressure,
31:13 kind of speed a lot of this up a little bit.
31:15 But I think that's really the key to your game
31:18 for the rest of the season, really.
31:20 Take care of the ball. Stay in attack mode.
31:23 Hopefully, Garrett can make - you know, you like to see a -
31:26 I don't know if you can get a perfect game
31:28 as far as decision-making from him right now.
31:30 I think that's a big, tough ask.
31:32 But I think when the decisions are bad,
31:34 you don't want to be -
31:36 want them to be devastating, right?
31:38 He's taking care of the ball, but a fourth and two,
31:41 just hand the ball off to CJ and sell the run on -
31:44 sell yourself on the outside.
31:46 So I think that's really - I think that's really it.
31:49 Take care of the ball. Stay in attack mode.
31:51 Let your defense keep everything in front of you.
31:54 So there you have it. Keys to the game
31:55 for West Virginia from Chris.
31:57 Again, check out the Walkthrough Game Day show,
32:01 which will go live on Thursday morning here on Mountaineers.
32:04 Now be sure to hit that subscribe button
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32:09 at Mountaineers Now as well.
32:10 So that's Christopher Hall. I'm Skylar Callan.
32:12 You've been watching Between the Years.
32:14 Eugene and I will be back tomorrow for the Game Day show,
32:17 and then Saturday night, we'll have the Mountaineers
32:19 Now post-game show recapping the Mountaineers and Cougars.
32:23 Thank you guys for watching,
32:24 and we'll see you back here in a couple of days.
32:27 Take care.
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