Missouri Game Thread

[Bat 20]

Anyone else out there that couldn't make it to Morgantown?

 

[Bat 20]

D looking good.

 

[GoldRusher]

gotta go to another site guys, the hoop is is to glitchy for me, Lets GO MOUNTAINEERS!

 

[Bat 20]

3 is good for a start

 

[Bat 20]

Finally, first TD of the year!

 

[Bat 20]

Guess we know now why Crest is backup and why Chugs is 3rd

 

[Bat 20]

Good Win!!! Been fun talking to myself, at least no arguments. Want to hear from you guys that went to the game.

 

[bbwvfan]

Since you asked...

I thought WVU looked pretty good for the first game of the season. All of us know the deal... Mizzou had a new HC... new OC... new DC. Tons of kids and talent for the Tigers on defense. Sketchy talent on offense.

I was most impressed with WVU's offense. They mostly controlled the LOS... gave Skyler pretty good protection all game. You could see Mizzou's defense was going to take the long ball out of the equation... force Skyler to make the intermediate passes. Take away Skyler's strength... And force him to make plays to his weakness. For the most part, Skyler did a great job hitting his guys in step... Allowing them to make great YAC all game.

I love Crawford. What a shifty... strong RB. How many times did he continue to pound with multiple guys trying to bring him down. He is big time!

Mizzou's offense enjoyed one of the best performances in the past two years against WVU. If not for dropped passes and a QB with a wild arm... it could have been really ugly for Mountaineer fans.

Happy to get the win. ST's looked pretty good too. Molina's KO's were solid, and coverage was good... kicks through the end zone... he was automatic on FG's... and the punter has a great leg! Not sure why Jennings wouldn't call a fair catch though...

 

[Bat 20]

Since you asked...

I thought WVU looked pretty good for the first game of the season. All of us know the deal... Mizzou had a new HC... new OC... new DC. Tons of kids and talent for the Tigers on defense. Sketchy talent on offense.

I was most impressed with WVU's offense. They mostly controlled the LOS... gave Skyler pretty good protection all game. You could see Mizzou's defense was going to take the long ball out of the equation... force Skyler to make the intermediate passes. Take away Skyler's strength... And force him to make plays to his weakness. For the most part, Skyler did a great job hitting his guys in step... Allowing them to make great YAC all game.

I love Crawford. What a shifty... strong RB. How many times did he continue to pound with multiple guys trying to bring him down. He is big time!

Mizzou's offense enjoyed one of the best performances in the past two years against WVU. If not for dropped passes and a QB with a wild arm... it could have been really ugly for Mountaineer fans.

Happy to get the win. ST's looked pretty good too. Molina's KO's were solid, and coverage was good... kicks through the end zone... he was automatic on FG's... and the punter has a great leg! Not sure why Jennings wouldn't call a fair catch though...

Thanks for posting. It is always good to get the perspective from someone who was in the stands.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

I was stuck at work and didn't see a second of the game. I'll be doing the same this coming week too.

 

[GoldRusher]

I was stuck at work and didn't see a second of the game. I'll be doing the same this coming week too.

Gotcha back Mac..

 

[Slaton10]

#8 is a BALLER! Can't wait to see how is year progresses the more comfortable he gets in the defense..#88 had a monster game...really liked the effort on defense...

 

[wvu_man]

#8 is a BALLER! Can't wait to see how is year progresses the more comfortable he gets in the defense..#88 had a monster game...really liked the effort on defense...

Agreed Slaton...I was nervous about the drop off in 2 deep production from the DL. Shuler played very well when he was in there. Kyzir looked like the real deal (nit pickin...he should've had an INT) and Arndt played very well. With X coming back, it's nice to know we have some great LB. David Long was around the ball on every play it seemed when he got his chances. Overall, the defense was solid. The only thing that still worries me a little is the CB's. As BB stated, if Mizzou hadn't dropped quite a few passes, we could've been looking at a different outcome. With that being said, we had to settle for 4 FG's after all 4 drives stalled inside the 10 yard line, so we had more than a chance of dropping 40+ points instead of 26 on them. Red zone efficiency still needs to be addressed. When we start conference play, stalled drives and FG's isn't going to cut it.

McCivitz played lights out after Cajuste went down. He took Charles Harris completely out of the game. I see now why all the coaches raved about Colton this spring and summer. Shell and Crawford complimented each other very well. It was good to see Shell running hard like he should. We didn't see much from White and Gibson as Mizzou took away the deep game. I think we may have seen a more mature/comfortable Skyler. He didn't try to force the deep ball when it wasn't there (except the one interception in which Durante didn't do him any favors). His accuracy is still a little shaky but he made some good throws on the shorter, intermediate routes to Shorts and he did better reading the zone read option.

I know it's only one game and we only have a small sample size but how big was the Wickline hire? Wow...He and Crook working together has the OL playing lights out! I know Mizzou had some key guys out but not giving up a single sack to a tough SEC defense is very encouraging to see. Penalties were also scarce (45 yards I think). Molina going 100% (although the longest was only 33 yds), Kinney's punts looked great...definitely didn't look like a walk-on. Jennings fielded all of his punts cleanly but made me pucker a few times. He needs to be more aware and call the fair catch...he got lit up too many times. In his defense though, DH wasn't happy with the PR blocking at all so hopefully that will be addressed and fixed.

Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome. A big key to winning is not beating yourself and we were able to limit our minimize TO's and penalties which are usually abundant in an opening game. When you look at Mizzou's stats on paper, it appears that the defense didn't play well (460 yds) but they ran 100+ plays. That's 4.6 yds per play which isn't that bad and a lot of those yards came in the 4th when we had the 2's and 3's on the field. Besides the red zone woes, the offense was able to move the ball at will. If we fix those issues and keep playing smart football, there's no reason to think we should have one of our best seasons since joining the Big XII.

 

[Slaton10]

Agreed Slaton...I was nervous about the drop off in 2 deep production from the DL. Shuler played very well when he was in there. Kyzir looked like the real deal (nit pickin...he should've had an INT) and Arndt played very well. With X coming back, it's nice to know we have some great LB. David Long was around the ball on every play it seemed when he got his chances. Overall, the defense was solid. The only thing that still worries me a little is the CB's. As BB stated, if Mizzou hadn't dropped quite a few passes, we could've been looking at a different outcome. With that being said, we had to settle for 4 FG's after all 4 drives stalled inside the 10 yard line, so we had more than a chance of dropping 40+ points instead of 26 on them. Red zone efficiency still needs to be addressed. When we start conference play, stalled drives and FG's isn't going to cut it.

McCivitz played lights out after Cajuste went down. He took Charles Harris completely out of the game. I see now why all the coaches raved about Colton this spring and summer. Shell and Crawford complimented each other very well. It was good to see Shell running hard like he should. We didn't see much from White and Gibson as Mizzou took away the deep game. I think we may have seen a more mature/comfortable Skyler. He didn't try to force the deep ball when it wasn't there (except the one interception in which Durante didn't do him any favors). His accuracy is still a little shaky but he made some good throws on the shorter, intermediate routes to Shorts and he did better reading the zone read option.

I know it's only one game and we only have a small sample size but how big was the Wickline hire? Wow...He and Crook working together has the OL playing lights out! I know Mizzou had some key guys out but not giving up a single sack to a tough SEC defense is very encouraging to see. Penalties were also scarce (45 yards I think). Molina going 100% (although the longest was only 33 yds), Kinney's punts looked great...definitely didn't look like a walk-on. Jennings fielded all of his punts cleanly but made me pucker a few times. He needs to be more aware and call the fair catch...he got lit up too many times. In his defense though, DH wasn't happy with the PR blocking at all so hopefully that will be addressed and fixed.

Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome. A big key to winning is not beating yourself and we were able to limit our minimize TO's and penalties which are usually abundant in an opening game. When you look at Mizzou's stats on paper, it appears that the defense didn't play well (460 yds) but they ran 100+ plays. That's 4.6 yds per play which isn't that bad and a lot of those yards came in the 4th when we had the 2's and 3's on the field. Besides the red zone woes, the offense was able to move the ball at will. If we fix those issues and keep playing smart football, there's no reason to think we should have one of our best seasons since joining the Big XII.

I agree about the dropped interception(s) But it still means they were in the right position..that's a good sign...The secondary will only get better...I thought the entire team tackled well..

I was having this back and forth about Howard...it is pretty well documented on here I am not his biggest fan..and apparently I am the only one that thought we was just AVERAGE at best Saturday...the kid has no idea how to read the spread option...watching that Kelly kid at Ole Miss last night even re-enforced my opinion that he is a MARGINAL FBS Qb... Kelly is OUTSTANDING! Next level talent for sure..

 

[bbwvfan]

I agree about the dropped interception(s) But it still means they were in the right position..that's a good sign...The secondary will only get better...I thought the entire team tackled well..

I was having this back and forth about Howard...it is pretty well documented on here I am not his biggest fan..and apparently I am the only one that thought we was just AVERAGE at best Saturday...the kid has no idea how to read the spread option...watching that Kelly kid at Ole Miss last night even re-enforced my opinion that he is a MARGINAL FBS Qb... Kelly is OUTSTANDING! Next level talent for sure..

I agree with you. The secondary will get better, this was hopefully their worst performance of the year... so there is only improvement in their future. One INT attempt came on a Hail Mary. One failed INT came on an overthrown pass. I'm not sure any of the missed INT's were the result of being in the right position to make a play on the ball.

Skyler was so ineffective at running zone read he helped guide the offense to a mere 241 yds rushing... Going for 35 himself on 7 carries. The team averaged 5 ypc.

Kelly is a really good QB, and he will be an NFL QB. After week 1, Skyler is ranked #29 in Total QBR. Kelly is 5 spots ahead of him. LOL!!

Total Quarterback Rating - College Football - ESPN

That leaves around 100 FBS QB's worse than him.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

I'll be the first on record to say that I think this years defense will be better than last year. The Juco additions to the secondary will pay dividends. Our DL is a year older and bigger. Our secondary was toasted last year on many occasions. (See Baylor replay). I think every starter is a Jr. or Senior.

The OL looks very good. Missou has some big offensive lineman. I heard on XM that many players gained 15 pounds or more during the offseason. After watching up close, I have determined that the the weight gain came from beer and chips and not work in the weight room. They were big fat and slow from what I saw and were dominated by our OL.

Crawford is the real deal. I was more impressed with his running that with Smallwood last year.

Holgs has really taken us in a direction where we are just reloading. The Defense this year shows the depth that we have developed after losing most of our starters.

Red Zone offense- time to take a page out of Bills Stewarts and Don Nehlen's playbooks. Up the middle, Up the Middle Up the Middle score. Shell and Wellman can pound behind this line. Field goals are great when playing against inept offenses, we will face few of those in B12 play. If we are to be a winner this year, Red Zone will be the key.

QB is the weakest link on this team. Skyler has improved, but he is not near the level of the other QBs I watched last weekend. It did not take long for Crest and Chuggs to show that they are not capable or ready to be thrown in there.

 

[Slaton10]

I agree with you. The secondary will get better, this was hopefully their worst performance of the year... so there is only improvement in their future. One INT attempt came on a Hail Mary. One failed INT came on an overthrown pass. I'm not sure any of the missed INT's were the result of being in the right position to make a play on the ball.

Skyler was so ineffective at running zone read he helped guide the offense to a mere 241 yds rushing... Going for 35 himself on 7 carries. The team averaged 5 ypc.

Kelly is a really good QB, and he will be an NFL QB. After week 1, Skyler is ranked #29 in Total QBR. Kelly is 5 spots ahead of him. LOL!!

Total Quarterback Rating - College Football - ESPN

That leaves around 100 FBS QB's worse than him.

And....Kelly played the #4 team in the country and Wv played...............a decent football team.

Stats are misleading...sure they ran for 200 plus...could have been 300 plus...and what was his yards per carry taking out the 15 yard run he had?..come on BBW you're better than this..

I don't understand why you think the secondary played so bad...you gave them a ton of shizza for biting on every play last year...didn't see it once last saturday..

 

[Slaton10]

I'll be the first on record to say that I think this years defense will be better than last year. The Juco additions to the secondary will pay dividends. Our DL is a year older and bigger. Our secondary was toasted last year on many occasions. (See Baylor replay). I think every starter is a Jr. or Senior.

The OL looks very good. Missou has some big offensive lineman. I heard on XM that many players gained 15 pounds or more during the offseason. After watching up close, I have determined that the the weight gain came from beer and chips and not work in the weight room. They were big fat and slow from what I saw and were dominated by our OL.

Crawford is the real deal. I was more impressed with his running that with Smallwood last year.

Holgs has really taken us in a direction where we are just reloading. The Defense this year shows the depth that we have developed after losing most of our starters.

Red Zone offense- time to take a page out of Bills Stewarts and Don Nehlen's playbooks. Up the middle, Up the Middle Up the Middle score. Shell and Wellman can pound behind this line. Field goals are great when playing against inept offenses, we will face few of those in B12 play. If we are to be a winner this year, Red Zone will be the key.

QB is the weakest link on this team. Skyler has improved, but he is not near the level of the other QBs I watched last weekend. It did not take long for Crest and Chuggs to show that they are not capable or ready to be thrown in there.

I thought Holgorsen should have given Crest another series...I get it was a bad turnover..but come on..Howard was an interception/fumble machine last year and he never got pulled

 

[bbwvfan]

And....Kelly played the #4 team in the country and Wv played...............a decent football team.

Stats are misleading...sure they ran for 200 plus...could have been 300 plus...and what was his yards per carry taking out the 15 yard run he had?..come on BBW you're better than this..

I don't understand why you think the secondary played so bad...you gave them a ton of shizza for biting on every play last year...didn't see it once last saturday..

FSU is a really great team with a really good defense. They have 7 returners from last year's defense which finished #19 in Total Defense and #21 in Passing Yards Allowed in 2015. They finished #15 in Pass Efficiency Defense. They entered the '16 season with question marks on the DL and at CB. I think the first half of the Ole Miss game reflected those concerns as Ole Miss was unstoppable.

Mizzou is an average team with a great defense. They have 8 returning starters from last year's defense which finished #6 in Total Defense and #5 in Passing Yards Allowed in 2015. Among SEC teams they gave up the lowest yards per passing attempt in '15.

I know you don't care about last year's stats, but you are all alone trying to claim WVU's offensive production last Saturday was not an eye opener against what most experts consider one of the top defensive teams in the country.

You cannot take out Skyler's big run to make a legit argument. You know that isn't how it works. You are the one who has to be better than that bullshit. Each back has a big run to boost their ypc... what is your SN? Slaton? What contributed to his ypc average? Those carries for loss... or the 50 yd TD runs? LOL!

Get your crap out of here...

300 yds rushing against a school that gave up 133 yds/gm last year? Yeah... Gotcha... LOL!

 

[Slaton10]

FSU is a really great team with a really good defense. They have 7 returners from last year's defense which finished #19 in Total Defense and #21 in Passing Yards Allowed in 2015. They finished #15 in Pass Efficiency Defense. They entered the '16 season with question marks on the DL and at CB. I think the first half of the Ole Miss game reflected those concerns as Ole Miss was unstoppable.

Mizzou is an average team with a great defense. They have 8 returning starters from last year's defense which finished #6 in Total Defense and #5 in Passing Yards Allowed in 2015. Among SEC teams they gave up the lowest yards per passing attempt in '15.

I know you don't care about last year's stats, but you are all alone trying to claim WVU's offensive production last Saturday was not an eye opener against what most experts consider one of the top defensive teams in the country.

You cannot take out Skyler's big run to make a legit argument. You know that isn't how it works. You are the one who has to be better than that bullshit. Each back has a big run to boost their ypc... what is your SN? Slaton? What contributed to his ypc average? Those carries for loss... or the 50 yd TD runs? LOL!

Get your crap out of here...

300 yds rushing against a school that gave up 133 yds/gm last year? Yeah... Gotcha... LOL!

Now your twisting my words...I said that Howard did a poor job in missing his reads on several option plays...I did not say that Wv's offense overall played poorly on Saturday...my concern is if he doesn't clean it up it will comeback to haunt this team later..whether it be in a fumble or interception by putting the offense either behind the chains and unnecessarily extending down and distance or a muffed hand off caused by interior DL pressure... same stuff he did last year...I am certainly willing to give him the benefit of the doubt being the first game of the season and he cleans it up but like i said I have seen this before..