This Saturday represents the biggest swing game on the schedule. When the schedule first came out, this game appeared to be among the most difficult on the schedule due to the relative team strengths of each team and their known weaknesses. Playing a road game in Morgantown is very difficult due to the travel logistics involved for the visiting team. OSU has made some adjustments, and I suspect that the road game experience will be smoother this season as compared to 2013 when West Virginia upset the Pokes. Still, the Cowboys find themselves as a homecoming opponent for what should be a fired-up night crowd. The environment should be very loud and rowdy. On the field, the Mountaineers have matched up very well versus the Cowboys the past two years, and although they do not have the same elite level skill talent on offense, there is still plenty of firepower for Dana Holgorson.
(Due to personal time constraints this week, I am going to simply hit some highlights of the game and potential match-ups, and then revisit things in detail tomorrow.)
Offensively, West Virginia has two very good, running backs in Rushel Shell (very adept between the tackles player) and Wendel Smallwood (a Reggie Bush style of player that is elusive and possess great hands. These two guys are very proficient chain movers, but neither has posted a run of greater than 25 yards so far this season. As he did at OSU in 2010, Coach Holgorson has gone to a broken power I look that features both of these backs on the field at the same time (like Hunter and Randle). Shell provides a lot of inside zone run punch, while Smallwood is moved around to take advantage of match-ups in space as well as to get his speed outside off tackle. Quarterback Skyler Howard is a bit of dual threat, although no one will confuse him athletically to the last two running quarterbacks that OSU has faced. Instead, he will keep the ball a few times on a zone read as well as on naked bootlegs when the defense begins to aggressively crash inside. He does a good job of getting up-field decisively and getting down prior to contact. (He did have a 50 yard TD run last week that surprised everyone on fourth down).
This is one of the few games (along with KSU) where the loss of Ryan Simmons could really be noticed as run game fits inside are very important with the variety of looks that West Virginia will throw at the defense. Expect the Mountaineers to try to confuse him and create alignment issues to pop some big plays up inside. Chad Whitener has more athleticism than Ryan Simmons and provides a better pass rush threat, but there is no substitute for the experience lost. If you look at some of the bigger run plays given up to this point in the season, Whitener has been slightly out of his gap. There is no way that isn't zeroed in on by the opposing staff. He has to be dialed in and playing gap sound technique.
The Mountaineer offensive line was considered a team strength coming into the season, and when it comes to the run game, they do a good job of getting push inside, especially when on the move. The nonconference games were not very challenging, so it is difficult to take much from them, but the game in Norman was a bit surprising as their offensive line really struggled with the speed rush off the edge and was slow to pick up line/blitz stunts up the middle. The Sooners, particularly Eric Striker played havoc in the backfield all game long. Honestly, his disruption was the key to the game as it both directly and indirectly contributed to most of the offensive breakdowns. Oklahoma managed seven sacks against this offensive line. The ability to create pressure caused the Skyler Howard to grow uncomfortable in the pocket, and he made some bad decisions and his mechanics slipped. To the line's credit, when Oklahoma did not send pressure, their line created and maintained a very well defined pocket. When Howard could throw in rhythm, he was very accurate. When pressure got to him or coverage took away his first read and safety valve, he sailed some passes. Miketavious Jones and Devante Averrette have been used to create speed rush pressure in the past few games, and given the film from last week, they have to be looking forward to the game.
The match-up with the OSU front seven looks considerably different this week given both the injury to Simmons and the weaknesses that were exposed in Norman last week. Last year, the Mountaineers did very well against the Cowboy defensive front, able to effectively run the ball and protect the quarterback. Through the first three games, it looked like West Virginia was actually better in that area than a year ago, but there are questions after the problems in Norman, while the Cowboy defensive front seven is clearly better than a year ago. West Virginia had breakdowns in pass protection inside by the right guard, the left tackle, and some failed double teams with the tight end. I don't know if one week gives their staff enough time to coach up those weaknesses particularly with the way that OSU combines speed and power rushes. One thing the Cowboy defense does very well is put pressure on the quarterback, particularly on clear passing downs. The fact that Skyler Howard was clearly rattled by pressure surely invites the risk from the OSU staff in terms of taking some chances on early downs to put West Virginia behind the chains. Yodny Cajuste is a solid player, but still a redshirt freshman at left tackle who has made some mistakes. The Mountaineers are not going to want him to be matched up without help often on Emmanuel Ogbah who can create separation and then beat his man with power or speed. They also do not want to put the offense in many third and long situations.
Defending the run is paramount this week. First, West Virginia will run about 60% of the time. Second, their passing game has not been effective on third and long. A real key is going to be the ability of Taylor, Maile, Whitener, and Jacobs to shut down the A and B gaps, and be able to create some penetration in the middle. The interior trio of the Mountaineer line, led by underrated and very smart center Tyler Orlosky, has been able to get consistent push all year as well as effectively sealing off backside pursuit down the line. The West Virginia offense can and will throw the ball, but they are not equipped to be doing it consistently in obvious passing situations. Passing on early downs or on intermediate distances on third down are where this offense makes plays.
Shelton Gibson is their best play maker in the passing game. He is averaging 24 yards per catch, and they will take shots with him vertically on the edge against man coverage to keep the safeties back. One thing that is noticeable about him is the way that he breaks to and attacks the football down the field. He has both the tracking skills and the aggressiveness to win 50-50 situations. Defensive backs can not be content to just run with him and be in position. They must make plays to defend the ball. Jovon Durante is a talented freshman that they are continually finding new ways to get him the ball, both underneath and down the field. He has prototypical size and athletic skill set for the position. In time, he will be a very good Big 12 player, but he has found most of his success against zone coverages, and is still having a hard time getting separation against tight man coverage. Daikiel Shorts is a very capable chain mover that plays the Y, and knows how to work the middle of the field and use his body for positioning. The Cowboy secondary should match-up well with the West Virginia receivers. Gibson is going to make some plays, but there does not seem to be as much risk for the secondary giving up multiple big plays in the passing game due to the individual edge in several match-ups.
One potential problem could be covering Wendell Smallwood out of the backfield and the slot. West Virginia could possibly even flip roles with him and Rushel Shell to create confusion. The Mountaineers will look to get him matched up on the Cowboy linebackers in space. OSU has struggled with the wheel route at times, and although West Virginia has not shown it to this point, it is a part of their offensive package. The fact that Seth Jacobs has been playing with a club on his hand will help him draw game planning attention, but Burton is a guy that I believe will be in the crosshairs, along with Miketavious Jones in coverage.
Skyler Howard has been very effecient this year, up to last week. His season numbers are outstanding. When he throws on time and in rhythm, he is very accurate and makes very good decisions with the football. Their skill players are very disciplined in their route running and do a good job catching and securing the football. On the other hand, when confused or hurried, things break down. The Oklahoma pass rush made him uncomfortable enough that he missed several wide open receivers visually and mechanically overthrew a few as well. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back from last week and how he handles adversity should things not go well for him early on Saturday. I expect it will be a mixed bag day for him against the Cowboys.
Until the offensive line issues showed up last week along with turnovers, I was not thinking as positively about this match-up, but the reality is that the weaknesses exposed last week, if not corrected, play right into the wheelhouse of OSU's defensive strengths.
(Due to personal time constraints this week, I am going to simply hit some highlights of the game and potential match-ups, and then revisit things in detail tomorrow.)
Offensively, West Virginia has two very good, running backs in Rushel Shell (very adept between the tackles player) and Wendel Smallwood (a Reggie Bush style of player that is elusive and possess great hands. These two guys are very proficient chain movers, but neither has posted a run of greater than 25 yards so far this season. As he did at OSU in 2010, Coach Holgorson has gone to a broken power I look that features both of these backs on the field at the same time (like Hunter and Randle). Shell provides a lot of inside zone run punch, while Smallwood is moved around to take advantage of match-ups in space as well as to get his speed outside off tackle. Quarterback Skyler Howard is a bit of dual threat, although no one will confuse him athletically to the last two running quarterbacks that OSU has faced. Instead, he will keep the ball a few times on a zone read as well as on naked bootlegs when the defense begins to aggressively crash inside. He does a good job of getting up-field decisively and getting down prior to contact. (He did have a 50 yard TD run last week that surprised everyone on fourth down).
This is one of the few games (along with KSU) where the loss of Ryan Simmons could really be noticed as run game fits inside are very important with the variety of looks that West Virginia will throw at the defense. Expect the Mountaineers to try to confuse him and create alignment issues to pop some big plays up inside. Chad Whitener has more athleticism than Ryan Simmons and provides a better pass rush threat, but there is no substitute for the experience lost. If you look at some of the bigger run plays given up to this point in the season, Whitener has been slightly out of his gap. There is no way that isn't zeroed in on by the opposing staff. He has to be dialed in and playing gap sound technique.
The Mountaineer offensive line was considered a team strength coming into the season, and when it comes to the run game, they do a good job of getting push inside, especially when on the move. The nonconference games were not very challenging, so it is difficult to take much from them, but the game in Norman was a bit surprising as their offensive line really struggled with the speed rush off the edge and was slow to pick up line/blitz stunts up the middle. The Sooners, particularly Eric Striker played havoc in the backfield all game long. Honestly, his disruption was the key to the game as it both directly and indirectly contributed to most of the offensive breakdowns. Oklahoma managed seven sacks against this offensive line. The ability to create pressure caused the Skyler Howard to grow uncomfortable in the pocket, and he made some bad decisions and his mechanics slipped. To the line's credit, when Oklahoma did not send pressure, their line created and maintained a very well defined pocket. When Howard could throw in rhythm, he was very accurate. When pressure got to him or coverage took away his first read and safety valve, he sailed some passes. Miketavious Jones and Devante Averrette have been used to create speed rush pressure in the past few games, and given the film from last week, they have to be looking forward to the game.
The match-up with the OSU front seven looks considerably different this week given both the injury to Simmons and the weaknesses that were exposed in Norman last week. Last year, the Mountaineers did very well against the Cowboy defensive front, able to effectively run the ball and protect the quarterback. Through the first three games, it looked like West Virginia was actually better in that area than a year ago, but there are questions after the problems in Norman, while the Cowboy defensive front seven is clearly better than a year ago. West Virginia had breakdowns in pass protection inside by the right guard, the left tackle, and some failed double teams with the tight end. I don't know if one week gives their staff enough time to coach up those weaknesses particularly with the way that OSU combines speed and power rushes. One thing the Cowboy defense does very well is put pressure on the quarterback, particularly on clear passing downs. The fact that Skyler Howard was clearly rattled by pressure surely invites the risk from the OSU staff in terms of taking some chances on early downs to put West Virginia behind the chains. Yodny Cajuste is a solid player, but still a redshirt freshman at left tackle who has made some mistakes. The Mountaineers are not going to want him to be matched up without help often on Emmanuel Ogbah who can create separation and then beat his man with power or speed. They also do not want to put the offense in many third and long situations.
Defending the run is paramount this week. First, West Virginia will run about 60% of the time. Second, their passing game has not been effective on third and long. A real key is going to be the ability of Taylor, Maile, Whitener, and Jacobs to shut down the A and B gaps, and be able to create some penetration in the middle. The interior trio of the Mountaineer line, led by underrated and very smart center Tyler Orlosky, has been able to get consistent push all year as well as effectively sealing off backside pursuit down the line. The West Virginia offense can and will throw the ball, but they are not equipped to be doing it consistently in obvious passing situations. Passing on early downs or on intermediate distances on third down are where this offense makes plays.
Shelton Gibson is their best play maker in the passing game. He is averaging 24 yards per catch, and they will take shots with him vertically on the edge against man coverage to keep the safeties back. One thing that is noticeable about him is the way that he breaks to and attacks the football down the field. He has both the tracking skills and the aggressiveness to win 50-50 situations. Defensive backs can not be content to just run with him and be in position. They must make plays to defend the ball. Jovon Durante is a talented freshman that they are continually finding new ways to get him the ball, both underneath and down the field. He has prototypical size and athletic skill set for the position. In time, he will be a very good Big 12 player, but he has found most of his success against zone coverages, and is still having a hard time getting separation against tight man coverage. Daikiel Shorts is a very capable chain mover that plays the Y, and knows how to work the middle of the field and use his body for positioning. The Cowboy secondary should match-up well with the West Virginia receivers. Gibson is going to make some plays, but there does not seem to be as much risk for the secondary giving up multiple big plays in the passing game due to the individual edge in several match-ups.
One potential problem could be covering Wendell Smallwood out of the backfield and the slot. West Virginia could possibly even flip roles with him and Rushel Shell to create confusion. The Mountaineers will look to get him matched up on the Cowboy linebackers in space. OSU has struggled with the wheel route at times, and although West Virginia has not shown it to this point, it is a part of their offensive package. The fact that Seth Jacobs has been playing with a club on his hand will help him draw game planning attention, but Burton is a guy that I believe will be in the crosshairs, along with Miketavious Jones in coverage.
Skyler Howard has been very effecient this year, up to last week. His season numbers are outstanding. When he throws on time and in rhythm, he is very accurate and makes very good decisions with the football. Their skill players are very disciplined in their route running and do a good job catching and securing the football. On the other hand, when confused or hurried, things break down. The Oklahoma pass rush made him uncomfortable enough that he missed several wide open receivers visually and mechanically overthrew a few as well. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back from last week and how he handles adversity should things not go well for him early on Saturday. I expect it will be a mixed bag day for him against the Cowboys.
Until the offensive line issues showed up last week along with turnovers, I was not thinking as positively about this match-up, but the reality is that the weaknesses exposed last week, if not corrected, play right into the wheelhouse of OSU's defensive strengths.
