25 Questions that Barely Keep a Family Fed

We are here to bust stereotypes.
Note that his drink does not have XXX on it.

What is their body of work?

They are 3-1.  They beat Marshall easily, than did the same to FCS Norfolk State.  They beat Maryland by 6 (the same team Temple beat by 31) and then lost to LSU, the number #1 team in the nation on my blogpoll ballot.  (I have WVU #19, though perhaps that should be lower now that we see what Maryland has).  This team had its share of back-stabbing off-season turmoil, as Coach Stewart leaked information about the HCIW Dana Holgerson.....today, Holgerson is Coach and Stewart is, well, not.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

30, which is a lot.

WVU President arrives at Stadium. No really, you
know, I made fun of Clawson's John Denver
reference but look on the front windshield.  It says
"Almost Heaven."  See what they did there?

Who are their statistical leaders returning?


Geno Smith is 4th in the nation in total offense.  Tavon Austin 10th in receptions, 4th in punt returns and 2nd in all-purpose yards.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are -4....which is pretty surprising.  They have lost 4 fumbles.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

Good.  Very good.  Geno Smith is completing 65% of his passes, has 9 TDs over 3 INTs and 12 yards per reception.  Any team that completes over 60% at 12 yards per reception has a very solid passing attack.  He does not take off and run often.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

They are scoring 36.8 points per game, and getting 6.1 yards per play and scored 21 against that LSU defense.  All these=good.

Can they run the ball?

They have not been very successful running the ball.  Adjusted for sacks, they are average about 3.1 yards per carry.  That's not all LSU either.  They did not run the ball well against Marshall or Maryland, and Temple showed you can run on Maryland.  Their long run on the year is 17 yards.

In a study of conservation of momentum, a physics
major applies the Navier-Stokes equation.

Do they pass the ball?

This is certainly the more effective part of their game.  See Geno Smith above.  They are only 30th in the nation in passing efficiency and I am not exactly sure why that is.

How is their run/pass balance?

They are pass heavy, having run the ball only 108 times against 193 passes.  That means the run the ball only 35% of the time, which is very low.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

They are converting 44% which is pretty good 55th in FBS.  (I'd have honestly thought it would be higher than that).

Do they score in the red zone?

They are earning 5.3 red zone trips per game, which is really good.  They are also effective, with 5.2 points per trip.

Do they protect the quarterback?

Their set up is really good for avoiding sacks and they have only been sack four times in all those attempts, for 2.1%.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They have given up 26 points a game and 5.0 yards per play, both of which are OK numbers.  The scoring is probably below average, but the yards per play is pretty good.  Remember the turnover differential as it relates to this.  They did shut Marshall and Norfolk State down...while Maryland and LSU scored on them.

Today, they live in a 2-bedroom ranch
in the suburbs.  He now has a hunting license.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are allowing 4.2 yards per rush which is pretty good.  In a little message board research earlier, I saw that the consensus of the fan base is that they can't stop the run at all.  Both Maryland and LSU ran a lot on them.

Could they be passed on?

They are giving up 62% completions but holding teams to 9.4 yards per reception.  They are 40th in pass efficiency defense in the country.  So, they have a pretty good pass defense.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

They are in the top third of the country here, allowing 34%.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are allowing 3.5 sacks per game and allowing 4.9 points per trip.  Like most of their numbers, there are good but not incredible.

Do they pressure the QB?

Hardly at all.  1 sack in 113 attempts, which is less than 1%.

Special Teams:


Punting?

This is not good.  WVU is DEAD LAST in net punting.  They have given up a return TD.  In fact, it would appear to me that it is punt coverage and not the actual punt that is killing this team, unless the punter's kicks are long but low.

Punt Return?

They are pretty good.  They have about 2 per game and Tavon Austin is averaging 22 yards.  Look for some rolling rugby punts from the Falcons.  Austin is a very good player.  They have no TDs.

WVU's Coach looks like
A Formula One driver

Placekicking?

Their kicker is pretty good.  He's 7 of 8 with a long of 43.

Kickoff?

They are OK here, with a 40 yard net.  They have allowed a TD on a return this season.

Kickoff Return?

They average starting at the 31, which is good but not great.  Austin also returns kickoffs and has a TD.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

West Virginia is a 20 point favorite, and this is not a terrible surprise.  This team is good and they have a wild home field environment which will be new to our very young team.  I don't think even playing in the Big House can be compared to the WVU crowd.  Having said that, this WVU team has shown itself to be flawed and has not beaten anyone this year.  They are one-dimensional on offense and their defense is good but not great.  They're coming off a very tough game against LSU, and you never know how a team will react to that.  You always wonder if there is a shot at an upset if BG plays a really good game, and I suppose there is.  At the same time, our team is very young and then is a pretty big test.  It will be interesting to see.