MORGANTOWN — No one expected West Virginia to go 12-0. That’s just unreasonable. However, a lot of fans thought there was going to be immediate success. I was skeptical of that sentiment, but Rich Rodriguez’s return brought a lot of hope because of where he left off in 2007.
Although shaky, WVU’s 45-3 win over Robert Morris kept spirits high. It was a solid start. There were some red flags, though, like the slow start from the offense in the first half. No one really made too much of it because it ended up being a lopsided win.
Ohio was expected to be another boost of confidence before the biggest game of the season, the Backyard Brawl against Pitt. From that statement, it had the makings of a trap game, and it was.
The Bobcats shocked the Mountaineers in an embarrassing loss where, like the first half of Robert Morris, the offense struggled. All the life was sucked out of the season, and it was only Week 2. After Ohio, you could tell Rich Rodriguez was emotionally upset. His answers were short because he was trying to comprehend what had just happened. Rodriguez felt like a failure.
Losing to a Group of 5 school was a failure, but there’s a lot of season left. There’s a cliche coaches use of “one loss doesn’t define a team,” and that’s very true, especially in college football. Last year, Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois and made the National Championship. I’m not saying this WVU team is going to be the next fairy tale story, but there’s a lot of time to rebound.
The rest of that saying goes, “it’s how the team rebounds from the loss,” and WVU has a great opportunity to instantly rebound this weekend against Pitt.
It won’t be an easy task, though. Pitt is the better team from top to bottom and the point spread has been growing each day. It makes sense, the Panthers aren’t in Year 1 of a new regime, with 80-plus transfers. Their roster knows the system.
Rich Rodriguez called quarterback Eli Holstein an NFL-caliber talent, and he has looked the part so far. Running back Desmond Reid is a threat in the return game and was named an AP preseason All-American as an all-purpose player. On defense, linebacker Kyle Louis could be argued to be the best at his position and was also a preseason All-American. Pitt has threats all around.
WVU’s roster is in shambles right now. The quarterback is in question again, after Nicco Marchiol didn’t look great, star running back Jahiem White is out for the season, and so is wide receiver Jaden Bray. The defense looked strong in the second half, but it has another challenge against Holstein.
It’ll be an uphill battle for sure.
This is a rivalry game. It’s the 108th meeting between the two teams. The last four meetings, no matter how bad each school was, were decided by less than two touchdowns. Last year, it was a 38-34 loss for the Mountaineers. It’s usually a close game.
WVU is coming off a bad loss, so the players will be amped up to rebound from that, on top of the juice from the rivalry game, so the Mountaineers should definitely be ready to go, like Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said.
You need to score points to win a game, and I don’t think WVU’s offense, which hasn’t really looked good all season, can keep up with Holstein and Pitt.
Most Mountaineer fans don’t care about the record as long as WVU beats Pitt. Last year, Michigan’s season was lost, and the Wolverines beat Ohio State, who won the National Championship, so it’s possible.
Anything’s possible in a rivalry game, but it seems nearly impossible with how the season has transpired thus far.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 31, West Virginia 14
