I Got Five On It: UCF
Welcome to the fifth edition of my weekly analysis named "I Got Five On It," where I will give you five of my biggest takeaways and thoughts following every WVU football game this season and give you insight into what I saw from watching the Mountaineers. This week, WVU got back on track and defeated UCF on the road in Orlando after the Mountaineers forced four turnovers and ran for over 280 yards on the ground. West Virginia also improved to 5-3 in dominant fashion. Here's what I saw from Saturday's matchup.
1-- The defense still has work to do, but takeaways and some luck helped offset some issues.
To the naked eye, there are still some issues and some imperfections for the WVU defense and that includes tackling in the open field, coverage on short and medium routes and eye discipline in the secondary. Although these issues are still relevant, the defense had some luck on its side in Saturday's win after forcing four turnovers. The first two interceptions of the game were lucky breaks for the Mountaineers and unfortunate events for UCF. The first turnover bounced off a UCF receiver twice and fell into Beanie Bishop's lap, who had an impressive all-around performance in the win. Marcis Floyd was then gifted a takeaway when the Knights' quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was hit while throwing under pressure and the ball sailed high in the air. Then Bishop intercepted another pass on a dangerous throw from Plumlee and linebacker Lee Kpogba stripped the quarterback on a sack late in the game. Although the final two takeaways were pure defensive grit and execution, the Mountaineers did err on the side of luck for the takeaways that happened in key early game moments and that helped solidify the win. The defensive unit was definitely shaky up and down all day in terms of defending the pass and making consistent tackles, especially early, but the turnovers helped offset what issues they faced. If you clean up gap discipline, open field tackling and pass coverage, which is much easier said than done, then West Virginia's defense will take that next step. You saw a good step in the right direction on Saturday, especially with transfer cornerback Bishop, but unforced errors from UCF definitely helped their case and were enough to get the job done. WVU was still outgained 463 to 450, so there's work to be done especially in a high-powered conference like the Big 12. Since UCF came into Saturday as a top-five offense in the FBS, there's no reason to not be somewhat excited about what you did as a unit on the road.
2-- Greene is spectacular with the ball in his hands and when he has open running space.
Although downfield blocking on quarterback keepers and assistance at the second level was great on Saturday, Greene has shown that he is an exceptional runner once again and is spectacular with the ball in open space. Greene finished the game with 55 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns, padding his spot as a top-10 quarterback in the FBS for rushing touchdowns. As mentioned in the television broadcast on Saturday, Greene is a slippery runner and you see it every time he keeps the ball and his decisiveness and IQ as a runner is a great quality in WVU's offense. There's always a threat of Greene running for opposing defenses and he showed how well he could beat you. Especially inside the red zone, Greene's leg became a useful weapon and he was consistently strong at the point of contact but also quick on his feet when cutting and hitting gaps. Whether a play is off-schedule or it's a designed keeper for Greene, his running ability should continue to be utilized and add an extra fold in an offense that loves to run the ball. Greene seemed to be a go-to option in plus territory and in goal to go situations and he's proven time and time again that he's talented at putting the ball in the endzone with his legs and he did that three-fold against the Knights. There must be a reason he's tied for sixth in the nation in rushing touchdowns amongst quarterbacks and we all saw that on display.
Related: The Day After: West Virginia football at UCF
3-- The run game was strong with all three running backs and it’s the most consistent performance we’ve seen from this group this season
It was just an absolutely impressive performance on the ground for West Virginia and it might have been the most steady we've seen WVU's run game be this season and the most complete it's been over a full four-quarter game. Despite the fact that the Mountaineers accumulated 282 rushing yards and dominated in that category, it's also what sealed the game for WVU. For once, the Mountaineers were able to rely heavily on the rushing attack in the crucial situations and all three of the team's leading rushers ran with poise, strength and speed that we really haven't seen this season. As a team, West Virginia averaged 5.7 yards per carry and that type of consistency in this offense is the recipe to winning games. For the first time this season, we truly saw head coach Neal Brown and WVU dominate a game the way they wanted to offensively, which is pounding the football and incorporating play action passing. Three runners all saw consistent snaps on the ground and were all very impressive in their own rights. Greene ran for 55 yards and three touchdowns, sophomore running back CJ Donaldson led the way with 121 yards and a touchdown but the freshman ball carrier Jahiem White also ran for 85 yards and a score on only nine carries. This group put together their best performance on the ground to date and it seems like that's the ideal offensive game plan that Brown wants to run to be successful. It's a group effort for sure alongside the offensive line to bolster and establish the run game as a strength across the entirety of a game, but West Virginia has some great young skill players to choose from in the backfield. After the win over UCF, it seems like the running back position is in good hands and may have found a formula for the offense moving forward.
4-- It seems like Brown may have taken the early game script, offensive execution and red zone offense to heart.
In three straight games, we've seen immense improvement and cohesion from the West Virginia offense compared to early season matchups and it seems like the play calling and the offensive scheme have matured. Over the last few weeks, with slow starts out of halftime breaks, slow offensive starts to begin a game and overall offensive execution seemed to hold back the WVU offense some when it needed to score to put a game away and you may have seen Brown turn a corner on offense. Throughout the week, Brown was criticized and questioned about early game play scripts and execution in crucial moments like third and fourth down and in the red zone; this includes both players and play callers execution. Now, it seems like Brown has taken that criticism to heart because he came out with a solid plan and executed it well against UCF and you could see it in how the plays were called. Along with improved execution that seemed to be an emphasis in practice for the players, Brown showed confidence in the running game and relied upon it, but also mixed in multiple play calls that were exceptional, such as the screen and pitch that ended up as a fumble despite having a lane and countless shots down the field where the Mountaineers were in favorable matchups. The offense has taken a step forward in this regard and it seems like Brown did actually hit home the facts of execution to his team in practice and the many missed opportunities that came in the two-game losing streak. Not to mention the fact that Brown can also hang his hat on WVU's perfect red zone conversion rate, finishing seven for seven inside the opponents' 25 yard line. That's an aspect of the WVU offense that hasn't been present for quite a few years and it's impressive to see it flourish in a game that mattered so much to get those points on the board.
5-- WVU needed this game to get back on the right track and maybe a confidence builder can help them stay on the right track.
West Virginia football needed this win badly, in terms of narrative purposes but also in team confidence. The Mountaineers have been in their last three games until the end, only coming out victorious in one of the three, and Brown was aware of the emotional toll this could take on a team to be this close and fall again, so potentially a win like this is a confidence builder. The Mountaineers showed up motivated and technically sound on offense and were able to make the plays needed on defense to get the job done. However, this game transcends just one Big 12 conference matchup but the implications of this team moving forward. There was a narrative, and could still be argued to be a narrative since UCF isn't a great team on paper, that the fall was starting to happen this season for West Virginia but a win has given them a chance to get back on the right track and potentially stay there with a winnable schedule. With new Big 12 opponent BYU next, a challenging matchup with Oklahoma and then two games against struggling Big 12 teams Baylor and Cincinnati, there's a chance for three wins if the momentum from Saturday against UCF can remain. This game definitely gives the Mountaineers a chance to rebound and put together a good finish to the season and overcome mental adversity from two straight losses.
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